Abstract:

The outbreak and spread of Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented effort to utilize technologies and implement remote learning as an alternative to face-to-face classes worldwide [1]. Teachers’ effort to adapt their modes of instruction by combining asynchronous and synchronous teaching sessions [2] has been remarkable as well. Even the transition to a more digital education was already a fact, the pandemic has somehow accelerated this process.

This study presents students’ assessment of the adaptation of the subject English Morphosyntax to a hybrid class combination of on-site and synchronous online classes. At the end of the semester, students completed a questionnaire adapted from [3], which main aim is to obtain students opinion about online university teaching and the resources used with that purpose i.e. forums, wikis and glossaries, and the use of Moodle. The resulting questionnaire included 12 questions i.e. four multiple-choice questions and eight statements to be graded on a Likert scale of 1 (absolutely disagree) to 5 (absolutely agree). The questionnaire was designed to gather data from the comparison of students in-class and online learning experiences. Thus, questions are mainly related to blended learning classes, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as Moodle and Google Meet, teacher-student and peer-to-peer interaction. A total of 62 second-year undergraduate students enrolled in the Bachelor’s degree in English Studies at Universitat Jaume I participated in this study.

Initial results seem to confirm that students prefer on-site classes when compared to online environments. Students report a balanced perception as regards the implementation of ICTs in the class whether online or on-site. When reporting on peers and teachers interaction, results indicate preference for face-to-face communication. Participants noted different perceptions on the effects of semi-in-person classes as regards their academic performance. The use of Moodle, Google Meet and PowerPoint for online presentations and multiple choice questionnaires have been generally agreed as suitable teaching resources for the teaching and learning of English Morphosyntax.

References:
[1] W. Ali. “Online and remote learning in higher education institutes: A necessity in light of COVID-19 pandemic,” Higher Education Studies, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 16-25, 2020. doi:10.5539/hes.v10n3p16
[2] B. L. Moorhouse. “Adaptations to a face-to-face initial teacher education course ‘forced’ online due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Journal of Education for Teaching, vol 46, no 4, pp. 609-611, 2020. doi:
10.1080/02607476.2020.1755205
[3] J. I. B. Ayensa, and M. J. González-Calderón. “Valoración de estudiantes universitarios acerca del sistema de enseñanza a distancia que emplea las TIC,” Revista Tecnología, Ciencia y Educación, no. 3, pp. 9-28, 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.tecnologia-ciencia-educacion.com/index.php/TCE/article/view/62/60

Keywords:

Blended learning, Information and communication technology (ICT), synchronous online lessons, e-learning, students’ assessment.