Philippine E-Journals

Why the Mute Button Matters: The Lived Experiences of College Students in Using Video Conferencing Applications in Online Class

Anthonete Alvarez | Shannen Francois Zamora | Michael Eduard L. Labayandoy

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Academic institutions were compelled to transition to online learning when the pandemic hit. Many aspects of this online class, however, are yet to be systematically examined and understood. With a phenomenological approach, this paper: 1) describes the roles of video conferencing applications in selected students’ online synchronous classes; 2) examines the lived experiences of students in using video conferencing applications; and 3) evaluates characteristics of a good video conferencing application for online classes. Online in-depth interviews were conducted with ten college students from Region IV-A. Data reveals that video conferencing applications can be mediums of continuous learning and communications amidst the lockdown. Valuable aspects of videoconferencing applications include real-time content sharing. While video conferencing applications’ features are helpful, lived experiences and conditions of participants matter in understanding the context of online learning. Availability of gadget, issues on connectivity, and extremely limited resources like limited mobile data are some prominent concerns. For instance, data reveals that many homes are not as peaceful and conducive as traditional classrooms that is why the mute button becomes one of the most meaningful and important features of video conferencing applications. The lived experiences of participants reveal challenges like juggling tasks like helping at home and learning online. It is therefore understandable that based on lived experiences of participants, a good video conferencing application is something that is compact, easy to use, and more importantly, a data saver.