Online classrooms where students run the show: we tested how this unconventional model can work

By Matthew Wingfield, Research fellow, Stellenbosch University
Bettina von Lieres, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, University of Toronto
Laurence Piper, Professor of Political Studies, University of the Western Cape

The Zoom meeting window opens, immediately revealing scores of smiling or anxious faces. Some people have quirky backgrounds; some are in the same room as friends and family, who appear occasionally on camera. The South African and Swedish students are running out of ambient light, since it’s just gone 5pm in their time zones. Their counterparts in Canada, meanwhile, are illuminated by the bright sun. Excited messages flood the chat box.

This is a Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation meeting. The initiative…

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