The purpose of this observational study is to examine students’ reaction to options for participation in communicative or oral production activities in online English courses offered at a private university in Japan. The author allowed students to choose to use Flipgrid, a video sharing application allowing users to asynchronously record and post videos of themselves speaking on assigned topics, or participate in Google Meet sessions in which they communicated with classmates in English on the same topics during the scheduled class times. Students made their choices weekly depending on their private schedules, home internet connectivity, and feelings or preferences related to communicating with other students online. Results indicate that students appreciated having a choice, and while a majority more often chose the live Google Meet sessions, this depended largely on class makeup.
