Abstract:

The boom of on-line education was in the 2000s when the computer age started and instructional design experienced relevant changes that led to the development of models, learning methods and new theories, such as the Learning Theory for the Digital Age, Connectivism. This research deals with eLearning in the context of enhancing reading comprehension. The aim of the study was to establish how a formal web-based course enhances students’ English reading comprehension. At the end of the treatment an open-ended questionnaire was administered online through Google Forms in order to collect students´ perceptions towards their journey of learning English through this innovative approach. Reading texts in English are important to Universidad de Cuenca students’ career. E-Learning has been a beneficial tool to enhance reading skills since the interactive activities stimulated their interest in the subject. Quantitative pre and post-tests were administered to determine the level of knowledge before and after immersion in the e-Learning course. Main findings showed that using a formal web-based platform enhanced the reading skills of the students who took the course in a significant average. Also of note is the fact that in the evaluation of the content in the formal-web based course especially designed for this study, a large average of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the activities were well organized and stimulated them to participate. It is imperative to extend and promote the use of e-Learning by sharing the beneficial aspects of eLearning confirmed in this study.

Keywords:

Web-based course, e-learning, connectivism, moodle, reading.