This study explored the roles of university teachers in Saudi Arabia in teaching English speaking skills in synchronous online classes, specifically focusing on teachers from Jazan University and King Khalid University. It identified seven key roles: Content Expert, Facilitator, Manager, Social, Pedagogical, Technical, and Assessor. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys with teachers and qualitative interviews with online English teaching experts. The surveys evaluated teachers’ awareness of these roles and the challenges they encountered, while the interviews provided strategies for overcoming these challenges.
The findings of the study revealed a strong awareness among teachers of all seven roles. However, significant challenges hindered their effectiveness in carrying out those roles. The challenges include psychological obstacles among students, insufficient personal interaction, social obstacles, low student engagement, assessment challenges, and time constraints.
The study recommended a comprehensive approach to enhance teachers’ capabilities across all roles by fostering interactive, supportive environments, improving social interaction, refining pedagogy for teaching English speaking skills online, and diversifying assessment. It also stressed continuous professional development to address evolving online education demands, despite teachers’ strong role awareness. This research provided valuable insights into improving the online teaching of speaking skills in Saudi Arabia and offered practical solutions applicable to similar educational settings worldwide.