The role of online teaching platforms in enhancing students’ engagement and academic performance levels: an analytic study in universities of Palestine

Abstract

The main aims of the present doctoral thesis were: determining the role of online teaching platforms in enhancing learning and teaching as perceived by bachelor students of English specialization and their instructors; examining the association between students’ engagement and their academic performance during online learning; and exploring obstacles that hinder the effectiveness of e-learning at Palestinian universities. A mixed-method descriptive approach was used for data collection and included four methods: a students’ survey, an instructors’ survey, an open-ended question survey, and interviews with managers and members of E-Learning centers at three Palestinian universities (ANNU, AAU, and AQOU) during the academic year 2021–2022. The main results revealed that students generally had moderate attitudes towards the role of online teaching platforms in enhancing their engagement. They also demonstrated a low level of agreement towards the role of online teaching platforms in improving their academic performance levels. Moreover, results showed that the students had a moderate level of agreement on their professors’ role and skills in online teaching. In regard to instructors, results illustrated that the overall degree of instructors’ perceptions and attitudes towards the role of the online teaching platform in enhancing students’ learning during online lectures was low. Additionally, results from the e-learning team proved that the main barriers preventing e-learning from being useful are three major themes: infrastructure readiness, political conditions, and insufficient background and experiences. Based on these results, future studies that focus on teacher training and online learning systems to embrace online teaching in a way that maximizes student engagement and faculty presence are recommended.