Issue 1 | Article 13


Abstract
Technostress refers to the stress that is induced by using information and communication technologies (ICTs). It leads to depression, anxiety, fatigue, and reduced productivity. Online teaching and learning and their reliance on information technologies bring about technostress in students. In this article, we discuss three technical methods, namely interactive unit design, gamification, and multi-media content, that can help educators reduce students’ technostress.

Technostress and online teaching and learning
What is technostress and how does it relate to teaching and learning? According to Ragu-Nathan, Tarafdar, Ragu-Nathan, and Tu (2008, p. 418), technostress is the “stress experienced by individuals due to the use of ICTs”. Brod (1984), who coined the term over four decades ago, described technostress as a modern disease of adaptation caused by an inability to cope with new computer technology in a healthy way. Over the last few years, the so-called technology-enhanced learning (TEL) methods, including mobile learning, blended learning, synchronous learning, online tutoring and massive online open courses, which have been facilitated by new technologies such as learning analytics, intelligent tutoring systems and various learning applications, have prompted higher education institutions to increase their investment in new teaching and learning (T&L) technologies (Al-Abdullatif, Alsubaie, & Aldoughan, 2020; Kebritchi, Lipschuetz, & Santiague, 2017; Upadhyaya & Vrinda, 2020; Wang, Tan, & Li, 2020b).

The proliferation of new T&L technologies provides not only myriads of opportunities to support teaching and learning, but also creates numerous challenges and sources of stress to technology users in higher education (Qi, 2019). As a result, technostress has become an important topic in the education literature (Qi, 2019; Wang, Tan, & Li, 2020a; Wang et al., 2020b).

The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an extensive transformation of the global education landscape, supported by accelerated implementation of new integrated ICT solutions such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The pressure to adopt these new technologies can induce technostress in students which, if not managed properly, can have severe detrimental effects on their experience with online learning and consequently on the success of the ongoing transformation of learning delivery.

The purpose of this article is to discuss a series of proven techniques that can be easily adopted by educators to reduce students’ technostress in online classes. In what follows, we first explain the methods and design of the research used to identify these techniques. We then discuss the techniques and their pedagogical implications.

Methods and design
Because teaching is a reflective practice (Loughran, 2016) we adopted a research-diary method for our research (Nadin & Cassell, 2006). We summarized, categorized and analysed notes taken by two university lecturers on their individual experiences as online teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflexivity research is a difficult process and varies according to the tacit metatheoretical commitments of the researcher (Nadin & Cassell, 2006). We used two diaries to minimize bias and cross-validate findings. We identified six techniques and classified them into two groups, namely technical techniques and teaching techniques. In this article, we enumerate three technical techniques that can reduce students’ technostress.

1. Interactive unit design
Interactive unit design follows the three-phase model of Initiation, Response and Feedback (IRF). Initiation (I) is generated by the teacher in the form of a question; Response (R) comes from the student when they answer the question; and Feedback (F) is provided by the teacher following the student’s response (Duran, 2016). Design lectures to be interactive using techniques such as Q&A zoom sessions, quizzes and flipping classes increases both the confidence of students and their ability to cope with the stress caused by the pressure to adapt to a fully online learning environment (Stone & Springer, 2019). Interactive design should be used in both synchronous and asynchronous classes because encouraging interactivity using discussion boards, blogs and other media increases student engagement and improves their time management (Stone & Springer, 2019). As noted by Park and Choi (2009, p. 215), online courses must be designed for ‘active participation and interaction’ with academic and technical support embedded within the curriculum, ‘taking into account the nature and diversity of the cohort and their particular needs when designing the unit’ (Kuiper, Solomonides, & Hardy, 2015, p. 243).

2. Gamification
The term “gamification” refers to the application of game mechanisms in non‐gaming environments with the aim of enhancing the processes enacted and the experience of those involved (Caponetto, Earp, & Ott, 2014). Gamification creates an enjoyable learning atmosphere by generating an environment where students can learn new content, perform new tasks and practice skills learned while having a game-like experience (Osatuyi, Osatuyi, & de la Rosa, 2018). Some popular gamification applications that have been widely used in the education sector and can help educators reduce students’ technostress are: 1) Gimkit, 2) Class Dojo, 3) BookWidgets, 4) Classcraft, and 5) Kahoot. Huang and Soman (2013) offer a five-step approach for implementing gamification in online classrooms: Step 1) Understanding the students’ learning requirements and the context of the subject. 2) Defining learning objectives for gamified tasks. 3) Structuring the experience by breaking down the learning points and defining rules of the game, 4) Identifying resources required to use the game such as time, money, and system requirements, and 5) Applying the gamification tools.

3. Multi-media content
Multi-media content is important for online teaching (Al-Abdullatif et al., 2020; Albrahim, 2020). In this context, multimethod content refers to the use of multi-media and multi-format content such as recorded videos, power point presentations, vlogs, and podcasts. Multi-media content is educational, entertaining, and compatible with a wide range of learning styles (Ramlatchan & Watson, 2020). It helps students learn new content in a psychologically relaxed atmosphere suited to their individual preferences (Martin, Ritzhaupt, Kumar, & Budhrani, 2019). As a result, a multi-method approach to online teaching and learning can reduce students’ technostress. This was supported by notes from the diary for the Quantitative Methods and Strategic Management classes where teachers used a mix of media.

Concluding Remarks
The main pedagogical implication of this article is that, although student’s technostress is inevitable, there are simple techniques that are readily available and are being used to reduce it. The explicit role of faculty managers and executives in supporting the implementation of these techniques cannot be ignored. Policies and organizational procedures must be put in place to help educators develop the capacity to use these techniques in their classes.

References

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Biography
Dr Arash Najmaei holds a PhD in strategic management and entrepreneurship from Macquarie University. He is currently working full time as a marketing consultant and teaching part time at various universities. His teaching interests include business research methods, strategic management, entrepreneurship, organizational change, and media management. Dr Najmaei’s research has been published in several journals and research books and presented at international conferences. He has also received three best-paper awards for his research in entrepreneurship and research methods.

Dr Zahra Sadeghinejad graduated with a PhD in management from Macquarie University. She is an active researcher and an award-winning lecturer. Her areas of teaching expertise include marketing, media management, entrepreneurship, and quantitative methods. Dr Sadeghi’s research has been published as book chapters and journal articles and has been presented at prestigious international conferences for which she has received multiple best-paper awards. Dr Sadeghi is currently a lecturer at the Universal Business School Sydney (UBSS), Central Queensland University (CQU), and the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS).