A comparison of online video conference platforms: Their contributions to education during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

COVID-19 has brought dramatic changes in the ways our day-to-day activities are carried out in recent times. Education was also affected. Online education was adopted as a means to administer teaching and learning. There are numerous online video conference platforms currently available to assist education. Nevertheless, with these platforms are various features with their inherent advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the suitable ones to meet the need of users could be a daunting task. This study utilized a comparative research method to compare features; maximum participants meeting recording duration, security, chat/screen sharing, meeting duration, archive meeting, trial versions, account creation to use and mobility, of seven online video conference platforms; Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx Meetings, Zoom Meetings, ClickMeetings and BigBlueButton. The comparative results of the study found that each online video conference platform included in the study has various beneficial features for teachers and students. Teachers should analyze carefully all features of each online video conference platforms feature, to select a suitable platform for students and course content needs. This study would aid learners, instructors and educational institutions to choose from the numerus platforms, to suit the specific needs and usage during this pandemic period and beyond.