Teachers’ Feedback on Using Discord as an Online Learning Platform

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22246

Keywords:

e-learning, distance learning, online learning, conferencing software, Discord

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has called for a shift in the teaching and learning landscape from conventional classes to e-learning. This propels the use of a range of online learning and distance learning platforms massively, notably MS Teams, Zoom US, and Google Classroom. However, the fact that the aforementioned require a monetary subscription to unlock their full potential proves detrimental to the accessibility to education during the pandemic, i.e., not all students and/ or educational institutions have the available means. This paper thus seeks to affirm the capability of Discord as an alternative online learning platform that is not only efficient in its own right but also comes at no expense. To this end, a handful of English teachers who had been teaching online via either of the three platforms above were offered to switch to Discord for a fixed amount of time. They received instructions and support from the research team concerning the platform along the way and were asked to participate in a survey afterward. With the use of SPSS for statistical data analysis, the paper pointed out that Discord achieved a high compatibility level for both parties in use, namely the teachers and the students.

Author Biographies

  • Uong Tran Gia Tri, The University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City

    Tri Tran Gia Uong is a MA student in the TESOL program by HCMUSSH and the co-founder of C-Plus English – an educational project based in HCMC whose target demographic is teenagers wishing to learn academic English. As a technophile himself, he loves exploring meaningful applications of technology into his Teaching.

  • Nguyen Duy Khoi, Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, Vietnam

    Khoi Duy Nguyen is an aspiring M.A. in TESOL program student at HCMUSSH as well as a core teacher at IPP Education and Language Link Vietnam, both of which specialize in teaching for the IELTS certificate. As a veteran educator, he is famous for his unorthodox approach to English pedagogy.

  • Nguyen Huu Nhon, HCMC Open Univeristy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Nhon Huu Nguyen is currently participating in the M.A. program organized by the Open University. Apart from his professional development, he is concurrently working at WESET English center, addressing his learners’ needs in terms of IELTS and honing his teaching quality. His main interests are primarily concerned with ELT.

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Published

20-07-2022

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Section

Research Article

How to Cite

Uong, T. G. T., Nguyen, D. K., & Nguyen, H. N. (2022). Teachers’ Feedback on Using Discord as an Online Learning Platform. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(4), 84-104. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22246

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