Designing for Social Connectivity (Not Everyone Likes Webcams)

COVID-19 has forced vast numbers of educational institutions to shift their operations from being delivered face-to-face to being delivered online. As a result, academic institutions have had to scramble to find complex solutions that meet systems-wide online teaching and learning needs. The quality of interaction that occurs between the educator and the student is crucial to the success of delivering education via online technologies, and it is incumbent on the host institution to provide a usable, effective, and satisfying form of communication all participants may communicate with while maintaining a sense of social presence. It requires little effort to compile a list of potential benefits of using webcams in educational settings. It is more challenging to come up with a list of conditions as to when you may not require all learners to communicate using webcams. This article explores the benefits and challenges of incorporating webcams in teaching and learning in the online learning environment.