Abstract:

The present study aimed to investigate lecturers’ views on the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. The participants in the study were six course instructors of online courses, namely, Atatürk’s Principles and History of the Reform, Turkish Language and Foreign Language. The data were collected through four open-ended interview questions: 1) What are the advantages of distance learning? 2) What are the disadvantages of distance learning? 3) What are the online teaching problems you have experienced so far? and 4) How can distance learning be made more effective? The interviews were conducted in Turkish, and then transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data. According to the findings, the advantages of distance learning can be categorised into three groups: advantages for university students, for university lecturers, and for the university. The most frequently mentioned advantageous of distance learning is the accessibility of education for all students. The most frequently mentioned disadvantage was the lack of teacher-student interaction, students’ not participating in classes regularly, and technical problems. Most of the lecturers also mentioned that learning environments should be facilitated through socialisation.

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