Following an introduction by Paul Hii, AARNet’s collaboration portfolio manager, Mark Pleasance, Director of ICT from Sacred Heart College in Geelong presented on data driven measurement of student engagement via Zoom, whilst I, Geoff Lambert, one of AARNet newest team members, presented on the strengths and limitations of Zoom Rooms when implemented in the education context.

Using data to analyse student engagement online

Many schools have adopted Zoom video conferencing to meet their needs for remote teaching during COVID-19 lockdowns. Sacred Heart College saw an opportunity to use the Zoom meeting participation data, mixed with activity data from their core learning management system (LMS), to provide useful insights, both to teachers and parents, about the level of engagement of students in online activity.

Measurements included not only participation and connected duration in each subject each day, but also interaction with learning activities, submission of assignments, and rates of drop off corresponding to class duration, providing insights as to how to create more effective online learning. By presenting all the data, personalised to each student through their online parent portal, the broader parent community could also be more involved in encouraging active learning for their children, and quickly identifying subjects where parental intervention was needed.

The potential of Zoom Rooms for education

The final presentation, an introduction to Zoom Rooms in the education context, demonstrated the potential for integrating Zoom’s room-based technology in to a variety of educational spaces – including teaching spaces, meeting rooms, digital signage, conference rooms, booking systems, specialised labs, or even simulation facilities. The Zoom Room, unlike the personal Zoom client is a dedicated platform, that brings with it an interface that allows for simple, ‘one click’ style, human friendly, or scheduled interactions with video conferencing. Feature wise, the Zoom Room is both ahead of, and behind the personal Zoom client in a number of ways, and I explained how and when Zoom Rooms could be used to foster both better hybrid learning or more efficient administration.

One of the many benefits of licensing Zoom through AARNet, the Brunch and Learn series is designed to help our customers make the most of the technology they license, and provide inspirational examples of leading practice from across the sector.

The Brunch & Learn sessions feature short, punchy 15 minute presentations. If you’d like to join future Brunch and Learn sessions, or even present at one, please reach out to your AARNet Customer Relations representative or contact us via our web form.

Author: Geoff Lambert, AARNet Zoom Customer Advisor