Pixel International Conferences

This presentation will report on the experiences of two veteran teachers who have migrated various levels of mandatory (CEFR A2-C1) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses from a face-to-face format to an online format in an institute of higher education in Israel. Ruppin Academic Center is a small, publicly funded college with a culturally and socio-economically diverse student population. Often prompted by logistical reasons, many of the EAP courses have been moved to a blended format over the years with between 30% and 90% of the lessons delivered online on a Moodle LMS platform. Online teaching has its unique set of challenges for all stakeholders (teachers, students and the educational institution). First of all, it requires an innovative pedagogical approach to course design. In a college like Ruppin Academic Center, where students all take the same examinations regardless of course format, this involves providing an environment in which students can attain the same learning outcomes online as they would in a face-to-face course. This is especially challenging in foreign/second language courses, where active use of the target language (in this case, English) is essential in developing productive language skills. Secondly, understanding what students working remotely and independently need involves teachers being able to see learning from the perspective of the student, and to both envision and implement the scaffolding necessary in an online environment. Finally, the teacher herself must create a new teacher identity – both her classroom management style and teaching skills must be realigned to meet the needs of the new environment. In this presentation, we will address these issues which we see as essential when moving a face-to-face EAP course online, while continuing to provide a sound pedagogical foundation within the constraints of the general learning context.

Keywords: EAP, online course design, pedagogy, higher education.

References:

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