Online English Literature Classes in Pakistani Public Universities: Preferences and Attitudes of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

COVID-19 resulted in the digitalization of teaching and learning in Pakistan and across the world. Indeed, online education has become a new normal in the wake of the pandemic. The subject of English literature in Pakistani universities is also being taught online, which has become a hindrance in the development of critical understanding of literature in students. Learning in online classes of English literature can be challenging for them because literature demands an effective discussion on the subject matter. Researcher 1, a student at the Department of English, University of Sindh observed such issues related to the online teaching of English literature. Students faced challenges in understanding literature in online classrooms due to digital illiteracy. This fact motivated the researchers to explore the attitudes and preferences of undergraduate students and measure challenges facing them in online classes in order to provide a way forward. Hence, this study focused on undergraduate online classrooms of English literature of sixteen public sector universities of Pakistan. A quantitative survey of the respondents, who were sampled using the probability sampling technique, was used to collect the primary data. In total, one hundred and fifty-one participants from sixteen Pakistani public sector universities participated in this study. Among them, sixty-five were males and eighty-six were females. All were undergraduate students at the Department of English Literature of their respective university. Their responses were quantified in MS Excel and charts. The quantified data revealed that most of the students wanted more discussion and engagement in online classes of English literature. The results also demonstrated that students supported interactive learning. Moreover, they did not consider the use of digital tools as effective in teaching drama and poetry. However, the online mode of teaching was preferred for teaching short stories and novels. This study can help teachers, students, and policymakers to know what students prefer and do not prefer in online classes. Furthermore, it manifests how their preferences can be transformed into student-centered teaching in the digital domain. Keywords: digital domain, English literature, online classes, pandemic, public sector, universities