Reducing the cognitive load among teachers in hybrid lectures by a representation of remote students through a physical avatar in the classroom

A necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid teaching, has remained a common format in universities. Typically, a synchronous live session is joined by students either in the physical classroom or via a remote option with interaction through textual chat. While hybrid formats have many advantages in terms of inclusivity and sustainability, research also reveals numerous impairments of wellbeing and educational quality, such as the added cognitive load of the instructor, perceived differences in social presence between the two student groups (on-site and remote), and limited interaction opportunities for remote students. To address such difficulties, we explore the concept "Fernstudent". A physical avatar represents remote students collectively in the classroom, creating a communication channel based on the same modalities as for on-site communication. A field test of the prototype in two classes showed promising results. Compared to the standard option (Jitsi), the social presence of remote students was perceived higher with the Fernstudent and the interaction between teacher and remote students more similar to that with on-site students. Remote students’ intention for active participation became comparable to that of on-site students. Limitations, planned further developments, and general implications for hybrid teaching and digitalization in the school and workplace are discussed.