Challenges and Opportunities of Incorporating Listening Activities in Online Learning Platforms

Resumen

Online education is transforming educational systems worldwide. It has recently become an essential part of the process of teaching and learning. This shift has enabled greater access to learning opportunities and flexibility in how education is delivered. However, certain activities such as listening exercises have been neglected, despite their critical importance in English as foreign language learning. Listening skills are fundamental for language acquisition. They enable learners to understand spoken language, improve their pronunciation and vocabulary, and enhance their communication abilities. Hence, it is crucial to incorporate listening activities into language learning syllabi.This study intends to emphasise the importance of the incorporation of listening activities into online learning platforms to ensure a comprehensive and effective language learning experience in virtual environments. It aims to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of using online platforms such as Moodle in providing interactive listening activities and determining the efficiency of these activities in improving students’ listening comprehension, vocabulary retention, and pronunciation. To achieve this, an experimental approach was employed to examine the effects of using online platforms and listening activities on intermediate level learners. Many teaching tools were utilised such as PowerPoint presentations via videoconferencing sessions, videos and audios, and listening worksheets accompanied by online quizzes. The participants’ performance was evaluated through pre- and post-tests.The results indicate a significant improvement in listening comprehension and increased engagement among students. Nevertheless, challenges such as technological limitations and different levels of students’ motivation were also identified.This study, therefore, provides valuable insights for educators to address these challenges in order to optimise online learning experiences and improve students’ outcomes.