Exploring the Current Pedagogical Trends and Techniques in online Language Teaching in Pakistani Higher Education

Abstract

This study investigates the available online language teaching challenges and drawbacks in higher education institutions in Pakistan by focusing on both teachers and students’ standpoints. It utilizes a qualitative research approach, using structured interviews by collecting data from 25 participants (10 teachers and 15 students) from three different institutes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The findings of the study present issues faced by the teachers and students such as student engagement, inadequate internet access, limited digital literacy, academic integrity, and the perceived value of physical classroom interactions. Notably, participants emphasized the irreplaceable nature of face-to-face learning experiences, underscoring the enduring importance of personal connections in graduate education. The study concluded that online teaching platform offers flexibility for which technological infrastructure, pedagogical strategies and participants’ feedback needs significant improvement which can strengthen the quality and effectiveness of online graduate education.

Keywords: Online teaching, digital literacy, in-person classes.