Learning EFL Listening and Speaking Skills via Blackboard: Students’ Attitudes, Challenges, and Assessment

Abstract

Online learning can be considered an important means of education during emergencies. However, educational institutions, including students and teachers, need to have enough preparation, as a result, many issues, such as challenges, the effectiveness of assessment methods, and attitudes toward learning online, have emerged. This study describes the reality of using the Blackboard platform to learn EFL listening and speaking skills from a student perspective. It examines students’ experiences and attitudes in learning EFL listening and speaking skills via Blackboard. Also, it reflects students’ views on the acquired EFL listening and speaking skills, challenges of learning via Blackboard, and the effectiveness of assessment methods. The study followed the descriptive-diagnostic approach to achieve its objectives. The results showed that students highly valued the Blackboard platform to learn listening and speaking skills. Also, they liked to be assessed using the online assessment methods. In addition, students’ most technical problems were recorded during exams and virtual classes due to poor Internet. Furthermore, they improved their learning of listening and speaking skills via Blackboard.