Assessing students’ perceptions towards academics’ online instruction during al-Ghazali’s dialogue: english communication at UPNM

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have switched from traditional or blended learning to entirely online learning to keep providing learning opportunities for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although online learning is not a new teaching mode in most HEIs, this study aims to explore the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) practices of lecturers in online teaching and identify lecturer-related factors affecting students’ learning outcomes, specifically in the context of enhancing students’ English language oral communication skills, in the midst of the pandemic. In doing so, it indirectly examines the readiness of lecturers to transition to online teaching in response to the abrupt emergence of COVID-19 in Malaysia. This study assesses students’ perceptions of lecturers applying the TPACK framework in teaching Al-Ghazali’s Dialogue: English Communication in their online teaching. A quantitative research approach and a correlational research design are used, gathering data from 445 UPNM undergraduate students through both online and paperbased questionnaires. The collected data underwent analysis using SPSS and summative content analysis. The finding revealed that lecturers have a high level of content knowledge (CK) among the main components of the TPACK framework by providing relevant issues in selected case studies for students to evaluate critically, which aligns with the course learning outcomes (CLO). However, lecturers should be proficient in promptly resolving technological concerns when confronted with technology compatibility challenges. The finding also revealed that lecturer competence is most mentioned by students as the highest factor in improving oral communication through this online course. Furthermore, students’ achievements served as the indicator in determining the effectiveness of online learning. This study suggests that a strong TPACK proficiency positively influences students’ educational achievements, thus reinforcing the utility of the TPACK framework in characterising lecturers’ technology integration.