Monthly Archives: October 2020

Virtual Studies in Riau

“Mr. David, when can we study again?” The lecturer’s request was quickly echoed by other members of the class WhatsApp group.  Covid 19-induced restrictions have indefinitely delayed the SEEDS education consultant’s return to Indonesia to resume teaching academic English to lecturers at a religious state university in Riau.  However, sparked by the lecturers’ eagerness to continue their learning, classes have been able to start up again virtually.  There are still challenges to the process – time zone differences require learning in the evening, and inconsistent network connections can lead to audio-visual distortions and the occasional dropout.  Despite these difficulties, lecturers have expressed appreciation for this opportunity to continue to develop a key skill for their profession.  In addition to language skills, program participants have also enjoyed the modeling of a participative online learning system, as evidenced by feedback following a recent class: “Wow, that was exciting!  The class time went by so fast!”