An Investigation into the Affordances of Google Hangouts
for possible use in Synchronous Online Learning Environments
Kris Isaacson
College of Education and Human Development
University of Minnesota, USA
isaacson@umn.edu
Abstract: Online education is growing with considerable speed and now accounts for a significant
proportion of student enrollment at institutions of higher education in the United States. Despite the
popularity of online education, there are concerns related to student learning outcomes and engagement that
just cannot be addressed as effectively in an asynchronous learning environment. This paper investigates
the potential benefits of synchronous learning environments using the theoretical frameworks of social
constructivism, social presence, and transactional distance. Finally, the author examines the affordances of
Google Hangouts, the video conferencing feature of Google+ for potential use as a synchronous learning
environment.
Introduction
Online education has grown nearly 300 percent between 2002 and 2010 and accounts for over 30-percent of student
enrollment at institutions of higher education in the United States (Allen & Seaman, 2011). It has become ubiquitous,
making it easier than ever before for colleges and universities to reach more students and provide them access to higher
education. At the same time, rapid changes in technology have also brought about the creation of social network sites
(SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ which have made connecting and sharing information with large networks
of individuals easy (Donath & boyd, 2004). These SNSs have experienced a meteoric rise in popularity; Facebook has
grown to more than one billion users since 2004 (Facebook, 2012), Twitter, which was launched in 2006 now has more than
500 million accounts (Lunden, 2012), and Google+, the newest of the SNSs which was launched in 2011 and already has
more than 400 million accounts (Newton, 2012). This paper sets out to first, demonstrate how social constructivism, social
presence theory, and transactional distance theory support synchronous online learning; and second, to introduce you to the
Google+ feature, Hangouts (a collaborative video conferencing tool), and discuss how it can be used to reduce perceived
distance, increase the sense of community, and improve learning in an online setting.
Theoretical Frameworks
Three prominent theories offer a framework for this investigation into the proposed benefits of incorporating synchronous
learning opportunities into online distance education. The first, social constructivism, asserts that learning is the result of
meaningful social interactions in the form of conversation, discussion, and negotiation. The second and third theories both
address the need for reducing psychological distance to improve learner engagement and learning outcomes. Understanding
the theoretical foundation is vital, because as one participant in the study conducted by Bailey and Card (2009) stated, “The
majority of professors at the college level have never taken a course in teaching. Most have never taken a course in
education of any kind” (p. 155).
Social Constructivism
Social constructivism is a broad learning theory and is equally adaptable to face-to-face classrooms as it is to online learning
environments. Social constructivism suggests that knowledge construction is both a social and cognitive process where
meaning is actively and collaboratively constructed by frequent social discourse (Woo & Reeves, 2007). Vygotsky (1978)
emphasized dialogue and that learning comes about through social interaction; therefore, learning is not solely a cognitive
function, but is instead a process where learners are integrated into knowledge community. Vgotsky (1978) also posits that
students are better able to master new complex skills with guidance and encouragement from a facilitator, teacher, or more
skilled peers. When students are encouraged to work together to create knowledge and meaning they are more likely to
develop critical thinking skills and experience deeper levels of learning (Palloff & Pratt, 2005).
Social Presence
Although Short, Williams, and Christi (1976) were the first to study social presence and developed their theory long before
the rise of the Internet, social presence remains a relevant theory with practical applications to online learning. Social
presence is defined as the capacity of a medium to contribute to quality interaction and in turn the quality of interpersonal
relationships. In short, social presence is the level in which the other person or persons is perceived as “being real” and
creates the sense of “being there” (Elwood, et al., 2012; Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997). Addressing a student by name, eye
contact, smiling, using humor, gesturing, and other non-verbal cues can all contribute to social presence and can result in
improved course satisfaction and learner experience (Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997). According to Elwood, et al., higher
social presence often results in increased engagement and higher levels of learning (2012).
Transactional Distance Theory
Moore's (1993) transactional distance theory refers to the “sense of distance” experienced by learners and concerns the
psychological distance related to student interactions and engagement and not with physical or geographic distance.
Transactional distance theory consists of three elements: 1) dialogue, which is two way communication and interaction, 2)
structure or how the course is organized, and 3) learner autonomy which is the learner's perception of independent and
interdependent participation and the student's level of self-directed learning. Any of these elements can affect the perceived
“sense of distance” a student feels. The higher the transactional distance, the more disconnected or disengaged a student
feels towards the class and his/her learning. Using Moore's theory, McBrien, Jones, and Cheng (2009) suggest “instructors
need to pay attention to all three elements of transactional distance theory in order to reduce the “distance” experienced by
students” (p. 3).
Asynchronous Online Learning
Most online courses are asynchronous in nature—meaning they do not occur in real-time. The instructor will post activities
for the week and students will complete the assigned tasks on their own schedule, as their time permits. Even online courses
that incorporate some form of social media where students are encouraged to enter into text-based discussions, such as those
available on Ning or Moodle, or where students collaborate with each other on group projects, the activities are not
occurring in real-time. There is still a period of time that occurs between interactions. As a result “many students and
researchers comment that distance learning courses lack interaction” (McBrien, Jones, & Cheng, 2009, p. 1). Asynchronous
learning experiences may not provide an immersive enough environment to fully engage students. Synchronous learning
environments offer students opportunities for real-time, meaningful interactions, which may improve the learning
experience and provide opportunities for deeper learning.
Synchronous Learning
“Instructional designers believe the opportunities for and quality of interaction in support of learning can be improved by
technology, a belief that has grown with the development of the Internet” (Woo & Reeves, 2007, p. 15). Social
constructivism asserts that social interaction and dialogue are an important aspect in the creation of meaning and in the
construction of learning. Synchronous learning offers ample opportunities for meaningful interaction in a virtual face-toface environment. Learners are able to actively participate in their own learning. Similarly, because synchronous learning
applications offer learners and instructors multiple ways of interacting, including live video, audio, and text chat, and
conveying non-verbal cues critical (e.g. facial expressions or gestures) to social presence—the sense of “being there”—
which is increased thereby reducing transactional distance. And finally, the affordances provided by synchronous learning
environments, such as face-to-face video and audio chat, screen sharing, and the ability to collaborate and ask questions in
real-time, can improve the quality of interactions, reduce transactional distance, and in turn improve learner engagement and
learning outcomes.
What Google Hangouts Brings to the Table
Software catering to synchronous learning is not a new concept. There are several products on the market including
Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Wimba and Elluminate Live!), Adobe Connect, and Saba Centra to name a few. AT the
same time there are a variety of video conferencing tools such as GoToMeeting and WebEx that are frequently used by
businesses and other organizations to conduct webinars. The applications offer similar features such as video conferencing,
text chat, and screen sharing. Table 1 below, offers a comparison between the aforementioned products with Google
Hangouts. So, with other software already available, why look to Google Hangouts as an option?
Google Hangouts provides many of the same features as the aforementioned software, plus there are a number of available
extensions and plug-ins that have been developed that can further enhance the experience. The primary reasons are price,
familiarity, and accessibility. Google Hangouts, like most other Google products is free and setting up a Google+ account—
which is required in order to use Hangouts—is simple. Many students and instructors may already have a Google+ account
as well as a Gmail account and are likely to be familiar with Gmail, Google Docs, and YouTube (some of the applications
that support the Google Hangout experience). Additionally, because Google+ allows users to segregate their connections
into Circles, users can are able to maintain privacy. This works to alleviate concerns over what types of information are
shared, especially as it relates to instructor-student relationships. Because Google+/Hangouts is free, anyone can use it. No
proprietary software must be purchased and cost is not a barrier. This type of accessibility positively contributes to student
collaboration outside of class. Students can plan and set up their own Hangout sessions to discuss group projects and
collaborate in real-time using Google Docs regardless of geographic distance. The ability for students to interact in real-time
and face-to-face to collaborate both in and out of class helps to build community, reduces transactional distance, and
contributes to knowledge construction and learning.
Google
Hangouts
Adobe
Connect
Blackboard
Collaborate
Saba Centra
GoToMeeting
WebEx
Video conferencing
X
X
X
X
X
X
Audio conferencing
X
X
X
X
X
X
Text chat
X
X
X
X
X
X
Document
sharing/real-time
collaboration
X2
Screen sharing
X
X
X
X
X
X
Integration with
calendar
X3
X4
X5
X7
X7
X4
Integration with email
X3
X4
X7
X7
X4
Record sessions
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
6
X
X
X
X
X
X
Mobile capability
X
Learner access w/out
instructor
X
Attend from
anywhere1
X
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
X
X
Attend from anywhere refers to the ability to login from any computer to access the application. For example: access can
be gained by logging into a website—no proprietary software or app is needed to make it run.
Integration with Google Docs means that learners and instructors can contribute to the same documents or to items in a
shared folder in real-time.
Integrates with Google Calendar and Gmail, both of which are compatible with Microsoft Outlook
Integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes
Integrates with Blackboard calendar
Access using iPhone and iPad, no Android devices
Integrates with Microsoft Outlook
Table 1. Comparison of affordances between synchronous online learning applications
Google Hangouts, like other software used for synchronous learning does have some limitations. Whereas asynchronous
online learning can be accomplished anywhere and at anytime, synchronous learning must occur at a set point in time. Set
times must be indicated at registration similar to face-to-face classes or negotiated between the instructor and students to
determine what works best.
Google Hangouts limits the number of people connected at one time to ten; Hangouts is best suited for small classroom
settings. Google announced in November 2012 that it is increasing the number of people that can be included in a Hangout
to fifteen if Google+ Premium Features are activated (Crum, 2012). Fifteen is still a relatively small number of people,
which indicates that Hangouts may be best used by students collaborating outside of class, instructors to hold virtual office
hours, or for upper level undergraduate classes or graduate seminar classes.
Access and connectivity are also a factor with synchronous learning as demands on technology are much higher than in
asynchronous learning. An inability to connect in a timely manner or to stay connected can be disruptive to the learning
process, not only for the individual who cannot connect, but also to the rest of the class. In order to participate students and
the instructor must have hardware and a consistent high speed Internet connection capable of handling the bandwidth
demands of streaming audio and video. Also related to the physical technology, considerations and accommodations for
individuals with disabilities must also be made, whether it is recording the Google Hangout session so it can be viewed at a
later time or the application of captions to the video. Universities must address policy issues related to accessibility as it
relates to synchronous online learning.
Implications for the Future
The goal of this paper was not to promote Google Hangouts as a panacea for synchronous online learning. Instead, the goal
was to provide a theoretical framework supporting synchronous online learning and to then introduce Google Hangouts—
the newest player in the market—as another viable option available to educators. Synchronous online learning is supported
by the theories of social constructivism, social presence, and transactional distance.
Google Hangouts is not without its limitations, but as a free option for creating synchronous learning environments that can
improve the quality of interaction, increase the sense of belonging and community, and has the potential for improving
engagement and learning it is worth it for educators to find ways of incorporating it into their online courses.
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