For many teachers – students not turning on their cameras in Zoom can sometimes feel like teaching in a black hole. Paul G Moss suggests that most students are actually “on the fence” about turning their cameras on, and can be persuaded by the benefits if you clearly articulate them.
Benefits like:
- increasing student attention
- interacting with peers
- improving your teaching
- being professional
For the full list, and more detail, check out his persuasive blog post.
On the other hand, some feel strongly that we should not expect or encourage students to turn their cameras on: “Many people seem to believe that turning cameras on is a pedagogical necessity and indicates more engaged students. They assume that seeing students’ faces during distance learning is a sign of participation and, conversely, that cameras off is an indication of disengagement.” (Finders & Muñoz, 2021)
Lindsay Masland at the Center for Academic Excellence at Appalachian State University has put together this handy infographic to help you determine if asking students to turn on their camera is the right choice or not.
Source: Camera use in Zoom
Do you think students always need to have their cameras turned on during Zoom teaching, why/why not? Please comment below, we would love to hear what you think!
