“The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching

Prior to the pandemic, English for Academic Purposes pre-sessional programmes were exclusively conducted in person, requiring students to relocate for attendance. However, since 2020, these programmes have undergone a significant shift towards online delivery, fundamentally altering students’ educat...

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Main Author: Karla K. de Lima Guedes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Liverpool University Press 2023-09-01
Series:International Journal of English for Academic Purposes
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/ijeap.2023.5
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author Karla K. de Lima Guedes
author_facet Karla K. de Lima Guedes
author_sort Karla K. de Lima Guedes
collection DOAJ
description Prior to the pandemic, English for Academic Purposes pre-sessional programmes were exclusively conducted in person, requiring students to relocate for attendance. However, since 2020, these programmes have undergone a significant shift towards online delivery, fundamentally altering students’ educational experiences. This study investigates the experiences of students enrolled in an online pre-sessional programme at a British university. It presents data on the access to electronic devices and internet connectivity of 570 learners, as well as their previous encounters with online learning and perspectives on emergency remote teaching. To explore these aspects, students from two cohorts completed a questionnaire in both 2020 and 2021. The findings reveal technological challenges and varied online learning experiences, and indicate that students highly value the convenience, flexibility, learner-centredness, and time and cost-saving advantages provided by online education. However, concerns arise regarding internet access, communication, pedagogical approaches, and the development of speaking skills in the online learning environment. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0.
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spelling doaj-art-169d479f82d64024bd7d1bdd424604bd2025-08-20T03:13:22ZengLiverpool University PressInternational Journal of English for Academic Purposes2634-46102023-09-0132759510.3828/ijeap.2023.5“The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teachingKarla K. de Lima Guedes0University of Southampton, U.K.Prior to the pandemic, English for Academic Purposes pre-sessional programmes were exclusively conducted in person, requiring students to relocate for attendance. However, since 2020, these programmes have undergone a significant shift towards online delivery, fundamentally altering students’ educational experiences. This study investigates the experiences of students enrolled in an online pre-sessional programme at a British university. It presents data on the access to electronic devices and internet connectivity of 570 learners, as well as their previous encounters with online learning and perspectives on emergency remote teaching. To explore these aspects, students from two cohorts completed a questionnaire in both 2020 and 2021. The findings reveal technological challenges and varied online learning experiences, and indicate that students highly value the convenience, flexibility, learner-centredness, and time and cost-saving advantages provided by online education. However, concerns arise regarding internet access, communication, pedagogical approaches, and the development of speaking skills in the online learning environment. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0.http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/ijeap.2023.5online learningpre-sessional programmesEnglish for Academic Purposesemergency remote teachinghigher education
spellingShingle Karla K. de Lima Guedes
“The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching
International Journal of English for Academic Purposes
online learning
pre-sessional programmes
English for Academic Purposes
emergency remote teaching
higher education
title “The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching
title_full “The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching
title_fullStr “The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching
title_full_unstemmed “The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching
title_short “The quality of learning depends on the quality of the Wi-Fi”: The views and experiences of EAP students during emergency remote teaching
title_sort the quality of learning depends on the quality of the wi fi the views and experiences of eap students during emergency remote teaching
topic online learning
pre-sessional programmes
English for Academic Purposes
emergency remote teaching
higher education
url http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/ijeap.2023.5
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