Leikert-Boehm, NinjaMatter, PhilippHeinrich, PeterRöpke, RenéSchroeder, Ulrik2023-08-302023-08-302023978-3-88579-732-6https://dl.gi.de/handle/20.500.12116/42179The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transformation towards online and hybrid teaching. While these modalities have been shown to have many beneficial aspects, they can also limit the social presence and collective engagement in learning activities. In this paper, we present exploratory observations on the role of video features in online and hybrid course settings during the pandemic. By analyzing survey data from three university courses in 2021/2022, we identify different explanations for students’ behavior in regulating their social presence by turning their cameras on (or rather off). We suggest that the benefits of cameras are highly contextual and may conflict with students’ specific goals and expectations, as well as their territorial habits, which should be taken into account when designing course content and didactic methods.enCamera useonline teachingcomputer-mediated communicationsocial presenceText/Conference Paper10.18420/delfi2023-201617-5468