Virtual Teaching: The Students’ View
By Stephanie Liu and Riche Lim
None of us expected to change the world while wearing pajamas, but here we are. As two GSB students passionate about education technology, we turned spring quarter into an opportunity to draw lessons from our first taste of the Zoom MBA. We surveyed over 200 GSB classmates and interviewed more than 15 about their online learning experiences.
Here’s what we learned:
#1: Students appreciate faculty members’ efforts to bring their courses online within a few weeks. However, student learning styles differ and feedback has been mixed.
We categorized student feedback into three buckets: what students agree is working, what they agree needs improvement, and what they have mixed stances on.
What students agree is working:
- Applying Zoom features (e.g., polls, chat, breakout rooms, virtual background theme days) makes the class more interesting.
- Note-taking and referencing class materials are more efficient because we can use our laptops/phones.
- Moving between classes and meetings is easier.
- Star guest speakers who are difficult to secure in-person make online classes more exciting.
What students agree needs improvement:
- Distribution of Zoom links and class materials should be standardized, as too many platforms and processes are used across courses.
- Zoom fatigue is real. Particularly when classes and project meetings come back to back. We need more quick breaks.
- Requiring us to keep our cameras on can make us feel constantly watched.
Students disagree on:
- Whether breakout rooms are effective. Some students value the space to build relationships through meaningful discussions. Others report disengaged participants, spending the first three minutes awkwardly asking what to do.
- Whether it is better to deliver straight-up lectures, or design for classroom interaction. Students also disagree on whether cold-calling and role-playing work well in a Zoom format.
- Whether multi-media, like videos, are helpful or too prone to technical difficulties given the limitations of Zoom and internet bandwidth.
A few comments from students:
“I wake five minutes before an 8am class and attend in my pajamas.”
“I actually find the Zoom format to be much more efficient — I get more stuff done.”
“It’s worse than watching a bad YouTube video, because you can’t skip forward.”
“What I really miss are those serendipitous moments of interacting in-person.”
#2: While structured learning is important, serendipitous learning outside the classroom is what makes the GSB experience personal and relevant.
We’re not talking about parties or Beer Pong tournaments. We’re referring to organic group discussions, one-on-one interactions with faculty and guest speakers, and opportunities to walk with someone out of class asking, “What did you think of class today?”
Spontaneous, post-class discussions have been replaced by a rush to turn off Zoom. Waiting to chat with your professor or guest speaker after class is no longer possible, unless they make time.
“There’s a lot of community-building and community learning components that don’t happen anymore. Peer-based learning is important.”
“[I would like] more opportunities to connect with professors and build relationships since there is no more lingering after class.”
#3: Many classmates are experiencing “Covid mood swings.” Mental and physical health need to be priorities because they affect learning.
“I’m getting less energetic every day and finding it hard to wake up. Zoom fatigue is real.”
“There is no social standard for communicating over Zoom. Pausing is awkward, greeting people is awkward, there is no room to make jokes. I miss the community and the energy.”
“Sitting in front of Zoom for hours is just mentally taxing.”
“I don’t know when the day starts and ends.”
The down side of being able to roll out of bed to attend class, students said, is that we constantly feel we just rolled out of bed — disoriented and unsure what day or time it is. Social isolation, the lack of physical separation between personal time and classes, and prolonged screen time can hurt mood and productivity. We seem to be working longer but not necessarily accomplishing more. How can we help each other overcome these challenges?
Many classmates have rituals to combat these issues, including blocking out time to get away from the laptop, exercising and meditating. But there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Receiving emotional support is harder when you have to schedule and go online (yet again) to have a conversation.
“One way I cope is by blocking out a few hours of my day to be away from my screen. If I don’t deliberately set aside the time to log-out, I’d find myself working non-stop.”
“Try replacing that extra time with consistent habits and rituals, not with more work.”
We can find ways to make this period more manageable. Some recommendations to faculty and the administration:
- Make class time more valuable by focusing more on interaction rather than content delivery. We can read articles and watch videos on our own time.
- Digital time is precious, so class structure and timing are important. There are more distractions in the digital world. Each minute of attention takes more effort.
- Carve out time for building relationships before or after class, in the form of individual or small-group conversations.
- Reach out to students and empathize. Provide resources like standing desks in dorm rooms or therapy sessions.
For inspiration, we can learn from notable classroom moments students have shared:
“Rod Kramer makes excellent use of breakout rooms in ‘Lives of Consequence’ by providing ample time for students to connect deeply and vulnerably.”
“If done well, the chat function can be used to elevate the level of conversation. Professors can preview the answers of a student by scanning through chat, and call on someone with a relevant comment. This method ensures that the discussion always stays on track. I’ve felt some of my case discussions are actually run better.”
“Professors like Keith Hennessey have gone above and beyond to use Zoom features to make an alternative, not inferior, class experience. He modified his syllabus to use features like polling and breakout rooms to do boardroom simulations and expose minority opinions in a way that I think could actually rival in-person class experiences.”
“I love seeing guest speakers in their own environment. For example, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen had Priscilla Chan as a guest, and Priscilla had her kids’ artwork on the wall behind her. This format makes guest speakers seem more like real people. It makes me feel more like I could one day be a CEO because it humanizes everyone.”
What students miss most has taught us to better appreciate what is so special about the GSB: the energy of the classroom, the inspiration from everyday interactions, and the authentic support we get from our peers and teachers.
We owe it to each other to improve our classroom experience, whether it’s in McClelland or the Zoom Room.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to our advisors, Rob Urstein and Glenn Kramon, for their help in conducting this research.
