Higher Education in Times of Pandemic: An Exploration of Teachers and EFL Learners’ Perceptions of the Shift to Online Instruction Option

Abstract

E-learning is, for the time being, receiving significant attention in the literature on English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. It has emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic as a fundamental rescue attempt. This paper intends to contribute to this debate by highlighting some of the strong points and downsides obtained from this new learning initiative. It also discusses the main reasons behind the students’ reluctance to learn via the internet and examines the impact of learning on both teachers and learners in the Algerian Higher Education Settings. The researcher focused on the teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of the new asynchronous online teaching mode and also tried to show how Moodle operated as a substitute for traditional courses. The author carried out a qualitative and quantitative study using questionnaires, and an interview to analyze students and teachers’ perceptions and experiences with this instructional model. The findings provide insights into how students and instructors perceived and utilized this learning format. The suggested recommendations show that our awareness-raising approach, if taken into account, can enlighten learners, help teachers get more familiar with this type of learning and better engage in technology literacy, and urge the decision-makers to reconsider the utility of diversifying the teaching/learning modes of delivering knowledge in the area of tertiary education.