Using Moodle as an Online Learning Medium for Academic Writing Skills: Students’ Perceptions


Erdem Çavdar Ö., Barin M.

Arab World English Journal, cilt.2025-July, sa.Special issue, ss.309-326, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 2025-July Sayı: Special issue
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.24093/awej/call11.19
  • Dergi Adı: Arab World English Journal
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Arab World Research Source, EBSCO Education Source, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.309-326
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Academic writing, English for academic purposes, learning management system, perceptions, writing
  • Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, universities switched to the remote learning environment, heightening the use of tools like Moodle. This research paper explores EFL students' perceptions regarding the use of Moodle for developing academic writing skills. Using structured interviewing, the data were obtained by adopting a qualitative case study design by privately interviewing 28 first-year students in an English Language and Literature program in one of the Turkish universities. The study aimed to determine students' perceptions, the type of challenges met or experienced, and the overall experience regarding online academic writing instruction. The results showed a duality in students’ perceptions: on the one hand, 79% of students stated that their writing skills had benefited, and on the other hand, 64% preferred in-person lessons. The main advantages were flexibility, easy material access, and helpful teacher feedback. Nevertheless, students identified technological problems and the lack of interaction as key disadvantages of Moodlebased learning environment. The study concluded that Moodle-based writing instruction can be effective when it is supported by well-structured feedback mechanisms, synchronous learning components, and training in digital skills for both students and instructors.