Exploring Students’ Views on the Combination of Synchronous and Asynchronous Electronic Language Learning in an Interpreting Class

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, teaching and learning activities in all programs, including English Language Teaching (ELT), have experienced a significant transformation. Face-to-face or onsite activities of ELT in all levels, especially higher education are shifted into online activities in which synchronous and asynchronous electronic language learning activities are involved. This phenomenon leads to the emergence of various research conducted to explore the synchronous and asynchronous online teaching and learning activities in the pandemic era. However, the use of synchronous and asynchronous activities in Interpreting courses has received little attention. As a result, the purpose of this research is to characterize how students perceive the combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities in an Interpreting course. To reach the aim, a case study that employs a questionnaire and an open-ended interview is conducted in English Study Program Politeknik Negeri Jember. The participants were the sixth-semester students of the English Study Program, Language Department, Politeknik Negeri Jember who were taking an Interpreting Course in the Academic Year 2020/2021. The results indicate that the students have positive views toward the combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities in the Interpreting course and that the combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities in the Interpreting course's remote learning seem to help students to increase their confidence in doing English interpreting. Thus, the results of this study shows that synchronous and asynchronous online activities cannot be set apart since they complement one another. Teachers should precisely design their teaching instructions and set the suitable online modes, either synchronous or asynchronous, based on the learning objectives and the students’ level.