CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES OF NON-ENGLISH LECTURERS IN ONLINE ENGLISH TEACHING

Abstract

The expansion of online learning has changed the delivery of English courses in higher education, especially when English is taught by lecturers whose academic background is outside English language education. This study investigated how non-English major lecturers experienced and responded to the challenges of conducting online English classes at a private university in Jakarta. One research question guided the study: how do non-English major lecturers experience and respond to the challenges of conducting online English classes? The study employed a qualitative case study design involving three lecturers, classroom observation videos, and questionnaire responses from twenty-seven students. Data were analysed using Miles and Huberman's interactive model consisting of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that the main difficulty was not simply technological. The dominant challenge was a pedagogical and psychological breakdown of interaction, reflected in silent synchronous meetings, closed cameras, low attendance, large heterogeneous classes, weak social bonding, and uneven student readiness. In response, lecturers used pragmatic strategies rather than fully developed online language pedagogy. These strategies included calling students by name, assigning read-aloud turns, checking comprehension directly, enforcing rules and sanctions, preparing backup materials, and using alternative platforms such as Google Meet and WhatsApp. The study concludes that online English teaching by non-English major lecturers depends heavily on individual improvisation unless institutions provide clearer attendance policy, smaller class structures, training in online language pedagogy, and reliable technical support