Title: Digital Shakespeare in a Post-COVID Educational Landscape Context, Strategies, and Challenges

Zied Ben Amor

English Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Sousse, University of Sousse (Tunisia)

Abstract

The article reflects on the relationship between blended learning, Shakespearean pedagogy, and the changing post-COVID educational environment. The research provides perspectives on adapting blended learning and advocating for a balanced approach that mixes digital tools and traditional lessons to enhance the teaching of Shakespeare. The analysis addresses the abrupt move towards blended learning in post-COVID educational landscapes, focusing on Tunisia’s adaption and how it affects teaching Shakespeare. The investigation internationally contextualises blended learning in a post-COVID environment and sets the theoretical background prior to the implementation of blended learning. Practical solutions and strategies for using blended learning to teach Shakespeare are suggested. Different digital platforms of annotation, video and graphic editing, gamified learning, and other interactive tools are introduced as solutions to imbed blended teaching for Shakespeare. The paper stresses the value of multimedia tools and promotes group projects, online discussions, and digital timelines. Suggestions for implementing blended digital learning cover assessment methods and suggest that evaluation techniques can be adjusted to conform to the concepts of blended learning, focusing on technologically enabled, dynamic evaluations. The study, then, raises interrogations and enumerates the difficulties associated with digital teaching, such as concerns about inclusion, the need for training teachers and students, and socio-economic disparities. The concluding part defends the importance of reaching a balanced approach with an insistence on the primacy of viva voce instruction in conjunction with digital tools. The success of implementing blended learning for the teaching of Shakespeare is conditioned by the authorities’ willingness to invest in technology, infrastructure, and teacher preparation to provide fair access and promote inclusive learning environments.

Keywords

Blended Learning, Digital Shakespeare, Education in Tunisia, Flipped classrooms, Inclusive Teaching, Teacher Training, Teaching Shakespeare, Post-COVID

How to Cite this Paper:

Ben Amor, Z. (2024). Digital Shakespeare in a Post-COVID Educational Landscape Context, Strategies, and Challenges. In Proceedings of the First Online International Conference of Teaching and Learning in Post-COVID: Reality and Expectations, Saida University, 12-13 December, 2023, pp. 7-23

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