Engineering Students' Interaction in Online Classes via Google Meet: A Case Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Online or distance learning has become an internationally commonly-used alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic, so video conferencing and online learning platforms been created to meet this need. The study aims to examine engineering students’ interaction via Google Meet, their satisfaction as well as suggestions to enhance their interaction when they studied on this platform, which was based on Moore’s framework of interaction namely learner-content, learner-learner and learner-teacher interaction. A 5-point Likert scale and a semi-structured interview were utilized under the participation of 115 engineering students at a private university. The findings indicated that participants’ interaction and satisfaction were perceived at a positive level, but not very high. Among three of types of interaction, engineering students’ interaction with their teachers was slightly higher than the other two types. Several reasons were disclosed as passive learning styles, lack of physical interaction, and needs of private communication. To improve students’ interaction, it is suggested that more physical classroom activities should be included in every online lesson. Engineering students should then become more proactive to prepare lessons in advance. It is also a reference for Google Meet developers to add some features for private breakout rooms and messaging as suggested by the participants. In general, it is implied that both teachers and students would consider those interaction types from students’ perspectives to maintain an effective learning environment during the pandemic.