Translating Business Agility into Language for Specific Purposes Teaching

Abstract

Prior to 2020, digital tools were considered an opportunity to enhance students’ learning experience. However, the Covid-19 pandemic turned them into a necessity to enable business continuity when face-to-face interaction was not possible. While 2020 exposed areas in which infrastructure and digital literacy could be improved and pushed institutions to find timely solutions, 2021 was a year of uncertainty that required flexibility to quickly adapt class content and assignments from in-class to online mode. This also required a change in syllabi to reflect the increasing need for agility in business, and therefore in communication, creating a gap between language for specific purposes and the application of knowledge in the workplace. In the post-pandemic world, digital tools are still part of teaching and learning activities; however, both teachers and students are renegotiating their use. This paper provides examples of technology being integrated into teaching activities to enhance students’ learning experience, with a focus on the adaptation of existing content to different teaching modes. The examples include the simultaneous use of different digital tools while conducting classes on Zoom and the adaptation of syllabi guidelines for virtual presentations. The Test-Teach-Test Paradigm was adopted to review the use of two new game-based learning tools aimed at anticipating the use of virtual worlds (e.g., the metaverse) for teaching purposes. The paper draws similarities between consumer and student behaviour in the adoption of technology and provides pedagogical implications for university teachers showcases new tools in an effort to increase student motivation and engagement