Abstract
Background/purpose-This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study inspected the impact of an online ESP course on postgraduate students content knowledge development about epidemiology in general and COVID-19 in particular. The course was titled English for Pandemics and was administered via a Learning Management System (Edmodo). Materials/methods-Needs Analysis was (informally) deployed to trace participants needs, preferences, and wants in order to shape the landscape of the treatment. The researcher employed a quasi-experimental design (a one-group, pretest-posttest design). Participants were pretested prior to the treatment. The treatment consisted of online exposure to eight units (English for Pandemics), capitalizing on Edmodo in content delivery, receipt, mastery, and assessment. Following the treatment, after 8 weeks, the participants were post-Tested. Results-Quantitative results revealed a statistically significant difference in the participants content knowledge regarding epidemiology and COVID-19. Qualitative findings divulged that participants highly appreciated Edmodo interactive features (simplicity, functionality, control, communal learning, and real-Time feedback), and voiced their readiness to opt for Edmodo in future learning experiences. Conclusion-Based on empirical evidence, the current study argues that the Edmodo learning management system has the potential to push content delivery, receipt, mastery, and assessment in ESP courses to the next level. © 2021 Universitepark. All rights reserved.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has and still does present an extreme challenge to higher education systems worldwide
To reiterate, the first phase of the study was geared towards answering the following question: RQ1: Will the students’ content knowledge regarding epidemiology and COVID-19 improve following the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) online course delivered via Edmodo? This central question was addressed quantitatively using both descriptive and inferential statistics
Through quantitative statistical techniques, the current study engendered empirical evidence regarding the significant impact of an online ESP course that was administered via Edmodo to postgraduate university students on their content knowledge regarding epidemiology and COVID-19
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has and still does present an extreme challenge to higher education systems worldwide. The researcher hypothesized that the less uncertainty students have, the better they will be prepared and ready to work through the pandemic The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was two-fold: To test the impact of an online ESP course on postgraduate university students’. Significance of the Study Since there has been no specific research study published to date in the literature on the use of learning management systems in ESP to explore postgraduate students’ content knowledge regarding epidemiology and COVID-19 worldwide, nor in the Moroccan context, the current study (being unique in purpose and methodology) aims to fill an empirical gap.
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