No abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many countries all over the world. Most universities and institutions throughout the world offer online instruction to avoid disruptions in education during this global pandemic. This qualitative study investigated Iranian EFL university lecturers' perspectives toward online instruction during the Coronavirus pandemic. Based on a researcherdeveloped protocol, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 university lecturers from Karaj and Science and Research Branches of Islamic Azad University, in Karaj and Tehran, Iran, whose teaching experiences ranged from 7 to 27 years, to identify their perspectives toward online instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak. The interviews drew upon emergent methodology to categorize the interviewees' value-laden comments into four major attitudinal themes, namely, change in pedagogy with four subthemes of online teaching software, synchronous versus asynchronous teaching, benefits of online instruction, and university lecturers' challenges regarding online instruction; supporting students with two subthemes of establishing rapport and positive relationship with students and student engagement; ethics in online instruction with a subtheme of assessment in an online environment; and the future of online instruction with two subthemes of university lecturers' suggestions or recommendations regarding online instruction and changes in learning approaches after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings demonstrated that Iranian EFL university lecturers require professional training on the latest technology updates for online instruction. Further, the adequacy of technological infrastructure and free internet access could facilitate online instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak. Thus, universities and educational organizations are expected to promote the infrastructure and provide a variety of internet access alternatives.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a huge challenge that has influenced university lecturers and students globally and led to a rapid transition from face-to-face to online instruction. The current qualitative study explored the Iranian EFL university lecturers’ attitudes toward online instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on a researcher-developed protocol, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 university lecturers from Karaj and Science and Research Branches of Islamic Azad University, in Karaj and Tehran, Iran, whose teaching experiences ranged from 7 to 27 years, with the purpose of identifying their attitudes, experiences, and challenges regarding online instruction during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The interviews drew upon emergent methodology to categorize the interviewees’ value-laden comments into four major attitudinal themes, namely, change in pedagogy, supporting students, ethics in online instruction, and the future of online instruction. The findings revealed that Iranian EFL university lecturers require professional training on the latest technology updates for online instruction and should make their online classes interactive to help their students stay focused on the course and minimize the sense of isolation. Besides, the adequacy of technological infrastructure and free internet access could facilitate online instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, universities and educational organizations are expected to promote the infrastructure and provide a variety of internet access alternatives. Moreover, after this global pandemic, when normal classes resume, university lecturers and students should be encouraged to continue using online tools to develop teaching and learning.