Engineering and management students’ views on online and face-to-face EAP teaching

This article presents a study that investigated students’ attitudes toward both online and face-to-face English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes. The study was conducted with students of mechanical engineering and engineering management after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions that allowed face-to-face teaching to resume. The study aimed to determine students’ preferences for online or face-to-face classes and the reasons behind their opinions. It also aimed to compare the difficulty and interest level of EAP classes with other courses and gather qualitative feedback on how online EAP classes could be improved. The study was primarily quantitative, but it had a qualitative segment, too. The results indicated that students generally prefer face-to-face to online classes, although only marginally. Participants appreciated the ability to work from home and revisit recorded lessons in online classes, while face-to-face classes were valued for better communication with the instructor and collaboration with peers. English was viewed as better suited to online teaching than other courses, but students were hesitant to participate openly during classes. Most respondents suggested more active participation from students and mandatory attendance as ways of improving the online teaching process.