INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN ONLINE TEACHING OF ACADEMIC ENGLISH IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been steadily integrating into higher education of Uzbekistan for the last thirty years. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated this process, leading all universities to adopt distance education. This article reports on the results of the case study analysis of three international universities in Tashkent and their integration of ICT tools in Academic English courses during the pandemic. Previously, no universities in Uzbekistan had experience in delivering online courses, so each university had to choose its approach. Universities opted both for synchronous and asynchronous online sessions using various videoconferencing tools and learning management systems. The Technological, Pedagogical, and Content (TPACK) framework was used to reflect on teachers’ experiences with ICT. The results suggest that while teachers have developed digital literacy skills and felt comfortable using technology, they had to introduce certain changes to pedagogical decisions and material development for Academic English. Some of the successes of teaching English online included availability and access to the materials 24/7 and timely delivery of assessments. In contrast, the challenges of teaching English online indicated a lack of student engagement, increased cases of cheating and plagiarism, and difficulties with the materials design. Nevertheless, the transition to online teaching strengthened the development of digital literacy skills and online English courses Uzbek universities should focus on online English teaching methods, development of online assessments, and materials design for online classes. The article proposes a set of recommendations for research, practice, and policy to facilitate integration of the ICT tools for Academic English and higher education in Uzbekistan