Exploring Challenges in Remote Communication: Comparing Teleconferencing Software and Telepresence Robots Usage in Higher Education

Modern lifestyles and teaching methods require constant improvement to adapt to changing conditions. A novel distance learning technology, telepresence robotics, is increasingly proposed as a solution for providing improved social presence for remote learning compared to the methods widely used during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. However, telepresence robots are often criticized for their sensitivity to wireless signal quality and connectivity issues, causing a distorted experience for users. In this paper, we analyse the technical challenges users face when using telepresence robots in higher education and compare these challenges with those reported when using teleconferencing software. The objective is to determine whether and how the technical shortcomings of telepresence robots differ from those encountered with commonly used software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. It appears that the range of criticism towards telepresence robots is indeed wider compared to teleconferencing software, but this is because telepresence robots are more functional. The movement controls of telepresence robots may feel handicapped, but Zoom and Teams do not have such controls at all. Further research is needed to understand in which teaching scenarios TPRs offer a better learning experience to students compared teleconferencing.