The Emerging of Online Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Response to COVID-19

Case Study: EFL Classes at the University of HBB, Algeria

Abstract

The present work directs the limelight on the experience of teachers and learners at the
English department at the University of Hassiba Ben Bouali, Algeria, with online education
as an inevitable measure in response to the Corona virus pandemic. While several institutions
had already been accustomed to E-learning, others were new to the online learning
environment. Albeit the fact that E-learning has become widely used in the 21st century,
Algerian higher education faced several hurdles in meeting the urgent needs for E-learning
after the outbreak of COVID-19. In connection with this matter, the article examines the
online teaching/learning experience of English language teachers and learners at Hassiba Ben
Bouali University in Algeria, conducting a survey directed towards teachers and students.
The study revealed that both teachers and learners at the English department were not
satisfied with the experience of E-learning, facing several challenges and constraints. Among
these were the lack of ICTs, poor access to the net, and other obstacles. In an attempt to
improve the Algerian teachers' and learners' experience with E-learning, the work presents a
set of ventures aimed at enhancing the online education environment.