Join COR@NLINE: Student Experiences in and Perceptions of Online Sessions during COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

With the advent of technology and educational devices, online courses have been increasingly utilized in education. At present, educational institutions use a variety of technological tools and applications to carry out courses at all levels. There has been a debate on the use of technology in education from such perspectives as learner success, satisfaction and interaction. Language education has also been investigated from dimensions including integration of technology in language teaching and learning processes. Within an aim to identify learner experiences in online language sessions, this intrinsic case study examined the experiences and perceptions of 23 undergraduate students following online courses at English Language Teaching Department EFL at a Turkish state university. Data were collected through the instructor’s unstructured online observation notes, students’ unstructured notes and their answers to open-ended questions. The results of conventional content analysis pointed at the educational, pedagogical and affective contributions of online sessions as well as covering connection problems and interactional confusion as the drawbacks in the process. In the light of the results, several suggestions are made.