Hybrid Workshop, Uneven Listening
Over the summer, I attended a faculty workshop on addressing AI at student learning on campus in Sichel 106. When I walked into the room, it was almost empty. There were only a handful of faculty present, even though the room could easily accommodate 30-40 people. My first impression was that this would be a relatively easy space for listeners because it was relatively silent. I could hear the HVAC system running and two presenters casually chatting while we waited to start. As we prepared to begin, though, the soundscape shifted.
Suddenly, I could hear the overhead projector whirling to life. After the lamp warmed up, the screen showed an open Zoom meeting, with one camera showing a live feed of the presenters before me and multiple Zoom participants. As we started, the two presenters in Sichel 106 began talking and all Zoom participants were muted. After some time, however, a presenter attending via Zoom began talking. Their microphone wasn't always the best, so individual words would fall out, making it hard to follow their presentation. Later, some attendees would show up late, and the opening and closing of the doors and the shuffling of their bags, notebooks, and laptops added additional layers to the soundscape.
I was listening during this presentation because I wanted to know what the group's message was. As a faculty member, I care about student learning and (like many teachers and students) have concerns about how AI is changing student learning. In short, the presenters had information that I wanted to hear.
I get distracted really easily due to ADHD and sometimes struggling to follow long presentations that are primarily verbal due to low auditory processing. Because I am aware of how my disabilities impact my listening, I regularly use many listening strategies. During the workshop, I primarily used notetaking to assist my listening. As presenters said things that I considered important or that I wanted to learn more about, I would jot down notes in a paper notebook.
The hybrid nature of the meeting created a more complicated social environment than either a straightforward in-person meeting or a meeting held entirely on Zoom. I needed the speakers in the room to be sufficiently loud in order to hear online participants, and when there were minor audio problems for online presenters, I couldn't easily signal to them that I missed part of the presentation or had a question. To do so, I would have to raise my hand, wait for an in-person presenter to stop online participants, allow me to ask my question, then repeat it so it could be heard by online participants. This made interaction clunky and awkward. It also made me less motivated to participate in the workshop myself, which resulted in decreased listening as the workshop progressed.
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