Students need more independent roles to evaluate their learning performance, especially in the absence of teachers’ feedback due to some constraints such as technology and poor experience. This study investigates the potential of online self-evaluation on students’ writing skills in English as a foreign language (EFL). It examines the preparatory year (PY) level one students’ most improved EFL writing areas and perceptions when they use online self-evaluation in writing. In this quasi-experiment, two groups of PY EFL writing program students (N = 60) participated in the study for the first semester 2020–2021. A mixed-method design was applied: Self-monitoring checklists, self-evaluation questionnaires, achievement tests, and students’ portfolios. Findings revealed that most of the learners’ mistakes were in punctuation marks, capitalization, informal language, and subject-verb agreement. It was also perceived that learners were doing fine about where and how they should be. The study proved that the students’ self-evaluation and performance in writing correlated significantly; however, the effect size was low. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that training programs on strategy are to be boosted, especially in institutions where learners receive less feedback.

Covid-19 has flared a match of accusation between U.S. and China. Both of the nations have alleged each other for the origin of the virus and the incompetence to contain it within the respective national boundary. The allegations have emerged at a critical period when the virus has infected the entire global population. The study identifies a political discourse, that is, 'Lab origin theory' out of these allegations and investigate the form, structure, and pattern of language in use following the methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis. The article contends that these allegations are based not on facts but on conviction, opinions, and beliefs which are expressed in the 'spin' or turn of retaliatory responses. Forming a series of exchanges these allegations promote certain truth-claims which are, in fact, subjective interpretations and hypothetical assumptions of the origin of Covid-19. The claims of 'Lab origin' are established with certain linguistic strategies and symbolic models, and their nature can be only understood with the phenomenon of Post-truth. The concept of Post-truth has been developed against the backdrop of controversial as well as political events of Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential election in 2016. Like these events, Covid-19 is an occasion of Post-truth and its Lab origin theory is a compromise between fact and belief.

Vision 2030 is a key economic transformation plan for Saudi Arabia conceived in 2016. It envisions the shift from oil to a knowledge-based global economy. Along with this historical event, Saudi Arabia undergoes another historic transformation, i.e., the strategic growth of EFL learning in the domain of education in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Since economy and education go hand in hand, scholars wonder whether EFL learning induces Saudi Vision 2030 or vice versa. The relation between them is causal by nature, but the order of effect is inexplicit. If Saudi Vision 2030 motivates EFL learning, then its present situation is inadequate for the fulfillment of the Vision. If not, then how the inadequate EFL competency of Saudi student can contributes to the visionary transformation of Saudi Arabia. Hence, the problem is an essential concern in academic understanding since its resolution redefines both EFL learning and Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia. The study uses qualitative research on the existing scholarly books and articles on EFL learning and Saudi Vision 2030 to understand the causal order of these phenomena, to illustrate the present condition and explain interrelation of EFL Learning and Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia.

Students need more independent roles to evaluate their learning performance, especially in the absence of teachers’ feedback due to some constraints such as technology and poor experience. This study investigates the potential of online self-evaluation on students’ writing skills in English as a foreign language (EFL). It examines the Preparatory Year (PY) students’ most improved EFL writing areas and perceptions when they use online self-evaluation in writing. In this quasi-experiment, two groups of PY EFL writing program students participated in the study for one semester 2020–2021. A mixed-method design was applied: Self-monitoring checklists, self-evaluation questionnaires, achievement tests, and students’ portfolios. Findings revealed that most of the learners’ mistakes were in punctuation marks, capitalization, informal language, and subject-verb agreement. It was also perceived that learners were doing fine about where and how they should be. The study proved that the students’ self-evaluation and performance in writing correlated significantly; however, the effect size was low. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that training programs on strategy are to be boosted, especially in institutions where learners receive less feedback.

Assessment is a key component of the educational spectrum and engages teachers in evaluating students’ performance through various methods. During the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers employed various assessment methods through the online mode of teaching and learning; now, at the beginning of the end of the pandemic, teachers are back to practicing offline assessment methods. This study identifies English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of online versus offline assessment methods in higher education. Furthermore, it targets the best skill-wise assessment methods and constraints that teachers can use when applying EFL assessment methods in both online and offline learning modes. To achieve the study objectives, a descriptive-diagnostic approach was applied; the data were collected from 61 EFL teachers through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The findings show that EFL teachers perceive assessment methods in the online mode of learning as being of a medium level of utility, whereas they perceive assessments in the offline mode of learning as being highly useful. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between the EFL teachers’ perceptions of the utility of assessment methods in offline and online modes of learning: the teachers perceived assessments as being significantly more useful in the offline mode of learning. It was also found that the greatest constraints of EFL assessment methods in an online learning mode are issues of cheating and impersonation, insufficient exposure to information technology, and lack of awareness of assistive evaluation tools. In the offline learning mode, the greatest constraints of EFL assessment methods are a lack of awareness of assessment methods and classroom management. In light of these new findings, a set of recommendations is suggested for further research.