Potential disruptive innovation: online learning of public speaking courses in higher education
ISSN: 1463-6689
Article publication date: 20 December 2021
Issue publication date: 29 April 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The sudden pandemic of COVID-19 has caused disruptive innovation in all areas of business including education. Despite the educators’ and students’ acceptance and readiness in the new normal, the traditional face-to-face (FTF) public speaking has been shifted to online courses to suit the current needs. This study aims to examine whether there were differences between online and FTF pubic speaking in the students’ anxiety level, speech performance, as well as their perceptions of the challenges in the implementation of online public speaking courses as a potential to disruptive innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This pilot study was a mixed method research that involved a purposive sampling of two groups of 39 students in higher education. The instruments used were questionnaires of self-report anxiety, speech performance test and observation.
Findings
The findings show that the students preferred the traditional FTF rather than the online mode for public speaking courses. The challenges of internet connection and the lack of a live audience were their main concerns in online public speaking. It also provides a potential for disruptive innovation that could take into consideration of a live audience in university online courses.
Originality/value
This study provides the potential of public speaking course as a disruptive innovation. This brings implications for the innovators, marketers and educators to think of the online courses/programmes that can be best implemented while embracing the changes and the new normal of COVID-19 brings for student learning.
Keywords
Citation
Yee, B.C., Mohd Nawi, A. and Abdullah, T. (2022), "Potential disruptive innovation: online learning of public speaking courses in higher education", Foresight, Vol. 24 No. 3/4, pp. 445-455. https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-01-2021-0017
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited