MULTI-STUDY PAPER; Lights, Cameras (On), Action! Camera Usage During Zoom Classes Facilitates Student Engagement Without Increasing Fatigue

Abstract

Videoconference software such as Zoomhas facilitated the recent pandemic-fueled explosion in online learning. In two field studies,we explored how students having their cameras on versus off affected their engagement during and their fatigue after a large online lecturebased class. In a longitudinal study (Study 1), we observed N = 65 students enrolled in two online university courses for several weeks (Nobs = 319); we found that when students had their cameras on, theyweremore engaged—but not more fatigued—thanwhen they had their cameras off. In a subsequent affective forecasting study (Study 2), conducted a year later when classes were back in-person, we asked 81 students across the same two university courses to predict how theywould feel if they had their cameras on versus off during a particular class session. Consistent with students’ actual experiences in Study 1, students in Study 2 expected to feel more engaged when their cameras were on thanwhen theywere off. Contrary to our findings in Study 1, students in Study 2 predicted that having their cameras on would increase their fatigue. In sum, our findings suggest that, at least in the context of large online lectures, students may overestimate the cost of having their cameras on, and that student camera usage can increase engagement without increasing fatigue.