Should students have their video on or off when learning online?

I suspect many of us who had to suddenly switch to emergency remote instruction at the outset of COVID are not eager to reflect on those days. But, one of the many residual effects of COVID is that educators and students are more often using online learning options, so we'd better figure out how to make them great places to learn, for everybody. And that means thinking back to what worked, what didn't, and what we need to research to better understand.

I vividly remember the many legitimate questions and arguments about whether it was ethical or appropriate to ask students to turn on their video or not. For example, some students wanted to see their peers, but other students were in situations where turning on their video might be uncomfortable or even damaging. From the educator point of view, I want students to feel comfortable and be safe in my class, and also I can attest that it was tough to teach to a bunch of blank boxes. And I worried that allowing students to turn off their video might make it easier for them to disengage. (I know it does for me when I'm on a video call.)

Previous research on whether students benefit from turning on their video has been mixed, but a new study by Pi et al (2024), including eye tracking and learning measures across two studies, suggests that younger children learn better with other students' video on, and, if there are slides being shared - their teacher's video off. The idea is that seeing the teacher distracts students from the slides, but seeing one's peers increases social presence and engagement. The study had some other findings about social comparison that I am more skeptical of, however.

So, does this mean I would recommend forcing students in online classes to turn on their video? No. Again, some students have legitimate reasons for wanting their video off. But, on the first day of class, I'd talk about this study, and other ones like it, to explain to students why it may be helpful for them, and their classmates, if they can keep their video on.