E-content development of English language courses during COVID-19: a comprehensive analysis of students’ satisfaction

Abstract

There was a sudden switch to online learning approaches because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Universities were under pressure to provide a variety of e-learning designs during a short time, impacting the quality of the learning. This study tended to evaluate the quality of e-content development related to English language courses by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) faculties. The survey was conducted on 610 undergraduate students of SUMS who had an English course in the first semester which was during the same time that the pandemic started. A self-devised questionnaire including 30 items in five main domains: physical design, affective design, cognitive design (e-content organization and multimedia principles), flexibility, and ease of use was used to achieve students’ satisfaction around the quality of the e-content developed by their teachers. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 via one-sample t-test, Independent t-test, and ANOVA. Despite the limitations of e-content development by teachers, students had a satisfactory perception overall. Among the dimensions of e-content quality, physical design, cognitive design, ease of use, and flexibility had a score higher than the cut-off point but the score of the affective design was less. In addition, the differences were significant concerning age, gender, degree, type of digital device, and the faculties. It seems that in the situation of pandemics and lack of access to students, faculty members in terms of structural and cognitive dimensions have been able to develop satisfactory e-content in a short and intensive time, but it is necessary to be motivating, interactive, and up-to-date.