This study is primarily designed for investigating the tertiary students’ perspectives on the writing difficulties of essays. This study was conducted in explanatory research in which quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from the web-based questionnaire and semi-structured interview, then analyzed separately. 21 undergraduate students have enrolled in the survey and 6 of them were invited to the interview section. This research reveals tertiary students' problems in essay writing course are categorized into: affective problems which raise from students’ and lecturers’ attitude while teaching and learning Essay Writing Course, cognitive problems that considered as the difficulties in the areas of writing viewpoint, transferring language, and the process of writing, and linguistic problems in the area of lexico-grammar, vocabulary, and the structure of the essay. Due to the findings, those aspects of academic writing should be serious attention for both EFL students and teachers to overcome the problems. The findings of this study have implications for EFL writing course designers as basic data of material improvement and for researchers particularly in the realms of language and education.

This research investigates the vocational school students’ needs on the implementation of English teaching and learning that is focused on the target needs and learning needs. By adapting Hutchinson and Waters’ model (1987), questionnaire consisting of parts A and B was administered to 32 students. Part A deals with the target needs centred on the learner’s necessities, lacks and wants that are effectively functioned in the target situation. In contrast, part B concerns about learning needs that encompass learning inputs, procedures, teacher’s and learners’ role, and setting. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with the students and an English teacher to gather data in order to examine in-depth results of the practices of English teaching and to uncover possible areas of students’ language difficulties in learning English. The results suggested that the students have different perceptions of their necessities, wants, and lacks. The findings also demonstrated the students’ learning needs including the learning inputs, teaching-learning procedures, the teacher’s and learners’ role, as well as the teachinglearning settings.

Now, EFL pedagogical practices have gradually transformed from traditional classrooms into digital learning. Within this context, mobile devices have now been considered as an auspicious medium for future learning. This study investigated how EFL instructors from different secondary education institutions viewed the in-class use of Kahoot in English-language classrooms. To this end, they were invited to fill a 13-items web-based questionnaire covering several categories: factual, behavioral, and attitudinal. Twenty-seven (n=27) Indonesian EFL instructors in secondary education at both public and private high schools mostly located in East Java, Indonesia, voluntarily participated in this present study by completing the online survey. The results indicated that participants mostly demonstrated positive feelings toward the utilization of Kahoot in EFL classrooms. It showed that Kahoot was perceived as a promising software application to enhance the English-language learning process. To explore the effectiveness of this online game-based platform, more future-related research with large-scale participants in broader geographic regions should be carried out in this area.

This research investigates the vocational school students’ needs on the implementation of English teaching and learning that is focused on the target needs and learning needs. By adapting Hutchinson and Waters’ model (1987), questionnaire consisting of parts A and B was administered to 32 students. Part A deals with the target needs centred on the learner’s necessities, lacks and wants that are effectively functioned in the target situation. In contrast, part B concerns about learning needs that encompass learning inputs, procedures, teacher’s and learners’ role, and setting. Additionally, interviews were also conducted with the students and an English teacher to gather data in order to examine in-depth results of the practices of English teaching and to uncover possible areas of students’ language difficulties in learning English. The results suggested that the students have different perceptions of their necessities, wants, and lacks. The findings also demonstrated the students’ learning needs including the learning inputs, teaching-learning procedures, the teacher’s and learners’ role, as well as the teachinglearning settings.

[Bahasa]: Pemberlakuan pembelajaran jarak jauh (PJJ) daring (dalam jaringan) akibat krisis pandemi global Covid-19 di Indonesia memberikan tantangan tersendiri khususnya bagi para pendidik. Kesiapan kompetensi guru dalam mengelola kelas daring dan kemampuan beradaptasi dengan moda pembelajaran virtual menjadi faktor kunci keberhasilan PJJ daring tersebut. Namun, data empiris menunjukkan ketidaksiapan para guru dalam mengimplemen-tasikan PJJ daring ini. Program pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini bertujuan untuk mengoptimalkan penggunaan Edmodo dalam PJJ daring. Kegiatan ini diikuti oleh 32 peserta yang merupakan para guru yang mengajar dilingkungan LP Ma’arif NU cabang Jember. Prosedur pelaksanaan program pengabdian ini terdiri dari tiga tahap yaitu eksplorasi, elaborasi, dan konfirmasi. Hasil pengabdian menunjukkan adanya respon yang sangat positif dari para peserta pelatihan terkait integrasi Edmodo dalam PJJ daring. Selanjutnya, simpulan, keterbatasan, dan rekomendasi hasil program pengabdian didiskusikan dalam artikel ini. Kata Kunci: Edmodo, learning management system (LMS), pembelajaran jarak jauh, pembelajaran virtual [English]: Online learning during Covid-19 outbreak in Indonesia has seriously challenged the teachers. The teachers’ competencies in managing their online courses and the level of adaptability to virtual learning environments are both crucial factors to a successful online learning. However, empirical data demonstrate the low levels of readiness regarding the implementation of this online learning. As an attempt to resolve this problem, this community service program aims to optimize the use of Edmodo in online learning. Thirty-two teachers from Ma’arif Nahdlatul Ulama Educational Institution (LP Ma’arif NU) in Jember voluntarily participated in this program. The program was held in three phases; exploration, elaboration, and confirmation. It is found that the participants mostly have positive feelings about the integration of Edmodo into online learning. Furthermore, the conclusions, limitations, and recommendations of the program results are discussed in this article. Keywords: Edmodo, learning management system (LMS), virtual learning, distance learning