1 Chapter 1: I Can’t See You? Ethical Considerations of Web Camera Use in Online
1 Chapter 1: I Can’t See You? Ethical Considerations of Web Camera Use in Online Environments
Marcia Steeves
In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 initiated what will likely become referenced in the future as the great pivot to online learning. Globally, students of all ages saw their physical schools closed and all educational services moved online. Due to this rapid transition, many educators had limited time for reflection. They were unable to move beyond mere substitution, as referenced in Puentedura’s (2015) substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition, or SAMR, model, in their attempt to quickly replicate what their students had been experiencing in their face-to-face classrooms in the online environment.
This chapter delves into one aspect of technology integration that has arisen as a concern during this critical shift in educational delivery: the use of web cameras in the online environment. With the integration of technology in our lives, it behooves us to stop and take stock of the ethical considerations of that integration and understand the risks and benefits of that use. A consequentialist perspective (Farrow, 2016) requires us to contemplate a balance of ethical considerations and to come to an understanding that the consequences of a stand for or against camera use must be considered to achieve the most favourable results.
Full Disclosure
Since the spring of 2020, many educators have shared images and personal reflections from their virtual classroom camera experiences in social media posts, and the topic of camera use has gained broader public attention through news coverage. The range of experiences have varied, from Zoom bombings to feelings of loneliness as educators found themselves lecturing to empty screens (Reed, 2020). The resulting comments and feedback, though sometimes comedic, have also resulted in two diametrically opposed positions on whether students’ cameras should be on or off, centred mainly on concerns for student engagement, equitable access, and concern for student privacy.
This is not a new issue. Student engagement has been a topic of pedagogical discussion in online learning for several years. Online instruction was primarily text and audio based (Barnes, 2016; DeWaard, 2016a; Weller, 2020b; Young, 2020) until video began to be used, both synchronously and asynchronously, as one approach to increasing teaching and social presence, as described by the community of inquiry framework (Garrison, 2017). Physical classrooms, and to a greater extent the buildings, labs, libraries, and halls of academic institutions, naturally present a number of opportunities for communication and wayfinding, such as room and directional signage, for students and educators. Online classes require more deliberate attention and planning to build communication and engagement (Weller, 2020a, 2020b). With the pandemic pivot to online teaching in 2020, many educators struggled as they moved their face-to-face pedagogical practi