357 research outputs found
The design and integration of ESP content in an upper-intermediate online course
[EN] Language instructors who adopt the role of materials writers in order to provide their students with more accurate tailor-made learning resources usually start by closely examining their learners needs and demands, as well as the distinctive features of the teaching context or situation in which those materials are going to be implemented. This idea is especially relevant when the linguistic resources are developed to be used by future engineers who access them to practice and learn a language that will have a dominant presence in their future working environment. This is a fact that encouraged the authors to design an online upper-intermediate level English course which incorporates relevant language resources directly linked to the disciplines and content covered by their students university undergraduate degrees. The course is known as the InGenio FCE Online Course & Tester (Universitat Politècnica de València, 2011).
The article illustrates how language instructors try to explore and find new ways, methods, typologies of exercises, and techniques which might help them create, promote, and implement learning systems capable of fostering an integral communicative competence and make the entire learning process more dynamic and attractive. A specific case study dealing with students who seek to make the most of combining Computer-Assisted Language Learning and English for Specific Purposes is described and analysed here.
The reader is presented with a description of the steps that were taken to design innovative and engaging online courseware to cater for the learners specific needs and the conclusions that have arisen from conducting a survey to analyse student perceptions and expectations prior to and after completing the said online course.The authors would like to thank the Valencian Regional Government (Generalitat Valenciana) for funding the 4-year pre-doctoral research scholarship awarded to Antonio Martínez Sáez for the development and completion of his PhD, which was successfully defended on 11th December 2015Gimeno Sanz, A.; Martínez Sáez, A. (2016). The design and integration of ESP content in an upper-intermediate online course. Revista de Lenguas para Fines Específicos. 22(1):31-53. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/85448S315322
Creating visual aids with graphic organisers on an infinite canvas : the impact on the presenter
Instead of the traditional set of slides, the visual aids of a presentation can now be graphic organisers (concept maps, knowledge maps, mind maps) on an infinite canvas. Constructing graphic organisers has a beneficial impact on learning, but this topic has not been studied in the context of giving a presentation. The present study examined this issue by having 199 students prepare a presentation. The control sample created visual aids that are similar to a deck of slides with text and pictures. In the first experimental condition, graphic organisers were inserted in this deck of slides, and in the second experimental condition, visuals aids with interconnected graphic organisers were produced. There were no significant differences in self-reported self-efficacy related to giving a presentation and in motivational variables. To detect if the presentations met the principles set by the conditions, the participants’ products were coded qualitatively, but this analysis also yielded no differences in variables. Further research should therefore explore the interaction between software and presenter
Current Perspectives in Teaching English for Specific Purposes
Interest in Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) courses has grown in recent years (Harding, 2007). For this reason a paper on the current situation in the field is of relevance. The present article provides a discussion of English for Specific Purposes and it does so by reviewing the history and background of this area of teaching, proposing a definition, and describing issues affecting it today, such as course design and needs analysis, context, student and teacher characteristics, materials, and expected directions for the future
A Needs Based Approach to Teaching and Learning of English for Engineering Purposes
The objective of this study was to assess the English language needs of learners of engineering colleges of Orissa.The main purpose was to examine the current English syllabus of different engineering colleges of Orissa and to study how effectively they have been implemented at the
classroom level. It also attempted to find out how language skills along with life-skills can be learnt effectively by engineering students for proper utilization by them in real life situations.The study attempted to answer the following questions:
First, is there a gap existing between the present English language syllabi in engineering colleges and students’ academic and professional needs?
Second, is there a need to modify and revise the present English language course so that it meets the engineering students’ needs to apply it in real-life situations?
The study involved 770 students and 63 teachers of 20 engineering colleges located in different regions of the state. The tools used for data collection comprised of questionnaire survey among students and teachers. After validating the validity and reliability of the research instruments, the questionnaire survey was conducted among students of 2nd, 4th and 6th semester Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) students and the teachers’ survey was conducted at a workshop conducted by the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), the only technological university in the state which has around 100 engineering and management colleges affiliated to it. The survey was
also conducted among students of other government run autonomous colleges and also at National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and an institute of national importance. The survey was conducted during the academic year 2008-2009
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Internet-mediated intercultural English language education in China's higher education institutions
In the information age, the advent of Internet technologies has made it possible to transform language learning and teaching, through online intercultural exploration and exchange. The role of English as an international language in global communication is recognised in China's latest national guidelines for tertiary language curricula, which seek to develop professionals possessing both sound language proficiency and intercultural competence, alongside other goals such as information literacy and learner autonomy. This thesis examines the actual delivery of an intercultural dimension mediated by Internet technologies.
To this end, this thesis reports an investigation into the situation of Internet-mediated intercultural English language teaching and learning at China's higher education institutions conducted between 2008 and 2009. Multi-stage and multi-site fieldwork combined a survey approach and a collective case study approach. The researcher being the primary data collection tool, data obtained from questionnaire survey, interview (and informal conversation), observation and document collection instruments have been combined. The survey findings thus not only have breadth, but also provide materials for in-depth studies of sample cases.
Four cases, demonstrating a variety of institutional, individual, pedagogical and technological factors, are analysed at greater length to explore whether evidenced Internet-mediated practices might facilitate an intercultural approach to teaching and learning. Comparisons suggest that, despite their differing characteristics and contexts, there are some commonalities in terms of Internet-mediated activities entailing elements of an intercultural approach. These elements are synthesised and mapped out in an original pedagogical framework for Internet-mediated intercultural teaching and learning, with a set of guiding principles. This framework advocates establishing an Internet-mediated intra-class community as the basis for undertaking intercultural language activities, complementing the prevailing telecollaborative model for the development of intercultural communicative competence. This outcome contributes to a fuller understanding of the design of Internet-mediated intercultural language activities
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Computer-assisted project-based learning in English for specific purposes
The aim of this project is to address the need for effective English learning and develop an English curriculum which practically meets learners\u27 needs. The project is for students who study business English in Korean community college. This project presents effectiveness of English learning in the content concerning with English for specific purposes, project-based learning, cooperative learning, computer-assisted language learning, and technological literacy. These ideas are incorporated into the project to develop the unit, Creating a Company, which consists of six lesson plans
CercleS 2022
CHAIRPERSON
Manuel Moreira da Silva, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal
EDITORS
Ana Gonçalves, Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies, Portugal
Célia Tavares, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal
Joaquim Guerra, Universidade do Algarve, Portugal
Luciana Oliveira, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal
Manuel Moreira da Silva, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal
Ricardo Soares, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, PortugalCercleS 2022
The Future of Language Education in an Increasingly Digital World: Embracing ChangeN/
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