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

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 Moodle-based 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.