COVID-19 and the online gaze: transferring trauma informed practices online

As faculty and students continue to find challenges in the classroom in a post-COVID world, a better understanding of student and faculty experiences during COVID can help inform successful online pedagogies for the future. One emergent debate is whether faculty should require students to turn on their video cameras in a synchronous class as a way of taking attendance and measuring engagement. Some say requiring cameras during class is harmful and contrary to trauma-informed teaching practices. Others argue that asking students to turn their cameras on is a reasonable request. Through an online survey, this exploratory study invited full-time undergraduate students to respond to closed- and open-ended questions regarding their experiences with synchronous classes and video camera use during the pandemic. Findings point to a concept we name the “Online Gaze,” which illustrates power imbalances between students and instructors that can emerge during online synchronous classes. The authors argue that the online gaze warrants the need for trauma-informed pedagogy dovetailed with resilience pedagogy to be transferred to online classes.