An Evaluation of an English Language Course Given via Distance Education

Abstract

Distance education has turned into the only option with the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic for many countries all over the world. In the system of Turkish higher education, it is frequently used for the compulsory basic English courses. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the English course given at a state university in Istanbul in order to see the perceptions of the students in the distance education. It was a descriptive study conducted with 121 freshmen during the academic year of 2018 and 2019. The data were collected with a 5-point Likert type scale and analyzed via SPSS software. The findings revealed that the students were content with their experience of the distance English course. Moreover, they were pleased with the process at most and there was rather less satisfaction with the context, input, and the product of the course. However, the majority still consider face-to-face language instruction as a more satisfactory mode of learning. This study revealed a moderate satisfaction with the distance English course in general, and the main source of this satisfaction has been identified as the course instructors. Therefore, instructors need to be supported in their preparation for distance education courses with rich materials and trainings. Moreover, the students found the course less efficient to develop writing and speaking, and needed a direct contact with the instructors at times. So, these courses should be designed to focus on productive skills more and to include some face-to-face or synchronous sessions along with the distance education classes regularly.