Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Covid 19 Challenges April 2021                        Pp.334- 353
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid.25

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Technology, Pedagogy & Assessment:
Challenges of COVID19-Imposed E-Teaching of ESP to Saudi Female PY Students 

Amatul Hafeez Alvi
Faculty of Languages & Translation
King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Author: aalhfed@kku.edu.sa

 Syed Muhammad Bilal
Razak Faculty of Technology & Informatics
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Aisha Abdul Rahim Alvi
Razak Faculty of Technology & Informatics
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

 

Received: 2/13/2021               Accepted: 3/14/2021                  Published: 4/26/2021

 

Abstract:
The Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) triggered substantial shifts in the education systems worldwide as teaching and learning have had to shift from face-to-face to an entirely virtual model due to the closure of educational institutes. The present paper is a descriptive-analytical investigation of the challenges of the current pandemic-imposed E-teaching of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses to female preparatory (PY) year students at King Khalid University (KKU). It identifies teachers’ and students’ responses about the ongoing issues with E-teaching of ESP with to put practical solutions to them. The study is conducted at The University Center for Girls’ Studies- Al-Samir Campus-Abha during the academic year 2020-2021. Twenty English Language instructors at the English Language Center (ELC) and eighty students of the preparatory year at the College of Medicine enrolled in Intensive English Course (Njl-019) participated in the study. It adopts mixed qualitative methodology with the teachers’ semi-structured interview and students’ questionnaire as tools to collect data, and descriptive analysis as a method to interpret data. The study finds out reciprocity of teachers’ and students’ responses in pinpointing the factors posing serious challenges in teaching and learning ESP courses as majorly related to technology, pedagogy, and Assessment. Considering these challenges, the study puts forth practical suggestions to promote virtual teaching and learning of ESP courses. The suggested solutions are hoped to help providing successful standards for virtual ESP teaching and learning as per the constraints of quality modern education.
Keywords: Assessment, Covid-19, ESP, E-teaching, King Khalid University, pedagogy, Saudi Arabia, technology

Cite as: Alvi, A. H., Bilal, S.M., & Alvi, A.A. (2021). Technology, Pedagogy & Assessment: Challenges of COVID19-Imposed E-Teaching of ESP to Saudi Female PY Students. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Special Issue on Covid 19 Challenges (1) 334- 353.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid.25

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Received: 2/13/2021 
Accepted: 3/14/2021
Published: 4/26/2021
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9810-58877
https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid.25 

Amatul Hafeez Alvi is a lecturer at KKU, Saudi Arabia.  She is a PhD Scholar at UKM, Malaysia, specializing in English poetry and poetics. Her research interests include English poetry and poetics, postcolonial literature, English Language & literature teaching.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9810-58877

Syed Mohammad Bilal is an MPhil scholar at UTM, Malaysia, specializing in Mobile Assisted Learning. He is a lecturer at KKU, Saudi Arabia. His research interests are computer education and Technology in language learning.  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9694-1531

Aisha Alvi is a PhD scholar at UTM, Malaysia, specializing in Augmented\Virtual Reality in Education. She is a lecturer at KKU, Saudi Arabia. Her research interests are computer education and human computer interaction. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5275-0343