## I. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Today, distance learning continues to develop at an astounding pace. New technologies are presented constantly, and developed daily. Within Covid 19, school platforms are considered as "fundamental abilities" in the operation of teaching. Awareness of the new platforms has turned to be a part of teachers' professional development. Put in simple terms, school platforms become mandatory for the teaching process. Thanks to teachers' platforms mastery and competence, students are currently integrated to take their online courses, submit their research papers and academic work. Although many presented platforms facilitate the learning process for a lot of students and teachers, the questions hold on with regards to the tangible effect of these academic platforms, these advancements present a lucid obstacle for many teachers to master the use of the new method of teaching and to develop their profession. Incorporating Microsoft teams in education has many advantages. The students develop new learning Hobbits. Teachers become obliged to look for new materials and methods to enable their students the lessons 'objectives. Teams affects how teaching and learning are done and their methods. With the assistance of Mircosoft teams and many academic platforms, students become able to acquire documents, eBooks, interviews, lectures that were not accessible at first. Likewise, students can reach other teachers, fellow peers, and teachers. This advancement has uplifted the accessibility of learning and provides students with new learning chances. Teachers double their abilities to develop their profession and competencies in using those academic platforms. ### a) Statement of the Problem In the field of ELT, face to face communication is effective when students are able to practice and produce the newly learned language item. Teachers guarantee their instruction and guidance. Yet, within Covid 19, students as well as teachers are pushed for virtual communication. Some of them welcome the initiative; whereas, the others refuse the teaching and learning operations through the utilization of the academic platforms like teams, zoom...etc ### b) Research Objectives The purpose of the study is to provide an evaluation to Microsoft teams and its efficiency in teaching EFL students within COVID 19. This paper also aims at identifying the strengths and the weaknesses in using teams to promote an effective teaching. It describes the strategies that the teachers opt for and apply to satisfy the students needs. The aim includes also analyzing teachers and students' experiences in using Microsoft Teams. ### c) Research Questions To reach these objectives, these questions are designed: 1. Do Moroccan EFL high school students like to study using Microsoft teams? 2. What are the problems that hinder the teaching in using Microsoft teams? 3. What is the best strategy for Moroccan EFL teachers to use to make advantage from Microsoft teams? 4. To come up with some recommendations for enhancing the use of Microsoft teams in teaching. ### d) The Rationale of the Study The revolutionary development of Information and Communication Technology has impacted significantly our globalized world. Within Covid19, the call of using ICT in education becomes a must. It helps in transferring large amount of information worldwide. Therefore, many academic platforms play a significant role nowadays in many fields such as; education, business, marketing, and economy. One of the fields that this paper is concerned with is education. Microsoft teams have provided the realm of education with various virtual teaching tools which are directed towards facilitating both the teaching and learning process. Teaching using this platform requires providing updated and digital materials which are now given through ICT tools. The implementation of Microsoft teams in teaching has shown its effectiveness in enhancing the students' learning processes. However, many students seem to be unable to follow with this kind of learning. Some Teachers tend to welcome the use of this platform.Others are not qualified and trained enough to make a good profit of the platform. ### e) Hypotheses The Moroccan EFL teachers' pedagogical knowledge about distance learning and the use of the "Teams" platform seems to be a big problem to reach the lessons' objectives. Within Covid 19, the Moroccan EFL students' lack of the platform usage and hinders their performance levels. The absence and lack of the computer and technological training delays good result about the effectiveness of using academic platforms within epidemics and natural disasters. ## II. CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE In this chapter, my aim is to review the various related literature. It is divided into four major parts. In the first part, different definitions are provided to distance learning (DL). The second part is about discussing the main characteristics of DL. Then, historical overview about DL is highlighted. The last part is meant to investigate the effect of DL and "Microsoft Teams" on Language Learning and Teaching. ### a) Definition of Professional Development Professional development means more than upgrading the skills of individual teachers. It is also defined as improvements in the practices of schools. Professional development is about the fundamental changes in the organization and methods of schools. The use of technology and opening up to online teaching and learning more has put teaching under global continuous development. ### b) Definition of Distance Learning (DL) Distance learning, is also named as distance education, e-learning, and online learning. It is not easy to limit the definition of DL to only one or two sentences definition because technology continues to develop in every minute. Phipps & Merisotis (1999) states, "It is important to understand what is meant by 'distance learning.' Because the technology is evolving, the definition of what distance learning is continues to change (p.11)." yet, this part of my research is an attempt to provide some definitions to DL within the period of Covid 19. It is a new method teaching and exchanging knowledge without physical contact. Newby, Stepich, Lehman and Russell (2000) define distance learning as "an organized instructional program in which teacher and learners are physically separated (p. 210)." In this form of education, students and teachers have no real face to face to communication. Teachers resort to many academic platform to enable their students promote the operation of learning. Thanks to the utilization of the various technological instruments, teachers tend to make the tasks and the activities more clear. This new trend of teaching helps millions of people through the world to follow one line courses within disasters and other factors and purposes. Access to DL is increased.people tend to rely more on information technology to learn languages or to do online research. Jione, Fong, & Naidu (2019) provide new information on DL "For instance, recent surveys of student access to information and communications technologies at the University of the South Pacific, which has fourteen campuses on very small island states of the southwest Pacific region, show that around $80\%$ of its students have access to mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones along with reliable access to the Internet (p. 2)". However, within Covid 19, most governmental and nongovernmental organizations call for distance learning. In other words, all the universities and schools provide distance learning opportunities. It has become an alternative to presence learning. The ministry of education in Morocco encourages teachers and students to follow the program through many platforms and applications. Due to the safety measures to limit the spread of the Corona virus, Thousands of students are obliged to attend their courses on many applications such as "Microsoft teams", "zoom", "google classroom" and "tilmid tice". ### c) The Main Characteristics of DL Much has been said about the characteristics of DL. Distance learning is done within the guidance and the policy of many academic and educational institutions. RURATO, P. (2008) describes DL as "Nowadays, the personal nature of a relationship is independent of the time and space proximity, and it is possible to maintain personal relationships at a distance, using the available means of communication, which involve text, sound and image (static and moving)". Therefore, teachers should provide well designed programs and courses. The purpose is to break the socio-cuultural differences between students. The Internet and mobile phones have participated to apply distance learning in many institutions. RURATO, P. (2008) says that "Learner access to the tools or technology resources is obvious, but its importance is not always considered and it is even often undervalued. This dimension (14 items) analyses the existence and the requirement of minimum conditions at the level of technology resources, since technologies are increasingly present in the teaching/learning strategies of this mode". Students and teachers are witnessing a virtual connectedness. The information are everywhere with a simple click of the keyboard. Some online libraries are available for students and researchers. E-books, audio, videos and articles permit learners to have access to millions electronic data basis. ### d) Historical Overview of DL For more than 100 years, distance learning has been delt. It went through four eras. People started this type of education using only print-based instructional. The term distance learning was first appeared under the word of Correspondence schools. In other words, people exchange letters to teach each others. In the 19th century, due to geographical isolation from school and institutions, educational policy of USA was the first to initiate this type of learning. It was planned to serve providing valuable teaching for Sunday church workers and other professions; second, the rise of the distance teaching universities was dated to the appearance of analog mass media. With the development of the radio, many voices called for giving courses using this technological tool. The third era was characterized by the widespread integration of distance education elements into many forms of education. Peters (2002) suggests that "the swift, unforeseen, unexpected and unbelievable achievements of information and communication technologies" will require "the design of new formats of learning and teaching and [will cause] powerful and far reaching structural changes of the learning-teaching process". Peters' views are well accepted, but there is also consensus that the most fruitful way of identifying elements of quality. With the spread of the internet, a huge number of universities and schools has seized the opportunity to connect their libraries and classes to the world. A new culture and attitudes has started to appear. on line global conferences and classes start to be held. One line masters and PhDs are demanded by millions through the world. The job market has been changed. Some jobs disappeared and new ones are borned. DL has made an epistemoloical break with some sort of old tradition of language learning and language teaching. The move from teacher-centredness to the learner-centredness has been lucidly marked. ### e) The effect of DL and "Microsoft Teams" on English Language Learning and Teaching After defining and clarifying DL, we need to consider its cognitive usefulness in language learning. Before and within Covid19, distance learning has become a pedagogical tool to offer students new virtual and digital forms of learning and education. To reach this goal, DL and "Microsoft teams" have offered students with the opportunity to follow their courses, revise their lessons, do research and even go for on line quizzes and exams. For Karen L. Murphy et al. (1997), "The present invention relates to the Internet (or similar wide access communication Systems hereinafter generically embraced by the term "Internet") providing facility for communication, including information sharing and dialog, including real-time dialog, amongst widely geographically distant and Separated computer users, being more particularly directed to the enabling of information and dialog or chatter networking amongst Such users as for the purpose of providing user Selected information on various topics from a central file Server to the user Stations and for enabling the users to network with other users also interested in the same topic(s) and with the server-thereby providing for common, and where desired, real time networking of common Internet users and user groups region-wide, nationwide and indeed world-wide". Based with internet, millions of researchers, teachers and learners liberate themselves to look for knowledge. It is a window for them to meet scholars and teachers from all over the world to learn or exchange information about theories of language learning and teaching. Besides, students and teachers write and exchange mails about educational issues and lessons. Answers to many questions and fixing times for online conferences and on line courses are sent in an instant. Having free access to "Microsoft Teams" also helps teachers and students to get in touch for lessons completion assignments submission. Thanks to this academic platform, millions of students are having their courses. Learners double their efforts to understand their lessons and do their homework. Autonomous learning is encouraged. Students look for the best on line teacher to find answers to their inquiries and already made questions. To sum up, distance learning through "Microsoft teams" has a very positive effect on communication within EFL teachers and learners. Thanks to this new technological tool, the quality of communication between teachers and learners has been lucidly increased. Via "Teams" platform, thousands of lessons are given with different teaching methods. Within Covid 19 and according to the statistics given by the ministry of education, a remarkable number of students in Morocco have meet with their teachers for on line lessons, exercises and future orientations. ## III. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY My research is entitled "Attitudes Towards distance learning in Morocco within Covid 19: Ibnu Elhaytham high school EFL teachers and students as a case study". It aims to answer how Moroccan EFL teachers and learners view distance learning within Covid 19. Also, it seeks to investigate the problems of online interaction between teachers and students while using the platform of "Microsoft Teams". This chapter introduces the operational definition, research design, and instruments. Moreover, it provides a description of the participants and the steps for data collection. In brief, it tells us how the study is carried out. ### a) Operational Definition The operational definition of DL in this study is the reaction(s) of the teacher and the learner's towards on line interaction using the "Microsoft Teams" platform. In simple terms, it is based on the response of the teachers and learners so as to provide suitable teaching method and techniques to benefit a lot from distance learning. In brief, this study will explore Moroccan EFL students' online interaction with their teachers using the academic platforms during the period of Covid 19 in Morocco. ### b) Research design The design of this study will be quantitative in nature (descriptive and inferential). Thus, a questionnaire will be taken as a measuring instrument. The participants will be required to answer the items of the questionnaire, give their own perceptions towards teaching methods using Microsoft Teams and the effectiveness of distance learning to develop their linguistic and communicative competencies. The research will also tackle the emotional and cognitive aspects of attitude of teachers as well as the learners to Covid 19 and distance learning. Their demographic profile (gender and age) will be also highlighted. ### c) Instrument Within the epidemic of corona virus, the questionnaire remains the most valid and effective method for data collection. It allows the researcher to collect data in various ways (i.e., via emails, by phone, questionnaire websites and applications. Thanks to the questionnaire, the operation of gathering a large-scale data can be done in a short amount of time. With the application of one line questionnaire, the results can be organized systematically and generalized to many groups of people. The study's questionnaire will be devoted into two parts. The first part will be about the demographic information of the participants. The second part will measure the affective and cognitive aspects of attitudes of students and teachers towards online learning using "Microsoft Teams" platform. This part will involve two dichotomous questions (yes/no), five multiple choice questions, and one closed question. ### d) Participants The number of students that will contribute to the questionnaire will be 80 ones.35 people $(43.8\%)$ will be males, and 45 people (52.3) will be females, from four classes in Ibnu Elhaytham high school in Kenitra. The participants are 2 bac students. ### e) Research Procedure In order to identify the variety of attitudes among teachers and students and see the relationship with the hypotheses, the data will be analyzed with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). This chapter will provide an account of the methodology used in this study, including the research design, instrument, participants, and procedures. The next chapter will provide the results and analysis of the data collected. ## IV. CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION In this chapter, I will attempt to present, discuss, analyze and interpret the findings of the research questionnaire. In the first part, I will introduce the result of the data collected from Ibnu Elhaytham High school. A detailed description of the data in relation to the research questions and hypotheses will be lucidly provided. Then, the statistical results will be analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics 20. As for the second part, I will discuss and interpret the findings. My purpose will be displaying the results of the research questionnaire and providing arguments and explanations. I will also take into account the research questions and hypotheses so as to either confirm or reject them. ## V. CONCLUSION This investigation remarkably reveals that high school students are aware of identifying the corrective feedback they receive orally. Besides, they can recall and intersect their classroom learning experience to depict the language area they mostly receive oral feedback in, the strategy that receives the lion's share in oral correction, and their views about corrective feedback. The main objective of this study is to delve into how teachers' oral corrective feedback is seen by Moroccan EFL learners. Abd Elmalek As Saadi High school students hold a positive attitude towards receiving oral corrective feedback. This study shows also that they are open- eyed to the language area corrective feedback is directed to most that is grammar followed by pronunciation and semantics with a below average percentage. Additionally, they reveal knowledge about the strategies used in order to repair their oral production. They point out that repetition followed by an emphatic stress is the dominant oral corrective feedback strategy in the classroom. Moroccan EFL learners find many difficulties in speaking English because of its status in Morocco as a foreign language; it is not frequently used outside the classroom. That's why EFL teachers need to beware of what, when, how, and for whom, in case they have a student sensitive to correction, to give oral corrective feedback. 1. Caroline M. Crawford. (2020). The Distance Education Phenomena, Multicultural Instructional Design. 2. Reza Ghanbarzadeh, Amir Hossein Ghapanchi. (2019) Applied Areas of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds in Learning and Teaching, Virtual Reality in Education. 3. Matt Bower. (2017). Designing for Learning Using Virtual Worlds, Design of Technology-Enhanced Learning. 4. Judi Simmons Estes, Amber Dailey-Hebert, Dong Hwa Choi. (2016). Integrating Technological Innovations to Enhance the Teaching-Learning Process, Emerging Tools and Applications of Virtual Reality in Education. 5. Keol Lim, Mi Hwa Kim. (2015). A case study of the experiences of instructors and students in a virtual - learning environment (VLE) with different cultural backgrounds, Asia Pacific Education Review.

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