Unveiling student perspectives on online presentations

Online presentations have become an integral part of academic settings, especially with the rise of digital education and remote learning. In a typical online presentation, students deliver information or projects through digital platforms, sharing their work in real time with instructors and peers. Various tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet are frequently used to facilitate these presentations. These platforms support features like screen sharing, video recording, and audience interaction, making them versatile for educational purposes. Online presentations are defined as oral presentations conducted using virtual tools where the speaker and audience do not physically share the same space but rather interact through an internet-based medium. Such presentations are essential in language learning contexts, particularly in English classes, as they allow students to practise public speaking and presentation skills. Research has shown that learners often perceive online presentations differently from face-to-face ones, attributing these differences to the digital format and the various personality traits involved, such as anxiety and lack of confidence (Roslim, Nimehchisalem, Hakimi & Mohd Razali, 2023; Alumalai & Paramasivam, 2023). It was found that while online presentations are generally accepted and commonly used among students nowadays, yet some of them still face significant anxiety which may affect their performance. Despite thorough and adequate preparation for the online presentations, they still feel worried and rely heavily on notes. This study also revealed that some students have problems with memory as they tend to forget what they want to say, which may stem from their anxiety. In addition, the fear of failure during online presentations plays a key role in lowering students’ self-assurance and overall effectiveness in online presentations.