BIOLOGY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF INTERNET RESOURCES IN LEARNING ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES

Abstract

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has accelerated the process of digitalization in higher education setting and the field of learning English for academic purposes is no exception. An adequate selection of available online resources of high didactic and pedagogical value that could facilitate EAP learning is an urgent issue. The aim of the article is to investigate biology students’ evaluation of 6 internet resources (FutureLearn, Khan Academy, tutorial channels on Youtube (namely, CrashCourse and RicochetScience), Quizlet, Kahoot, Crossword Labs) that were used during the academic year 2020-2021 as supplementary tools for achieving learning objectives in the framework of disciplinary course ‘English for Biologists (freshmen).’ In order to achieve the purpose of the research quantitative and qualitative surveys were conducted among first-year biology students. Collected data revealed their preferences regarding 3 sections in the evaluation of internet resources: design (user-friendly browsing, absence of technical errors), information reliability and accuracy, promotion of learners’ interaction and engagement. Also, the data showed students’ self-assessment of linguistic skills they improved by utilizing these resources. The study of students’ perceptions of internet resources helps to define useful internet tools to make distant learning of Academic English for Biology more meaningful and effective.