Developing EFL students' digital empathy through video production

Digital empathy is defined as the “cognitive and emotional ability to be reflective and socially responsible while strategically using digital media” As our dependency on digital devices grows, we become more vulnerable online, making the teaching of digital empathy to students an important mission. This study engaged students video production and examined how such a multimodal learning experience helped students develop their awareness of digital empathy. The findings showed that the video production process helped students to recognize the importance of having more empathy when they were online. They felt that the video project offered many unique learning opportunities to examine their online behaviors. These results suggest that because students have grown up with digital technologies and are active participants in digital spheres, digital empathy is a good starting point to teach students about important social issues. The findings also support the use of a video production project as part of a language course. The article will end with teaching implications and future research directions.