Distance education practices in language and communication modules insights from Moroccan higher education

During COVID-19, emergency remote teaching (ERT) was implemented across higher education, including in Morocco. The two regulated-access (i.e., selective-admission) institutions examined in this study are both affiliated with Abdelmalek Essaâdi University and located in Tangier. Although they differ in institutional profile, both served science- and engineering-oriented higher education and used Moodle learning management system (LMS) to support distance education during the 2020 ERT period. This exploratory, context-bound study examines how Languages and Communication (LC) instructors used Moodle and complementary ICT tools during ERT, which tools were used most frequently and why, and how reported practices aligned with intended learning outcomes. We used a retrospective survey administered in 2021 to capture practices from the 2020 ERT period. We mapped techno-pedagogical practices and the factors influencing tool choices within the full local LC instructor population. Findings showed that instructors primarily used Moodle as a content repository and for basic administrative functions, whereas synchronous videoconferencing tools dominated interaction. Design-oriented LMS affordances (e.g., structured pathways, embedded assessment, and interactive activities) were used selectively. Tools were selected for simplicity, student familiarity, and instructional mandates rather than explicit instructional design intent, which may have contributed to misalignment between targeted communicative competencies and enacted practices. Interpreted through constructive alignment as the single guiding framework, with teaching presence as a complementary lens, the results highlight leverage points for strengthening alignment and instructor-orchestration routines through targeted professional development and institution-level guidance. Future research should replicate these findings using multi-site samples and triangulate self-reports with learning analytics and student-outcome evidence.