Videoconferencing in ESP Classes : Learner-Centred Approach

Abstract

The integration of videoconferencing (VC) into ESP education provides an opportunity for the combination of collaborative learning, autonomous learning and cross-cultural communication via social media and ICT implementation. Videoconferencing encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning in order to achieve a successful outcome of the whole session and enables them to apply varied project-based concepts. Instructors usually remain in the background during the lesson but take an active role in the preparation. The focus is on student– student interaction both in the VC classroom and in social media activities. The authors describe their first-hand experience as teachers of joint VC Business English sessions arranged between the University of Pardubice, Czech Republic and the University of Pécs, Hungary. By sharing the lessons learnt, they aim to help teachers interested in organizing similar, cross-cultural ESP sessions. Students’ views are presented on the learning experience, discussion topics, and recommended modifications. The authors show the outcomes based on students’ feedback, and provide some suggestions as to the suitability of the videoconferencing concept for ESP classes.