Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic thrust Synchronous Conferencing Software (SCS), especially Zoom, into higher education institutions throughout the developed world and Qatar is no exception. However, SCS has both benefits and drawbacks for its users (Tümen Akyildiz 2020; also, Kittaneh et al. 2022). On the positive side, Zoom offers online tools such as synchronous chat, emoji reactions, screen sharing, and session recording (Katz and Kedem-Yemini 2021). But even the most advanced SCS tools are of little use if students are demotivated. Contributing to the work of Raes et al. 2020, the present study uncovers pandemic era reasons for demotivation among higher education students in Qatar. An online ethnography of over 160 students and instructors, conducted over a two-and-half-year period from 2020 to 2023, revealed multiple causes for students’ feelings of demotivation. Using Sketch Engine corpus analytic software (cf. Thornbury 2010), concordance lines of terms related to demotivation were generated from the focus group transcripts. These concordances were then hand-checked for discursive patterns. Key factors emerging from the focus group narratives include a lack of accountability for student behaviors, emotional disconnection from instructors and peers, unreasonable course workloads, and a lack of variety in instructional methods. In light of these findings, the researchers propose adoption of a needs-based model for effective online course design in order to develop more interactive, socially-satisfying, student-centered online classrooms leading ultimately to higher levels of student engagement and quality of learning.

Keywords:

Zoom, student motivation, online education, higher education, COVID-19 pandemic.