“A little bit fun, a little bit frustrating:” utilizing photovoice to document university student responsibility during a global pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Photovoice is a popular visual participatory action research method for participants to identify strengths and opportunities for change in their community by taking, discussing, and displaying photographs. Although Photovoice has been used in educational research, the literature of its use in higher education in the U.S. is limited and individual participant experiences with Photovoice projects are seldom scrutinized. Moreover, qualitative methods are broadly under-utilized among universities in the U.S. for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of university accreditation principles and practices. This article explores the usage of a virtual (online) Photovoice project among university faculty, administrators, staff, and students to document the institutional learning core competency of ‘personal, professional, and community responsibility’ at an open-access comprehensive public university in the American Pacific Northwest. We describe the project’s methods and processes, and elucidate participants’ motivations for participation and their experiences in the project. We make recommendations for future use of Photovoice in this capacity, particularly via a Zoom virtual videoconferencing platform.