Fourteenth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies

Abstract

The academic year 2019/2020 represents an exceptional year for learners all over the world. Schools had to shut down in order to avoid a calamity. With the Covid-19 outbreak, countries like Algeria faced the necessity to embark on the e-learning journey. Though Moodle (a learning platform) figured among the Algerian ministry’s alternatives to F2F learning long before the outbreak, both teachers and learners showed reluctance to adopt it. It was not until the pandemic that they started to show some interest in studying online. In an attempt to find out the reasons behind this reluctance, a questionnaire was distributed to teachers and learners from l’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Constantine, Algeria. After six months of using the platform, respondents were asked about their opinions and invited to detail the problems they faced while using it. Results unveiled that the teachers’ and learners’ reluctance is deeply rooted in their personal, geographical, social, and religious backgrounds. During the focused discussion, I will shed some light on the particulars of third world countries in general, and African ones in particular when it comes to online learning. I would also like to discuss some possible strategies and solutions for these issues.