THE EFFECT OF ONLINE COLLEGE LECTURES ON STUDENTS STUDYING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The study investigates the effect of online college lectures on English language learners, focusing on technical challenges, online platforms, and disadvantages of online lectures compared to face-to-face learning and language proficiency development. The study objectives are to discover how the students view online lectures in terms of learning language skills, the technical obstacles, and how they evaluate the whole process. The study used qualitative and quantitative methods, and 12 participants from different Iraqi universities/English departments were selected. A Microsoft Word has been created to conduct an interview and distributed to the specified participants. The data used inductive thematic analysis to examine students' answers to questions about online learning. This provided a flexible exploration of the diverse perspectives of the participants. The results demonstrated varied responses to the evaluation of online lectures. Though it is effective and flexible with low costs, participants stated that loneliness, limited face-to-face interaction, and technical issues are considered the main obstacles to conducting essential online teaching. The study has contributed to the field of distance education as it is one of the most affordable techniques in English language teaching, considering the outcomes and challenges involved in the process.