Study shows that online teaching triggers a different response in body

Numerous studies have shown that people relate to online teaching in a different way than to in-person classes. Now researchers have explored whether the body also experiences a difference. Moderate stress can be beneficial for learning. Researchers at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum have investigated whether stress occurs to the same extent in online teaching as during in-person classes. They measured various physiological parameters in students who completed an anatomy course either digitally or in the classroom. Although the courses were equally demanding in terms of intellectual effort, the online group showed a significantly lower physiological state of excitation. The results are described by a team headed by Morris Gellisch and Professor Beate Brand-Saberi in the journal Anatomical Sciences Education, published online on 29 July 2022. Physiological excitation was significantly reduced during online sessions.