Teaching Drama with a Combination of Regular and Online Course: The Use of Online Media in Teaching Literature

Abstract

Though drama or plays are written to be performed, the emphasis of teaching drama in the English Departments in many universities in Indonesia is on plays as literature. The many aspects of the plays that need to be discussed and analyzed require large blocks of time which the regular meetings hardly provide. Online media offer some alternatives to handle the limited time and improve students’ participation and creativity in drama class. The combination of regular and online course engages students’ participation beyond classroom regular meetings. Online discussion group enable shy and passive students to articulate their opinions in the discussion. Online resources afford abundant materials to deepen students’ understanding about plays as literature and performance. Having little opportunity to see live English plays performance; students can access online resources to find a number of interpretations in performing plays. In turn, students can contribute to the richness of online resources by uploading their play performance video.