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The view from "Zoom University": surveillance and control in higher ed's pandemic pedagogy pivot

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posted on 2023-06-10, 04:17 authored by Sandra NelsonSandra Nelson, Annette Vee
Symptoms of the COVID-19 pandemic include a dry cough, a high fever, and an unprecedented influx in the use of networked technology. Illustrating the latter trend is the increased use of the popular videoconferencing platform Zoom, which grew from 10 million meeting participants in December 2019 to over 200 million in March 2020 when nearly every educational institution in the United States shifted to remote learning (Yuan). This nationwide move reflected a surprising and sudden consensus across spheres of commerce, governance, and public services. Through Zoom or other videoconferencing platforms, communities attempted to repair the normalcy lost in the absence of in-person interactions with computational solutions. Campus-based higher education shifted in-person class discussions, lectures, and even labs online; faculty who had never before taught online were suddenly forced to do so; and teaching and learning centers ramped up technical and pedagogical support to accommodate the shift—all within a two-week span. Students pushed back. Some checked out and simply didn't attend class online. Others logged in but engaged minimally, turning off their cameras or otherwise resisting participation in class. On a larger scale, student lawsuits demanded tuition refunds because the ubiquitous “Zoom University” abraded their university experiences. Online education was all the same, they argued: “had I chosen Millersville [a much less expensive and selective school] over Gettysburg, I would now be receiving the same quality of education, since they have moved online as well,” a Gettysburg College student wrote (Blackwell). “Sitting in my own home, and not in a gorgeous classroom paid for by rich donors and students’ tuition -- that’s not what I was promised,” said a University of Chicago student (quoted in Anderson). “If I wanted to go to an online school, I could go to an online school. I paid to go to class and sit in a lecture,” said a University of California-Irvine student (quoted in Anderson). Student satisfaction in their education dipped significantly (Digital Promise).

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Enculturation: a Journal of Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture

ISSN

1525-3120

Publisher

George Mason University

Department affiliated with

  • Media and Film Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2022-07-19

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2022-07-19

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2022-07-19

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