Scientists found out how the presence of a teacher affects students' learning and mood

Swedish scientists from Mälardalen University found that the physical presence of an instructor in the classroom helps students better absorb educational material. However, their overall satisfaction with the educational process depends on the quality of technical equipment and a competent pedagogical approach, rather than on the lecturer being in the same room as the audience. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Education.

A total of 282 undergraduate students participated in the large-scale experiment. The young people studied at two university campuses (the main one and a "satellite" one) over three consecutive semesters. All lectures were conducted in a synchronous hybrid learning format. The key feature of the study was that students were always physically present in university classrooms, while the instructor could deliver the lesson either in person or via videoconferencing from the other campus.

A thorough analysis of the survey results showed that when the lecturer was physically present in the classroom, students at both campuses consistently demonstrated a higher perceived level of knowledge. At the same time, students from the "satellite" branch initially expressed significantly greater enjoyment of their studies than their peers at the main campus. However, this difference in attitudes completely disappeared once the researchers accounted for the impact of technical failures, internet instability, and the specifics of the instructional delivery of material during classes.

It turned out that technical issues, a lack of a sense of belonging to the group, and reduced concentration lowered student satisfaction far more than the physical absence of the instructor. These pedagogical and technical factors combined accounted for nearly 58% of the overall satisfaction score. This proves that seamless organization of remote broadcasting and high-quality streaming are of decisive importance for learner comfort, even if the lecturer is delivering the lecture hundreds of kilometers away from the audience.

Synchronous hybrid learning, which combines in-person and remote formats of interaction, has become a common practice for universities with multiple branches. It was previously reported that this approach makes higher education more accessible; however, the actual effectiveness of such programs is often debated among experts. The new Swedish study clearly demonstrates that simple video broadcasting does not guarantee quality outcomes. Universities need to actively invest resources in reliable digital infrastructure so that students can learn comfortably and maintain contact with their instructors.