In the spring of 2020, the University of South Bohemia was one of the innumerable higher education institutions which was obliged to move its instruction online in order to comply with the COVID-19 regulations. This article explores the evaluation of emergency remote teaching (ERT) measures taken by the English department from the perspective of its students. It presents and discusses findings gathered from a questionnaire completed by 99 respondents. The questionnaire centres around four areas of interest: satisfaction with ERT, comparison of face-to-face (F2F) vs. online learning experiences, perceived stress level during ERT, and acquisition of skills. The results show how students responded to the emergency procedures and which factors they considered essential in terms of satisfaction and stress. Furthermore, they reveal thought-provoking insights on aspects such as integrating elements of online teaching into F2F instruction, developing various skills in lockdown, and motivation for learning. Our findings are analysed in terms of aspects and factors which are viewed as efficient or inefficient by students in a time of crisis. Thus, this research may contribute not only to better preparedness should circumstances requiring ERT return, but also to a more complex re-evaluation of instructional approach at university level.
The shift of instruction imposed on higher education institutions by the pandemic-related restrictions bolstered the interest in students’ online class participation. This study investigates university students’ engagement in remote foreign language classes during the COVID-19 lockdown. While engagement is a multi-faceted construct, we only aim to explore its behavioural dimension. The authors felt compelled to acknowledge and comprehend their students’ behaviour in contingency online learning (COL). Through a qualitatively oriented exploratory case study, we sought to answer two research questions related to the extent the use of technical equipment and remote physical environment influenced students’ engagement. The study was conducted with students enrolled in regular, in-person Bachelor’s or Master’s degree courses to qualify as teachers of English at primary or lower-secondary schools. The results indicate that the use of technology did not prove to be a significant obstacle to online learning engagement. Concerning the remote physical environment, the learning process was compromised most significantly by the intimate character of the home-working space. We believe that our findings will help educators to rationalise their expectations and formulate best practice recommendations.
Received: 7 January 2022Accepted: 16 January 2023
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