What does this research mean for the field?

While students generally view asynchronous online language lessons positively, they perceive them as less valuable than traditional in-person classes, indicating a need for greater interactive opportunities in online environments. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim was to assess student perceptions of online versus in-person language lessons and evaluate their educational value.

June 9, 2026Open Access

In-Class or Online? Investigating Student Perceptions of Asynchronous Online Lessons

Key Points

The aim was to assess student perceptions of online versus in-person language lessons and evaluate their educational value.
Surveyed approximately 180 language learners at a university in Japan.
Compared perceptions of online asynchronous lessons with traditional in-class lessons.
Evaluated educational value based on student feedback.
Participants viewed online lessons positively but rated them lower in value than in-class lessons.
Increased opportunities for interaction in online settings were highlighted as critical.
The study suggests a need for institutions to improve online educational formats.

Abstract

Online options in higher education have expanded at an increasing rate over the last 10 years, from entirely online courses, to hybrid courses, to the greater prevalence of online components in traditional in-person courses.This growing trend will increase opportunities for non-traditional students to meet their educational needs (Nakamura, 2017), but at what cost to the quality of that education?How can institutions transition or modify materials to online settings, possibly toward a hybridized environment?In an effort to determine the efficacy of entirely online lessons vs. in-person lessons in the language-teaching field, this study gathered information from approximately 180 learners in a language-focused university in Japan about their perceptions of language learning in both online & traditional settings.The study aimed to establish whether online, asynchronous versions of core curricula, integrated with in-person lessons, could offer comparable educational value.The findings suggest that although online lessons were viewed mostly positively overall, they were not deemed as valuable as the traditional in-class format.Increasing opportunities to interact in an online language learning environment seems to be an important consideration.

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