EFL students' and teachers' perceptions of Educational Informatics Network live class applications during online education

Educational technology has been gaining great significance among the stakeholders of education for years, and several countries have been working on integrating the developments in the field of educational technology into their education systems gradually. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented education crisis, and nearly all countries have decided to suspend their face-to-face education activities and proceed with online education implemented through virtual or live classes. Is this sudden shift from traditional face-to-face education to online education a panacea? This question and the possible outcomes of online education in terms of foreign language education in all grades remain controversial. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to reveal the findings and details of both EFL students' and teachers' perceptions of the challenges and benefits of Educational Informatics Network (EIN) Live Class Application (LCA) by means of online language learning/teaching process. Another purpose of the study is to investigate the differences in opinions of students in terms of their grade, gender and type of school, and whether there is a significant difference in the perceptions of EFL teachers with regards to their gender, age, educational status, teaching experience, and type of school through a mixed methods research design. The specific context of this study is all primary, secondary, and high schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE). The findings of the study have demonstrated that participants believe live class application offers certain benefits such as making use of e-contents during classes and its' being time-saving and flexible. On the other hand, the findings also suggest that both teachers and students encounter several flaws mainly based on technical problems including internet connection problems and power cuts. Finally, participants unanimously allege that face-to-face education is necessary not solely for language education but for all educational activities. Key Words: Educational Informatics Network, EIN, Live Class Application, LCA, FATIH Project, Educational Technology, Virtual Class, Foreign Language Education