Videoconferencing and higher education teaching in Politics and International Relations classrooms

Date01 November 2017
DOI10.1177/0263395716633708
Published date01 November 2017
Subject MatterLearning and Teaching in Politics and International Studies
/tmp/tmp-18zlwcacYWaIgr/input 633708POL0010.1177/0263395716633708PoliticsAslam
research-article2016
Learning and Teaching in Politics and
International Studies

Politics
2017, Vol. 37(4) 500 –519
Videoconferencing and higher
© The Author(s) 2016
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
education teaching in Politics
https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395716633708
DOI: 10.1177/0263395716633708
journals.sagepub.com/home/pol
and International Relations
classrooms

Wali Aslam
Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, University of Bath, Bath, UK
Abstract
Although generally considered beneficial, little is known about how videoconferencing can enhance
the quality of Politics and International Relations teaching in traditional classrooms. Studying the
author’s own practice, this article examines data gathered from a variety of sources including
survey questionnaires, Twitter feeds, and online course evaluations to highlight the usefulness
of this technology for higher order learning. By integrating videoconferencing technologies into
learning designs, lecturers can utilise them to assist students with formulating questions geared
towards higher order learning, provide varied learning opportunities to fit their students’ disparate
needs, enhance class interactivity, and increase students’ intercultural learning by exposing them
to non-Western viewpoints.
Keywords
higher order learning, interactivity, intercultural learning, videoconferencing
Received: 7th August 2015; Revised version received: 10th November 2015; Accepted: 29 November 2015
Introduction
Although showcased for the first time at the 1964 New York World’s Fair (Noll, 1996:
27), interest in employing videoconferencing as a useful learning technology in higher
education teaching only stretches back to the mid-1990s (e.g. Cochrane, 1996). With the
advent of Skype and Adobe Connect, videoconferencing technologies have progressed
markedly and are increasingly used in university settings. The purpose is usually to ena-
ble students to develop a sense of social presence (Giesbers et al., 2014), which is ‘the
ability of participants … to project their personal characteristics into the community,
hereby presenting themselves to the other participants as “real people”’ (Garrison et al.,
Corresponding author:
Wali Aslam, Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, University of Bath, Claverton Down,
Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
Email: w.aslam@bath.ac.uk

Aslam
501
2000: 89). Although using videoconferencing is generally perceived as beneficial, the
literature on the subject has three weaknesses. First, it primarily studies the technology’s
usefulness in distance education (see, for example, Gillies, 2008). This research thus
ignores how this technology supports conventional teaching and where it can comple-
ment traditional lectures and seminars. Second, the literature has focused on numerous
disciplines, such as Medicine (Mclaren et al., 1992), Languages (Acar, 2007) and
Sociology (Glass, 2007); no research exists showing how videoconferencing benefits
higher education students in Politics and International Relations (IR) classrooms. The
third weakness is that most existing studies focus on ‘desktop videoconferences’ or ‘stu-
dio-based approaches’, which involve videoconferencing suites. They do not involve
regular, room-based interactions, whose sessions use multimedia and projectors. This
article addresses these weaknesses in the literature by studying how students in Politics
and IR classrooms may benefit from videoconferencing as a learning technology support-
ing ‘regular’ lecturing in conventional classrooms. Examining a range of data collected
through class surveys and Twitter feeds, the research reveals five findings. First, it argues
that, through frequent use over a given time period, videoconferencing can be used to
train students to ask questions aimed at higher order learning. Second, students at differ-
ent levels of study and of different competencies benefit from videoconferencing differ-
ently, with first-class students using it to polish their higher order skills of ‘evaluating’
and ‘creating’. Third, videoconferencing can provide opportunities for innovative, inter-
active instruction if it is well integrated into the course’s learning design and its use is
clearly linked to the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs). Fourth, videoconferencing can
help enhance interactivity in the classroom, especially if used alongside social media such
as Twitter. Finally, videoconferencing is an effective tool to introduce Politics and IR
students to non-Western perspectives, enabling them to value the diversity of views on a
range of political and security issues.
The article consists of six sections, including this introduction. The following section
will review the research focus of the current literature on videoconferencing. It will also
outline the gaps that still exist regarding the technology’s use in Politics and IR class-
rooms. The third section will detail the research design and examine the usefulness of
various data-collection methods adopted here. The fourth section will outline and analyse
key findings from the research. The article will conclude by discussing the implications
of the findings and identifying areas of further research.
Given the dearth of literature available on the use of videoconferencing for higher
education teaching in Politics and IR classrooms, this contribution is primarily intended
as a primer for the study of a technology increasingly employed in many universities.
Instead of presenting its findings as final, it aims to start a discussion on how this technology
can be used for more innovative teaching across the discipline.
Videoconferencing in higher education – research focus
The extant literature on videoconferencing highlights its utility in enabling interactive
teaching. Students can interact with remote participants using the technology without
bearing the cost of travel (Ritzel, 2010: 62). Ritzel (2010: 64) believes that the use of
videoconferencing can encourage students to visit distant nations and learn more about
their cultures and values. ‘Web 2.0’ technologies have particular value for Politics and IR
classrooms as they can assist the instructor in developing students’ intercultural, cross-
border understanding. Lee and Markey (2014) have argued that alongside introducing

502
Politics 37(4)
them to other cultures and societies, such technologies can also make students aware of
their own beliefs and attitudes they hold about their own culture. Ozcelik and Paprika
(2010) have further examined how videoconferencing can help in raising emotional
awareness in cross-cultural communication. To study cross-cultural interaction in busi-
ness education, the authors set up a teaching module involving a university in Hungary
and another in Northern California that were subsequently linked through videoconfer-
encing. They found that the sessions provoked a range of emotions, including ‘alertness,
curiosity, pride, anger, and pleasantness’ (Ozcelik and Paprika, 2010: 690). The students
were later asked to reflect on these emotions; the authors argue that the reflection process
benefitted cross-cultural communication. Although useful, this research is quite general
in nature and does not provide much guidance concerning the teaching in Politics and IR;
this gap has been addressed in this contribution.
Giesbers et al. (2014: 33) have contended that interaction with remote participants
using such technologies may foster a sense of community, but that this does not necessar-
ily automatically equate with a better learning experience. Basing their ideas on seven
consecutive years of an online distance programme in Economics, they found that using
technologies like Skype did not lead to students reporting more favourably on their learn-
ing experience (Giesbers et al., 2014: 41). Furthermore, their use did not lead to improved
student performance in terms of pass rates. This has been corroborated by Cavanaugh
(2001), whose research on pre-college students found ‘no positive effect size on attain-
ment, though there were reported increases in motivation’ (Lawson et al., 2010: 306).
Giesbers et al. (2014: 42) argue that the ease of using audio-visual technology and per-
ceived usefulness of meeting peers might have adversely impacted some participants’
faith in their own ‘technological expertise, their ability to engage actively to synchronous
cognitive discourse or the purpose of the web-videoconferences in general’. Although
relevant, these studies do not detail how videoconferencing can benefit students with dif-
ferent levels of competence differently – a limitation that will be addressed in this
article.
Kuntz (2013) has studied the utility of Web 2.0 technologies, including Skype, in help-
ing students understand the importance of learning by themselves instead of relying on a
lecture as the only source of information. He contends that using technology in this way
supplements – or at times even replaces – reading material, greatly increasing learning
autonomy for student and teacher alike. Pitcher et al. (2000: 201, 203) have studied the
way videoconferencing can be utilised in higher education to deliver a distant-lecture
course and encourage group-to-group interaction involving students at different universi-
ties, thus providing opportunities for peer feedback. In their study, the authors found that,
whereas most students...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT