Elise Duffau

In both her research and teaching, psychology PhD student Elise Duffau focuses on technology-mediated communication. Whether it’s a conversation between a human and a digital agent (like Alexa and Siri) or an asynchronous discussion forum in an undergraduate course, her goal is the same: To make communication with and through technology more generative and accessible.

Duffau has always been interested in new technologies. Her interest in communication with digital agents came from two small but surprising incidents. “One day, my Alexa told me to have a good afternoon,” she said. “Another day, she said something wrong and then corrected herself.” Eventually, that led her to her current work on expectations for communication with technology, which includes politeness, signaling, repairing miscommunication, and asking for clarification.

Duffau’s interest in communication for teaching and learning grew from her experience as a teaching assistant for associate professor Rebecca Covarrubias in PSYC 100: Research Methods, a high-enrollment course required for psychology majors that prepares students to conduct their own research and helps them become more discerning consumers of research. Duffau has regularly served as a TA in PSYC 100 since she came to UC Santa Cruz in 2019. In the summer of 2023, she worked with Professor Covarrubias to revise the course and, in fall, took the role of lead TA. 

One of her innovations was inspired by her work on the TLC’s Asynchronous Online Discussions website as a graduate student researcher. She developed a set of asynchronous discussion forums that students used to ask (and answer) questions about course content and logistics. She saw students spending considerable time contributing to the discussion with helpful information for their classmates. “Students were communicating with other students!” She also noticed that students who didn’t participate in other ways posted frequently. “There were some students who were much more comfortable in that mode.”

Another innovation was her approach to online discussion sections on Zoom, which was partly informed by her research on digital assistants. She hoped to provide students with more opportunities to create understanding within synchronous discussions. “I’m a really big proponent of backchannels (non-verbal cues like head nods used to denote understanding),” she said. So she encouraged students to use simple reactions (e.g., thumbs up) to signal their understanding and engagement. “They love the thumbs up.” She also encouraged students to use chat, both to communicate with their classmates and privately with her. “The one really good thing about chat is that you don’t have to put it out to everyone,” she said. Shyer students were able to send their questions to her privately, and then she rephrased them and posed them to the whole group. “And everyone gets the learning from that question.”

These techniques for opening discussion, Duffau said, can have powerful results. “It invites more questions. It invites more voices. It allows students to teach each other.” And while current public discourse is focused on the alienating effects of technology, Duffau has found that technology can also open up new possibilities for communication, community, and shared understanding.