Enriching and Energizing the Virtual Classroom using Breakout Sessions: A better experience of Active Learning during Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted educational institutes all over the World. As teachers and students adapt to the new normal, Zoom, Google meet, Microsoft teams, or Cisco WebEx have become the most sought-after platforms for distance learning. The challenge for teachers and students in online learning is active peer engagement. To encourage problem-based learning, online platforms allow the creation of breakout rooms. Breakout rooms are private chat rooms where small groups of 3-4 students discuss unique problem statements allocated to them and employ peer learning methods through interpersonal communication. Teachers or facilitators enrich the knowledge of the students in active learning sessions. This research paper dives deep into the benefits, drawbacks, and implications of breakout rooms in E-learning environments. It is a collective case study on the use of breakout rooms by students and facilitators at an elite engineering college in Maharashtra, India. The first-hand experience of undergraduate Computer Science students and their Database Management Systems teacher is being considered. Student recommendations on use of breakout rooms have been consolidated at the end of this paper. Through our analysis and encouraging statistics, we wish to advocate the use of breakout rooms to engage students, in online learning platforms. © 2022, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology. All rights reserved.