ESP Course for IT Students at the Middle East College of Information Technology, Sultanate of Oman: Design and Application

Abstract

Learners specializing in any discipline require proficiency in both language skills and their specific area of study to cope with tertiary education. This paper reviews strategies used to plan, develop, and implement a content-based language course for learners specializing in Information Technology (IT). Strategies used to develop content-based language courses through the integration of language and research skills with content are explored and applied. Technical description, intensive and extensive reading of authentic IT texts, and a research project form the syllabus to achieve the required outcomes. Collaboration with faculty members of the Department of Computing helped in arriving at the learning outcomes required. This paper also presents the effects of implementing the course on learners' performance in other courses taken concurrently as well as in later stages of academic progression. Curriculum design and application methods discussed here could be applied to ESP courses for other disciplines. Focus of the Paper This paper reviews the planning, design, and implementation of an ESP course for learners specializing in IT in the Middle East. It also intends to sum up the perspectives of language teachers who were involved in the process. The efficacy of using a content-based approach in preparing an English language specific course for learners specializing in IT is explored. Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is "an approach to language instruction that integrates the presentation of topics or tasks from subject matter classes within the context of teaching a second or foreign language" (Crandall & Tucker, 1990, p. 187). According to Krashen and Biber, One way to provide comprehensible input directly…is by teaching content in English using strategies and techniques that make the content comprehensible to the second language learner. Research confirms that learners in classes where such strategies and techniques are employed acquire impressive amounts of English and learn content matter as well. (1988)

Student and faculty perceptions on an entrepreneurship course: an exploratory study from Oman

“…The HEI where this case study was conducted is, to date, the largest private institution in Oman, with an enrollment of approximately 5,000 students. A large proportion of the students are enrolled in BA and MA/MSc programs (Naqvi and Mathew, 2010). They constitute a heterogeneous body of Omani and international learners and, as such, present a rich mosaic of orientations, interests, motivations and educational strategies (Fry et.al., 2009).…”

“…They constitute a heterogeneous body of Omani and international learners and, as such, present a rich mosaic of orientations, interests, motivations and educational strategies (Fry et.al., 2009). They take a series of English for Special Purposes (ESP) courses during their undergraduate years and engage in business and employment-oriented modules, such as the ENVC discussed here, to partially fulfill their degree requirements (Naqvi and Mathew, 2010).…”