Using Video Conferences for ESP Postgraduate Students: An Example of Distance Learning at the University of Tlemcen/ Algeria

Abstract

Information Communication Technologies (ICT) is becoming part of our everyday life, and this fact is indisputable. It is gaining more and more ground in the worlds of business, administration and education. This motivated the researcher to undertake this work. The main objective of this paper is to look at the following problem statement, i.e., the role of video conferences in improving the quality and the sustainability of higher education. It will do so by investigating the potentials and effects of using internet-based desktop video conferences to improve ESP postgraduate students’ language learning outcomes and examine their perception of using online video conference as an alternative to face-to face interaction. For this purpose, a case study research design was used. To obtain and analyze the necessary data from ESP post-graduate students in the department of foreign languages (English section) at Abou Bekr Belkaid University, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. The main results obtained from both semi-structured interview and participant observation revealed that the internet connectivity was a key factor in determining the effectiveness of video conference as an alternative to face-to-face teaching, the context of video conference determined the pedagogical benefits of this new technique, and there were many difficulties related mainly to the quality of sound and image. Moreover, the use of this technology necessitates a good preparation on the part of teachers and students.