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Issues in ESP Course Design

This document discusses key issues in designing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses, including: 1. Varieties of language use in different fields like banking, medicine, and academics. There are debates around whether ESP builds on a common language core or if all language exists as varieties. 2. Needs analysis to understand student needs in different fields through methods like observations and interviews, though perceptions of needs can vary and be problematic to assess. 3. Types of syllabuses that can be synthetic and break language into parts or analytic and present whole examples. Syllabuses also include content, objectives, schedules and recommended materials. 4. Course design parameters like whether courses should be intensive/ext

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Jireh Lumayno
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547 views

Issues in ESP Course Design

This document discusses key issues in designing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses, including: 1. Varieties of language use in different fields like banking, medicine, and academics. There are debates around whether ESP builds on a common language core or if all language exists as varieties. 2. Needs analysis to understand student needs in different fields through methods like observations and interviews, though perceptions of needs can vary and be problematic to assess. 3. Types of syllabuses that can be synthetic and break language into parts or analytic and present whole examples. Syllabuses also include content, objectives, schedules and recommended materials. 4. Course design parameters like whether courses should be intensive/ext

Uploaded by

Jireh Lumayno
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ISSUES IN ESP COURSE DESIGN

ISSUES IN ESP COURSE DESIGN


VARIETIES OF LANGUAGE
Variety refers to register of language use, such as English in banking, English in medicine,
English in academic settings, and everyday conversation.
Bloor and Bloor (1986), two perspectives on ESP, first, specific purpose language is based on
and extends from a basic core of general language (the common core plus). The second, all
language exists as one variety or another and there is no basic core (‘general purpose’) language.
NEEDS ANALYSIS
Need analysis studies have investigated the perceptions of language needs of different parties
and have often revealed differing perception, such as English language need of medical students,
textile students, and English need of nurses, and many others. The need of students in different
fields might be difference. Need analysis is conducted to help in preparing an ESP course and it
involves in depth ethnographic data collection methods such as observations and exploratory
interviews.
Criticisms and issues of need analysis ESP
The information too often come from the institutions themselves, Language training for SP
can be covert means to channel immigrants into marginal occupation, Often ask learners’
perception of needs, may not reliable sources of information their own needs, Objective needs
are not necessarily the same as subjective needs or want, Language needs are not learning needs,
Asking learners their language needs can be problematic, cause lack awareness or metalanguage,
Language use in specific situation is simply too unpredictable, Vary perspective of needs, Basic
course design on need analyst lead language training than language education, need analysis is
means of fitting outsider, need analysis is not theoretical neutral.
TYPES OF SYLLABUSES
Syllabus is aligned to the overall ‘philosophy’ of the course or courses. Syllabus can be
synthetic (language is segmented into discrete linguistic item for presentation one at a time) or
analytic (language is presented whole chunks as a time without linguistic control; Long &
Crookes, 1992).
Characteristics of a syllabus
1. Consists of a comprehensive list of – content items (words, structures, topics).- process items
(tasks methods)
2. Is ordered (easier, more essential items first)
3. Has explicit objectives (usually expressed in the introduction)
4. Is a public document
5. Indicate time schedule
6. Indicate preferred methodology or approach
7. Recommended materials

NARROW- AND WIDE-ANGLE COURSE DESIGNS


A course developer is faced with a group of students who are planning to study EAP, can
divide the students into classes according to their respective disciplines. To Make two ESAP
courses such as English for engineering study and English for social science. The course further
divide into groups, the engineering students could be split into English for computer engineering,
chemical engineering, and civil engineering classes. EGAP program, another course developer is
faced with group of mixed experienced medical professional, divide them into subdiciplines—
nurses, doctors, medical technicians.
SPECIFIC AND SPECIFIABLE ELEMENTS IN ESP
Need analysis in ESP often focuses on the skills learners need to study or work effectively in
their target environments. In analyzing needs, ESP curriculum designers identify which micro
skills from general pool of skills used across a range of environments are important for a
particular group of ESP learners.
The elements in English for specific purpose:
Language specifiable
Language use specific
Language skills specifiable
Content (conceptual and cultural) specific

COURSE DESIGN
Parameters of course design
There are a number of parameters that need to be investigated in making decisions about course
design, some of the positions are pre-determined by circumstances—the client, the
environment—others are determined by the course designer.
1. Should the course be intensive or extensive?
2. Should the learners’ performance be assessed or non-assessed?
3. Should the course deal with immediate needs or delayed needs?
4. Should role of teacher provider or facilitator?
5. Should the course have a broad or narrow focus?
6. Should the course be pre-study or pre-experience or run parallel or experience?
7. Should material be common core or specific?
8. Should the group taking course be homogeneous or heterogeneous?
9. Should the course design be worked out by the language teacher, or should be subject to a
process of negotiation with the learners?

1. Intensive or extensive
During an intensive ESP course the learners’ time is totally committed to that ESP course. In
contrast, an extensive ESP course occupies only a small part of a student’s timetable or a
professional person’s work schedule.
Advantages of intensive courses
Totally focused on the purpose for learning, and the course is residential, immersed in an English
language environment, outside the actual class sessions.
Disadvantages of intensive courses
Without reinforcement, what is learnt on the intensive course may lie dominant. Longer courses
the total concentration on English and absence of academic or professional activity may become
increasingly artificial.
Advantages of extensive courses
The course can run in parallel with the subject course or the professional activity and can relate
to it, adapt to it as the learners’ experience or needs change, and generally remain flexible.
Disadvantage of extensive courses
The potential lack of continuity between classes, particularly if the classes are infrequent.
The choice between intensive and extensive courses is generally determined by
circumstances within the institution or company for which the course is being run.
2. Assessed or non-assessed
Assessed courses in ESP
The learners’ performance in English is assessed along with other subjects at the end of semester
or academic year,
Assessed courses in EOP
Short intensive EOP courses are not usually concerned with testing learners’ proficiency.
3. Immediate or delayed needs
By immediate need, refer to those needs that students have at the time of the course,
while delayed needs refer to those that will become more significant later.
4. Teacher as provider or as facilitator/consultant
Teacher as provider of input
Teacher in this cases is expected to control the class, to provide information about skills and
language, to control activities, possible moving into pair or group work.
Teacher as facilitator or consultant
Teacher may not make decisions about the course design but will negotiation with the learners
about what is most appropriate to include, and when to include it.
5. Broad or narrow focus
Broad focus
Broad focus refer to a situation where the concentrated on a range of target events, such as study
or professional skills or variety of genres.
Narrow focus
Concentrate on a few target events, for example just the listening skill, or just one or two genre.
6. Pre-experience or in parallel with experience
Pre-experience means that the learners do not have experience of the target situation at the
time of ESP course. Parallel with experience means that the English course runs concurrently
with the study course or professional activity.

7. Common –core or specific material


Common-core, The material that used carrier content which is either of a general academic
nature or of a general professional nature. Specific material, material used carrier content that is
drawn directly from the learners’ academic or professional area.
8. Homogeneous or heterogeneous groups and motivation
Whether the ESP class is made up of a homogeneous group from one discipline of
professional, or a heterogeneous group of learner from different disciplines, or professional, or
level of management.
9. Fixed course design or flexible negotiated course design
Fixed course design is laid down in advanced of the course and is rarely deviated from;
flexible negotiated course design allows room for change based on feedback from learners.

Balancing the parameters


In planning a course, ESP teachers should first be aware of the options and of the limitations
arising from institutional and learner expectations. In some circumstances, course design may be
carried out before the course or after the course. In other circumstances the teacher may be
designing the course while teaching takes place or negotiating the course with the learners and
reacting quickly to the needs as expressed at the beginning of the course ans as they change over
the period of the course.
Developing a course outline
Ordering: criteia for prioritising
a. Beginning with target events and rhetorical awareness
From target events and rhetorical awareness to skill areas to language

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