Schools and Churches May Dump Video Calls After the Pandemic
By Scott Wallask, longtime content writer; seeking stories flowing from data with a dash of skepticism; Northeastern grad
For many, it’s a familiar experience by now: Thumbnails of a dozen or more people staring back on a computer screen, digitally discussing the matter at hand.
But what about industries that might prefer to forget about video calls once social distancing guidelines are relaxed and larger groups can congregate? In particular, schools and religious organizations are approaching a crossroads as the country slowly reopens.
While many corporate employers are rethinking work-from-home policies — including tech heavyweight Twitter, which indicated employees can clock in from home permanently if they choose to — houses of worship and schools seem eager to return to normal with in-person gatherings. Many states have already allowed churches to hold services at reduced capacities, and students and parents alike are anticipating some sort of reopening of schools in the fall if possible.
Schools and religious organizations are approaching a crossroads as the country slowly reopens.
The irony is that schools and religious organizations were among the biggest new users of web conferencing technology when the pandemic hit.
Schools and Churches Bolster Web Conferencing (For Now)
When state governments issued stay-at-home orders and closed local economies in March as Covid-19 spread, the nonprofit/religious and education industries had the largest percent increase in adoption of web conferencing technology. ZoomInfo analyzed its database of 14 million companies, along with technographics findings for those businesses, to reach this conclusion.
In the future, when “new normals” are established for schools, colleges, churches, and temples, it’s unlikely that web conferencing will maintain its prominence in such settings. Reasons for this prediction include:
- The desire from these industries to interact face to face with people.
- Concerns about inequities among families, such as a lack of access to computers.
- The time it takes to produce online content.
Let’s look at these factors in more detail.
Temples, Churches, and Schools Want In-Person Gatherings
Religious leaders and educators encourage large groups of people to come together to learn and socialize. Web conferencing is not an effective, long-term substitute in such situations.
In many places, public school districts asked parents to help instruct home-bound students in conjunction with teacher-led video class meetings. This approach has not been easy. Carrollton (Ga.) City Schools elected to end classes on May 1–15 days ahead of schedule — over concerns about homeschooling.
“Students’ and parents’ ability to effectively continue at-home learning over a long period of time is a concern,” Carrollton City Schools Superintendent Mark Albertus told families in a video announcement.
Public schools, as well as colleges and universities, won’t totally abandon web conferencing; continuing social distancing guidelines will make it difficult to have hundreds of students on one campus at the same time.
Colleges are dealing with an extra twist: Students and their families have protested the tens of thousands of dollars they’ve paid for college only to have students instead return home and use video calls to interact with professors.
“Zoom shouldn’t cost me $42k a year for my daughter to attend classes.”
— Online petition to refund tuition
“Zoom shouldn’t cost me $42k a year for my daughter to attend classes,” one parent wrote on an online petition for New York University (NYU) to partially refund tuition for the spring 2020 semester. The petition gathered more than 12,000 supporters as of May 21, 2020.
Meanwhile, religious organizations are antsy to reopen their buildings, as attendance of online services isn’t as strong as in-person worship. Researchers who surveyed U.S. adults found that “one-third or more of those who had previously attended church regularly were not bothering to watch online services,” NPR reported.
Students, Worshippers Might Not Have the Ability to Join Online
Web conferencing tools are easy to use, but they require participants to have a webcam and reliable internet access. Because of low income or other reasons, some students can’t join classes or view resources online.
Public schools in Washington, D.C., noted the difficulty of equipping all students for web-based learning, according to a report from radio station WAMU 88.5.
“In D.C., virtual learning has created challenges for some families and exacerbated the city’s inequities,” WAMU reported. “Some students do not have computers or W-iFi to complete assignments, prompting the school system to distribute devices to students and raise money for technology.”
“In D.C., virtual learning has created challenges for some families and exacerbated the city’s inequities.”
— WAMU
Similar concerns have burdened some churches. At New Hope United Methodist, a small church in Atlanta, “even online services and online giving have not been realistic options [because] almost no one in the church can afford internet access or smartphones,” the New York Times wrote.
Online Content Must Always Be Refreshed
Any type of content must be replenished to remain effective. Dropping video call duties into the laps of teachers, professors, and local religious leaders was bound to create more work than they had anticipated. Finding different styles, formats, and themes of content for diverse groups takes time.
The Rev. Ashley DeTar Birt, pastoral fellow for youth and families at Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York City, has tried to make online religious videos as interactive as possible for younger parishioners, according to an article by Religious News Service. That’s a tricky goal when she’s a one-person, ad-hoc production unit.
“[I’m] just trying to make sure … I take time to breathe and to relax so I don’t burn out from just constantly producing content,” DeTar Birt told Religious News Service.
As teachers and religious organizers navigate to the post-pandemic world, they face a challenging transition: Bring back elements of the way things were — when classrooms and worship halls were packed with people — while also balancing the safety now demanded by many. However the scale tilts, it’s likely web conferencing will see its role diminished in such settings.
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