Video conferencing is a technology that can be used in education to help students communicate with each other. Doing so makes it easier for them to meet and work together. Besides making it easy for them to collaborate on projects, it can also reduce the time and money they spend traveling.
Reduces Trip Time and Travel Costs
Video conferencing in education is a great way to reduce travel costs and trip time. Video conferencing can also improve your students’ learning experience.
Video conferencing can bring teachers, parents, and students together from various locations. It can also be used to record classroom content. These video recordings can be helpful for current students who miss school or need to revisit concepts.
Video conferencing can be used to create better collaborations. Teams can be aligned faster and set goals and deadlines easier. This can reduce the need for lengthy discussions and confusion.
When employees can communicate with others regularly, they are more engaged. In addition, video conferencing can make it easier to engage with remote workers. Video conferencing also increases the productivity of the group.
A video conferencing TCO calculator can help you compare the pros and cons of various solutions. The calculator will show you how much money and energy your business can save with each type of video conferencing technology.
It can also reveal which meetings have the greatest return on investment. Video conferencing has many benefits, including lower trip and travel costs, increased productivity, and improved relationships.
One benefit of live educational sessions is that it can allow students to take virtual field trips. These virtual field trips can be used to learn about different places without the need to travel.
Enhances Communication
In today’s classrooms, many teachers and students are using video conferencing as a tool. It allows teachers to record their lessons and conferences and share them with students. Teachers can also use it for small-group learning. Video conferencing can make the learning experience more interactive and engaging for one-on-one or group work.
However, faculty members reported that getting students involved took a lot of work. They felt that students could have interacted more in the videoconference class sessions. The students also felt invisible and could not communicate with their peers.
In addition, it required a significant amount of faculty time and training. Many faculty reported that it disrupted their internet usage.
Students viewed videoconferences as a more convenient way of communication. But it needed to be clarified if it enhanced their learning. There needed to be more studies to determine if it affected the transactional distance between students and educators.
Faculty thought that students would be less distracted by technology. Although students did not view videoconferences negatively, they did not feel it improved their engagement with the instructors.
The problem with videoconferencing in higher education is that it needs to be appropriately designed. The organizational structure of the mediated environment created a disjointed interaction. This was particularly true for extensive class sessions.
Videoconferencing can be an effective educational tool in specific contexts, but it should not be used as a substitute for face-to-face interactions. Getting students involved and creating a positive, student-centered environment is essential for success.
It Makes it Easier for Students to Meet and Work Together
A little collaboration goes a long way in a world where ed is king and pudge is the order of the day. The biggest challenges include time and space constraints, which can be overcome in various ways. There are several ways to get students working together, from the fabled “teacup” to the more traditional pedagogical methods such as group work and collaborative learning. Many technologies spanning both asynchronous and synchronous modes have made the collaborative process fun and efficient. Of course, a few perks and kinks abound, but the result is a collaboratively driven and enriched classroom.
Enhances Flipped Learning
Video conferencing can be a valuable tool to enhance flipped learning. It can be used for group work, meetings, and even webinars. Regardless of the application, video conferencing helps bring students together and keep them engaged.
Early research in the field of video conferences focused on information transmission, problem-solving, and generating ideas. However, these studies also suggested that it might be less effective in achieving high interpersonal involvement tasks. In addition, participants reported feeling isolated during the video conference.
A pilot study conducted in Thailand and Hong Kong found that student-generated videos could increase online engagement. In addition, students recorded short reflective videos before and after classes.
The pilot study also uncovered that a collaborative flipped classroom technique might improve classroom participation. Students worked together in breakout rooms to engage in joint activities.
Another study conducted by two high school science teachers showed that flipped learning works best with younger learners. However, it also requires more faculty training and support.
Before implementing a video conference, it is essential to outline policies for the class. Ensure that all students understand how to use the chat box, respond to questions, and monitor conversations.
Also, ensure the faculty has time to plan for and conduct the videoconference. Many students prefer to attend optional video conference class sessions.
