Designing Binge-Worthy Courses: Pandemic Pleasures and COVID-19 Consequences

Abstract

Teachers of conflict, negotiation, and alternative dispute resolution who have transitioned their in-person courses to synchronous video conferencing are posed with significant pedagogical challenges. How will they stoke their students’ curiosity and maintain their students’ interest? How will students find the motivation and energy necessary to engage in nonstop videoconferences, day in and day out? How are they to maintain the high cognitive function required for our courses in the face of Zoom fatigue and reduced social interaction? In light of these challenges, we explored another activity that students (and their teachers) not only engage in, but can’t pull themselves away from. Drawing on the literature examining psychological and neuroscientific aspects of binge-watching television shows, we propose an innovative approach to designing courses our students will want to binge-learn.