Arabic Language Students’ e-Learning Experience in an English Course at the University of Oran1 Algeria during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Distance learning is not the product of the modern world as some may think; its origins go back to the 1720s with the very first experience of correspondence learning. Nevertheless, the concept of online learning, on the other hand, is the product of the modern digitalized world since its principal key element is the Internet. In this paper, we are going to clarify the ambiguity underlying two interrelated but different concepts which are ‘distance learning’ and ‘e-learning’. Then, we will trace the historical background of distance education in the world and in Algeria. In the end, we will present the results of a descriptive study that was conducted through an online questionnaire, and which targeted first-year students of the Department of the Arabic Language and Literature, University of Oran1 Ahmed Ben Bella. The purpose of this opinion poll was to reflect students’ impressions and evaluate their first and unique experience of learning English electronically during the COVID-19 pandemic.