The Use of Moodle Versus Google Classroom in EFL Teaching During Corona Virus Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting imprint on modern history and caused permanent changes in the sector of education. Online learning has soon been thought of as a means of managing critical situations. Eventually, the Algerian ministry of higher education decided on a shift from on-site teaching and learning to distance education. Universities have to use Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to facilitate communication between teachers and students. The current study attempts to investigate the use of both LMSs—the Moodle platform and Google Classroom—by students and teachers. By taking the University of Mostaganem as a case, the study tends to show the level of effectiveness of both platforms according to EFL teachers and students. To fulfil this study, a mixed-method approach has been adopted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A questionnaire is designed for EFL students, and an interview is conducted with EFL teachers at the aforementioned university. Findings elucidate that Google Classroom outperforms Moodle in terms of accessibility and usefulness. Furthermore, the study provides several relevant recommendations to make online LMSs more productive and well utilized by teachers, students, and administrators to enhance the quality of online teaching and learning.