University Instructors’ Perceptions toward Online Teaching at the Onset of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Lebanon: A Descriptive Study

Amal Farhat,Rasha Halat,Wassim Abou Yassine,Sami El Khatib,Nawal Farhat

doi:10.47631/mejress.v2i2.243

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims at understanding to what extent university instructors are ready for the sudden shift from face-to-face teaching to online teaching and how they perceive the usefulness and feasibility of this new modality of teaching. Methodology/Approach/Design: Faculty members from the nine campuses of the largest private university in Lebanon were invited to participate in the completion of a survey, made available in English and Arabic. The survey was completed by 692 respondents. Descriptive analyses were performed by summarizing the count and percentage of responses within each category. Results: Analyses showed that university instructors possess the infrastructure for online teaching. Moreover, they reported positive perceptions about their readiness to teach online and about the feasibility and usefulness of online teaching. However, instructors reported that online teaching was deficient in assessment, teaching large classrooms, and delivering the practical components of the courses they taught. Practical Implications: Findings suggest that instructors require formal training on how to integrate pedagogy with technology. Originality/Value: Since online instruction is new in Lebanon, the study findings can help universities and other educational institutions direct their efforts in their endeavor to improve their online experience.

Highlights

Change is necessary for the survival of institutions; it becomes mandatory when novel and unanticipated events emerge
The study aimed to explore how ready university instructors were for the sudden shift to online teaching and how they perceived it
The results show that university instructors possess the technical skills and tools that are necessary for online teaching

Summary

Introduction

Change is necessary for the survival of institutions; it becomes mandatory when novel and unanticipated events emerge. The change from one mode of teaching to another is not learning the new system, but “it is the magnitude of the approach and procedure in performing the tasks, which relates to technological self-efficacy”(Outlaw, 2016) This includes possessing the necessary technological requirements such as efficient internet connection and devices and the competence in the new role, which comes from prior experience and skills. How the instructors perceive the usefulness of online teaching is of paramount importance for the success of transitioning to online teaching(Kisanga& Ireson, 2016) This is so because perceptions predict attitudes(Liu et al, 2010; Mahmoud, El Magrabi & Mohamed, 2015),which in turn impact behaviour(Siragusa & Dixon, 2008). Outcomes are predicted by behaviour, or, stated differently, “tasks predict performance” (City et al, 2009)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion