“I felt like I was missing out on something”: an evaluation of using remote technology in the classroom

Abstract

As technology develops in Higher Education (HE), distance learning has adopted many different guises and supports many different needs (Keane, 2013). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of Double Robotics on a Doctoral (level 8) postgraduate course at a HE institution. The aim of this project was to generate an understanding of student and tutor experiences more generally, while examining the feasibility and impact of Double Robotics within a doctoral programme more specifically. Data were collected through a series of focus group interviews with the student and tutors over the course of a single semester (10weeks). The data were subject to an inductive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006, 2013). The findings of the study shed light on the interactive pitfalls of the technology and contribute to understanding the experiences of distance learners' engagement. Four key themes were identified: quality of technology, classroom familiarity, tutor facilitation and user isolation. The significance of this study lies not only in assessing the feasibility of Double Robotics but, specifically, shedding light on the nuanced understanding tutors require to enrol and engage distance learners remotely. Most notable, the 'isolation' of the learner points to a heightened awareness of context that can help tutors develop robust and durable environments, which embrace both traditional classroom settings and facilitate the addition of distance learners. Building upon Tucker (2013), technological advancements in the classroom must be carefully designed to appreciate the context of the learning environment, the teacher, and the pedagogic experiences of the learners.

Post-pandemic assessment of online teaching and learning in higher business education

“…Consistent with prior studies (Blau et al. , 2016; Corsby and Bryant, 2020), technology effectiveness and instructor competency are associated with perceived quality of online education. Our findings are consistent with the results of Yen et al.…”

“…Our evidence and experience indicate training faculty can yield neutral to high satisfaction with instructor competency, which is documented in prior studies (Blau et al. , 2016; Corsby and Bryant, 2020). The results indicate that technology effectiveness and instructor competency influence student satisfaction with online learning.…”

University academics’ perceptions regarding the future use of telepresence robots to enhance virtual transnational education: an exploratory investigation in a developing country

“…The results of this study indicate that university academics perceive the important educational potentials of telepresence robots. Therefore, this study concurs with Kwon et al ( 2010 ), Ogawa et al ( 2011 ), Benitti ( 2012 ), Kristoffersson et al ( 2013 ), Tanaka et al ( 2014 ), Rubenstein et al ( 2015 ), Kennedy ( 2016 ), Bell ( 2017 ), Conti et al ( 2017 ), Anwar et al ( 2019 ), Gonnot et al ( 2019 ), Lister ( 2020 ), Fitter et al ( 2020 ), Corsby and Bryant ( 2020 ) and Rosenberg-Kima et al ( 2020 ) regarding the positive effects of robots on enhancing educational activities for remote students. Specifically, the study results concur with Bell ( 2017 ), Gleason and Greenhow ( 2017 ) and Liao and Lu ( 2018 ) regarding that telepresence robots can enhance education for remote students.…”

“…Remote learners are susceptible to failing to benefit from peer-mediated learning and active social interactions (Corsby & Bryant, 2020 ; Kreijns et al, 2002 ). There are numerous studies that investigated the general positive impacts of educational robotics on enhancing academic, communication and social skills of students and offering them impactful learning experiences to enhance their interest, learning, engagement, and academic achievement at various education levels (e.g., Anwar et al, 2019 ; Barker & Ansorge, 2007 ; Benitti, 2012 ; Corsby & Bryant, 2020 ; Gonnot et al, 2019 ; Kory et al, 2013 ; Petre & Price, 2004 ; Rubenstein et al, 2015 ; Zhang et al, 2018 ). Furthermore, robots can enhance collaborative learning where they can incorporate the social dimension in the learning process (Gonnot et al, 2019 ; Reis et al, 2019 ; Rosenberg-Kima et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Telepresence robots hold great potentials to make virtual transnational education more immersive through their abilities to allow students to communicate with and navigate through remote educational environments. During the last decade, telepresence robots have gained more attention and widespread popularity in university classrooms, due to the need of teaching staff to find new technologies and methods that enable them to better connect with distance education students (Corsby & Bryant, 2020 ; Kennedy, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2018 ).…”