Cameras During Class: Should It Be Required?
At OHS, coming on camera during class is an integral part of the school community. However, many students dislike coming on camera, and feel like they are forced to look presentable and stay focused. In this article, we’ll look at some student and teacher opinions on coming on camera during class.
Out of 45 students, 51% said that cameras should be on during class. Reasons are that “the classroom feels a lot [more] connected” with cameras on, there’s “more active participation and accountability,” and “having cameras makes it feel like it’s a real school, with real people, doing things in real time.” Despite saying all this, students also say that having cameras on “puts some amount of pressure on students with anxiety” and “feels more draining.” Elaborating, a student says that being “overly focused on trying to sit still and look at the camera [...] can be counterproductive to [their] focus on the discussion at hand.”
Although a majority agreed that cameras should be open during class discussions, 93% said that it was fine if students need to pause their cameras for a short period of time during class. When asked about which type of class(es) should require cameras to stay on at all times, 82% said English courses. A 10th grader elaborated on their answers, saying that “the wonder of OHS’s synchronous class sessions is that they’re discussion-based rather than lecture-based. [...] Having cameras on keeps engagement and excitement up and allows a livelier, more real discussion since you can see other people's reactions to what you say, rather than just disconnected floating voices.”
Out of 6 teachers, 50% agreed that cameras should be on during class, while the other 50% said that it depends on the scenario. Having answered “it depends,” Magistra Pisarello writes that “having whole-class cameras increase[s] sense of community; provides motivation for students to stay on task and be accountable for class participation. It is up to instructor discretion whether to have whole-class cameras.” 5 out of 6 teachers agreed that pausing the camera occasionally for short periods of time was okay. However, one instructor did note that “[pausing your camera] can make it seem like some students are disengaged from what their peers or the instructor is saying.” One instructor noted that they prefer requiring cameras for younger students, while giving more options to juniors and seniors.
Magistra Pisarello expanded on her previous answers, noting that “[her] responses are expressed specifically for OHS.” In fact, “when [...] brick-and-mortar educational institutions moved online, [she] advocated against camera requirements.” This was because brick-and-mortar students had not “signed up for this sort of interaction and the expectation of full compliance was unreasonable and cruel in an already unstable time.”
To sum this up, students and instructors both agree that coming on camera is a vital part of the community at OHS. Without cameras, students will be disengaged, and it’ll be hard to truly connect. However, in the case of extreme circumstances, pausing your camera for a short duration is allowed.