In this investigation set in the first year of the COVID-19 outbreak, a snapshot of Japanese university student opinions from a general perspective of learning online about their specific viewpoints of their English-speaking class is sought. While one hopes the pandemic threat will soon be a memory, teachers must remember the probable future need for subsequent iterations of ERT which necessitates reflection on and change in a teacher's skill set. After outlining the importance of the reflective teaching cycle and its use to justify the teaching approach, the considerations of the choice of mechanisms for teaching communicatively in a remote setting in five classes at a national university in Japan are reported. Then, the views, insights, and suggestions for improvement on online learning analyzed from audio voice recordings submitted by 103 learners are discussed. What students' specifically liked and disliked about the teaching approach used and their suggestions for improvement are discussed. Finally, some classroom implications for future practice are outlined.
TopIntroduction
As a constant and reflective practitioner on teaching (see Schön, 1983), I feel, as a teacher, the need to evaluate efforts and to highlight personal strengths and identify weaknesses as part of a reflective cycle to be better prepared for future learning needs. Referring to the past academic year, Gillis and Krull (2020, p.284) state:
We need rigorous analysis of the spring 2020 transition from the instructors’ and the students’ perspectives…knowing what strategies for online learning were as perceived as effective, enjoyable and accessible from the students’ point of view will be important for faculty designing flexible courses for…2021 and beyond.
Reflection leads to a desire to better understand the impact of remote learning on the learning process and to investigate the factors which may affect the effectiveness of remote instruction, and to improve instructional processes in the future to be better prepared for a possible extension of remote learning through the subsequent academic year. I decided to elicit feedback from my first-year students studying English ‘Communication’ in the 2020/21 academic year as a compulsory subject at a National University in Japan. The students created MP3 voice recordings to express views and insights on their online learning experience, their attitudinal outcomes such as interest, motivation, and engagement which are directly connected to learner success. They also gave insights on how the online course could be improved and refined in subsequent iterations from a learner perspective.
Blumenstyk (2020) saw the transition to online in American tertiary education as a positive learning opportunity that universities need to grasp. It is a “black swan moment” or a “paradigm changing” (p.4) catalyst or shift that teaching establishments have to adapt to, or fail. They need to push fast to develop online programs which requires agility, while those that fail to “heed that call may just end up sitting ducks.” Adedoyin and Soykan (2020, p.2) observed a societal, “digital transformation” which enhances “constructivist, learner-centered, cooperative pedagogy” and which turns the branding of online learning as a negative, disruptive process to one of a “positive ‘messiah’ status.” This requires educational institutions to actively embed across all subjects to embed a platform for learning digital skills in the teaching and learning process from now on.
I felt curiosity about student impressions of online learning, because while one hopes the COVID-19 threat will soon be a memory, teacher-practitioners should not simply return to their teaching and learning practices prior to the virus because the “need for ERT [Emergency Remote Teaching] must become part of a faculty member’s skill set” (Hodges et al., 2020, p.4), to aid the motivation of learners to gain digital competency relevant in the changeable, volatile job market in this modern age.
TopThe Process Of Reflection
In the phases of the reflective feedback cycle, the teacher-practitioner firstly discusses the justification or rationale of the teaching approach; secondly, makes decisions about the choice of mechanisms to be implemented; and, thirdly, considers what form the feedback will take (Bartlett, 1990; Brennan &Williams, 2004). Subsequently, feedback needs to be interpreted and presented, followed by actions and decision making. After the publication of findings, the reflective cycle recommences with a phase of monitoring and reviewing the new iteration.
The Reflective Cycle: The Justification for the Online Teaching Approach
In reflecting on my teaching practice, I considered the rationale for, and justification of, the teaching approach to be adopted in online classes as part of reflective practice. It is important to remember that the approach was a sudden transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT) and not a fully online course where typically planning, preparation, and development is six to nine months before the course is delivered (Hodges et al. 2020). My 2020 English course was a temporary shift involving remote teaching solutions that would otherwise be delivered face-to-face and that will (largely) return to that format once the crisis has abated while adapting and adopting good practice from the online experience. The initial phase of reflection was to consider which form of ERT would best approximate my ‘traditional’ classroom approach to teaching.