From classrooms to Zoom rooms: preserving effective communication in distance education

ABSTRACT

One of the immediate consequences of Covid-19 is that educational institutions all over the world had to make a rapid transition from frontal classroom learning to distance learning. The present study focuses on higher education and examines the implications of the transition from in-class learning to learning via the Zoom platform in an academic institute of engineering. Specifically, we focus on how the transition affected interpersonal communication. We examined the manifestation of the four media richness theory (MRT) dimensions as reported in the subjective evaluations of the lecturers and students. We gathered information from various formal and informal oral and textual sources and found that shifting away from in-class learning was detrimental to all four dimensions of interpersonal communication. Using Te’eni’s cognitive-affective model of communication, we examined whether successful educators used communication strategies to overcome potential harm to the learning process. We found a diverse use of six communication strategies to maintain mutual understanding and positive emotions. We recommend that educators apply these communicational strategies to compensate for the forced distance from the richest media, thus promoting a high level of effective learning in cognitive and affective terms.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adi Katz

Adi Katz is the head of the industrial and management department in Sami Shamoon College of Engineering (SCE) in Ashdod, Israel and the head of the information systems track in the department. Katz is also the head of the Usability Research Center, for developing and testing technological artifacts, and is a usability consultant in that center. Katz specializes in the areas of human-computer interaction (HCI), computer-mediated communication (CMC), and computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). Her main research interests include cognitive and affective aspects of user interface (UI) design, visualization, and conceptual database modeling. Katz has published papers in journals such as Organizational Science and Interacting with Computers (IwC). Her paper in IwC, entitled “What is Beautiful is Usable” (co-authored with N. Tractinsky and D. Ikar), has been cited over 1,700 times. Her teaching portfolio is broad, focusing on human-computer interaction, databases, file organization and processing, and information and communication technologies (ICT).

Sagit Kedem-Yemini

Sagit Kedem-Yemini is an Industrial Engineer, proficient in information systems and currently holding two lecturing positions: a tenured lecturer position at Sapir Academic College (Logistics Department) and an adjunct lecturer at Ben Gurion University (both in IE&M and Faculty of Business and Management). Her teaching portfolio is broad, focusing on Enterprise Systems implementation (SAP and Oracle Applications) and derivatives of ERP data collection – from Business Analytics to Process Mining. Additionally, she has extensive experience in academic curriculum development, is head of her department’s teaching committee and serves as liaison to the graduation projects unit. Her research interests include Process Mining and its practical applications, ERP relates issues and DSS development.  Since 2019 Dr. Kedem-Yemini is a faculty advisor of the Student Chapter of the IEOM Society at Sapir Academic College. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Kedem-Yemini worked at a global Clean-Room Fab Build-Up Construction Management Company with major clients (such as Intel, Tower Semiconductors, and Teva Pharmaceuticals), where she held various positions, including Logistics Manager, Scheduling Manager and CIO (Chief Information Officer).