Written by Alex Maskell, Student Digital Champion.
As we were thrown into the deep-end of online learning during the covid-19 pandemic, a new phrase appeared in our vocabulary: breakout rooms. As the concept of breakout rooms emerged, it picked up a rather negative stigma among students. Virtually entering a small room with fellow students, who may or may not sit there in silence for 25 minutes, became a daunting prospect.
The concept of breakout rooms? Undoubtedly phenomenal. Seamlessly moving from a whole cohort call into smaller groups to discuss the seminar work without the pressure of speaking in front of your tutor or the whole group should have been favoured by students. Breakout rooms provide an opportunity to engage with lecture material and stay focussed in seminars. Furthermore, it would increase social interaction for those struggling with the national lockdown. Breakout rooms are an opportunity to meet other students on your course and discuss the looming deadlines or the questionable jokes made by the lecturer that week. It is this small, indistinct chatter that normally occurs whilst waiting for the class before you to leave the room, or outside the lecture theatre, that many of us have missed this year.
So how is this different on an online call then it is in person? Phone calls and FaceTiming is not foreign to our generation which suggests turning cameras on and virtually communicating with one another should not have been a problem. However, casually catching up with a friend over facetime is a completely different ballgame to addressing academic content with other students that you may or may not know that well. Online learning itself was a whole new experience. I’m sure I speak for many when I say I’ve experienced countless occasions in which no more than 3 words are spoken for the entirety of the breakout room. There are the frustrating technical issues, such as microphone or wifi issues, and the reluctance to turning cameras on which inhibits casual chat. It is also worth noting that the long months of lockdown took a real toll on many people’s confidence with social skills. After spending many months communicating only with those in our households, it is unsurprising that speaking into a laptop, to people we don’t really know, is a nerve-wracking concept. Perhaps too much of a focus was put on the academic requirements of breakout rooms rather than the opportunity to check in with one another.
In my opinion, the lack of designated roles made breakout rooms near-enough impossible to navigate. No organisation’s board meeting, or committee meeting, would go ahead without a shared understanding of who would initiate each conversation topic, who would take notes and who would provide further questions for thought. As soon as breakout rooms are set, you question everything. Should I be the first one to speak? Should I start with casual conversation or go straight in with completing the task? Is it my turn to speak? Do I need to give any context of who I am? Am I talking too much? This self-doubt and overthinking leaves you with a sense of relief when the message pops up saying you’re re-entering the main room.
As time went on, you’d expect that students would get used to breakout rooms and be more willing to participate. However, stigma surrounding them built, so where do we go from here? Options include scrapping them all together; some of the most engaging online seminars I’ve had this year have been whole group discussions on Zoom, facilitated by our tutor who encouraged contribution from all students. Alternatively, we can re-consider the purpose of breakout rooms and the opportunities they present us. Online learning was an experience we never expected to find ourselves in and the short time frame we had to get used to it has left a number of warped opinions on the digital learning environment. It is unclear what the next academic year will look like but breakout rooms will likely prevail in some shape or form and it is important we look for the benefits in them.