Communication behavior of students in a virtual classroom

Abstract

The article examines the author’s experience of communicating with students during the coronavirus crisis by means of the cyberethnographic observation method and establishes the changes in the university-level education process in general, and in distance learning in particular. These changes require a quick transformation of teaching methods, training materials, and assignment conditions. As a result of the study, a number of hypotheses were confirmed. The first hypothesis suggested that students prefer to receive information and instructions step by step through short descriptions, avoid reading theoretical texts, and focus on completing their assignments. The second hypothesis suggested that a virtual classroom provides opportunities for online learning, but there are technical, communicative and organizational difficulties in managing dialogue and learning in the new environment. The third hypothesis was that students initially use the Moodle chat to ask questions mainly on the assignments they have to do, and gradually transit to asking questions on the essence of the topics related to the educational material; the dialogue is fragmented and multi-layered. The observation sample was comprised of 120 full-time students studying the following academic disciplines: Public Speaking, Public Relations, Business Communication, and Communication Skills. According to the results of the research, in a virtual classroom, students prefer a step-by-step presentation of tasks and brief descriptions and instructions associated with the communicative model of pragmatism in organization and training. The highest results were observed under the conditions that involved the use of the possibilities offered by mass media. In the context of public online communication, it proved difficult to guide the dialogue and provide answers, as well as to use brainstorming and associative thinking techniques. Students tend to use the BigBlueButtonBN public chat mainly to ask questions about education process organization. When formulating ideas in the chat, they tend to show social desirability and reduce criticism. It is concluded that, although students quickly adapt to virtual classroom conditions, a virtual classroom cannot serve as the main channel of online learning.