Face-to-face vs. online language courses: Student and teacher perspectives in relation to the change in their mode of study due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the imposed lockdown

The current pandemic experienced simultaneously worldwide has accelerated the demand for transitioning from traditional (face-to-face) education to its online equivalent. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the ubiquity of available online tools has become more apparent both for teaching and learning purposes but also for collaboration. Skepticism in relation to the use of online tools was quickly silenced not only due to the lockdown imposed by governments worldwide but also because of the major support these tools provide online, making themselves easy to use even to those who have traditionally objected to their effectiveness. Being part of this transformation of face-to-face classes and also someone with great experience in online teaching, the author explores in this chapter how this change has covertly affected students and teachers in tertiary education in relation to language classes. The study includes teachers of the languages and Literature Department and an international group of students, studying English for Academic Purposes at a private university in Nicosia, Cyprus.