Refurbishing Classrooms for Hybrid Learning: Balancing between Infrastructure and Technology Improvements

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to all facets of education. As students are slowly repopulating university campuses after lockdowns and online learning, universities are looking into ways to ensure social distancing can be maintained in learning spaces and capitalize on the benefits of online-learning modalities without compromising educational quality. One option that has gained attention is hybrid or dual-delivery learning. In this model, some students are present in classrooms, while others join the class through online platforms. However, most university classrooms are not designed to deliver the voice of instructors and classroom students to online platforms. This change in modality requires universities to invest in infrastructure and technology. This research studies the optimum setup for dual-delivery classrooms, investigating a range of infrastructural and technology improvements that can be made to traditional classrooms to help optimize the perceived sound quality for remote learners. The investigation entails a qualitative study to assess the improvement in perceived sound quality (clarity, ability to recognize words, and perceived echo) for remote students vis-a-vis the improvement in the room (such as sound-absorbing padding or carpets) and its technology (such as ceiling and lapel microphones). Specifically, it investigates the degrees of room and the technology improvements needed to ensure that the voice of instructors and the classroom students’ interactions, such as questions and discussions, are heard and comprehended by remote students. We collected responses for nine experiment conditions through 39 tests addressing both instruction and students’ interactions. We formulate a matrix of recommendations for higher education institutions to follow. The suggestions proposed also have other environmental benefits beyond sound quality.