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It鈥檚 a bad hair day, the house is a mess and you鈥檙e still in bed. Luckily, you鈥檙e using Zoom and can turn the camera off. 

This isn鈥檛 an isolated event, but a decision that everyone, from executives to students, has made throughout the pandemic. For educators, it poses a conundrum 鈥� does having the camera on help students focus? Are they really engaged with the class or occupied by something else? A from Georgetown psychologists in Technology, Mind, and Behavior examines how students are affected by turning their cameras either on or off during large online classes.  

鈥淐ontrary to students鈥� own expectations, they did not feel more fatigued when they were asked to have their cameras on during Zoom lectures,鈥� says co-author . 鈥淚nstead, by tracking students during real lectures, we found that when their cameras were on they were more engaged.鈥� 

Academic Mentorship

Kushlev, an Assistant Professor in the Georgetown 海角论坛 of Arts and Sciences , mentored Adam Epstein-Shuman (C鈥�22), who worked to complete the study as his honors thesis as a senior. 

鈥淲hile most students who have to take classes online are no stranger to Zoom fatigue, there exists a widespread misconception that being off camera will leave people less fatigued,鈥� explained Epstein-Shuman. 鈥淎dditionally, there is a general consensus that online classes are not nearly as engaging as their in-person counterparts.鈥�

The researchers set out to test these notions through two field studies. In the first, they surveyed Georgetown students who were enrolled in online courses. A year later, they examined students enrolled in the same classes who were attending their lectures in person. 

鈥淣ow we know that having your camera on during a large online lecture course can facilitate greater engagement while not incurring any increase of fatigue,鈥� says Epstein-Shuman. 鈥淭hese findings, however, do not eliminate the underlying issue of Zoom fatigue; they only demonstrate an effective method of combating it.鈥�

碍耻蝉丑濒别惫鈥檚 h Lab, where Epstein-Shuman works, empowers research into happiness, especially how modern technology can affect life quality and well-being. 

鈥淎dam鈥檚 enthusiasm and penchant for being a researcher became evident as soon as Adam joined the Happy Tech Lab as a rising junior,鈥� says Kushlev. 鈥淲ithin Adam鈥檚 first year at the lab, he had already been a co-author on a peer-reviewed paper鈥攁n incredible achievement.鈥� 

For Epstein鈥揝human, the studies offered a phenomenal opportunity to engage in real research with Kushlev.

鈥淒r. Kushlev was the best mentor I could have ever dreamed of,鈥� Epstein-Shuman says. 鈥淲ith his guidance, advice, direction, and management, I was able to successfully navigate every aspect of getting a study published, from getting IRB approval to going through TMB鈥檚 peer review process. Being able to work with such a supportive mentor and get this incredible first-hand experience was the highlight of my undergraduate experience.鈥�