E! Speak It

Overview

Because many ARTS students cannot participate in face-to-face or blended learning English courses due to scheduling conflicts, our goal is to create a fully online course that supports students’ digital presence in English for working life. The aim is to enhance competence and confidence with English while developing awareness of digital knowledge and skills. During the course, students first self-assess their digital skills. Then, they establish a digital presence through the use of a blog/vlogging. The blog will include different multimedia elements that allow students to present oral and written work related to their field of study. Not only will students post blogs but also comment on peer blogs. The course is suitable for students who are ready to present a current or previous project (in art, design, or architecture). The approach will thus support communication skills needed in a modern world that is socially networked. To achieve the project goal, we will develop appropriate materials since a traditional approach to developing a face-to-face communication is not well suited to the modern-day context. Thus, a major shift in focus is not only communicating ideas online but also working with others in online environments (e.g. for meetings). This, for example, includes learning to narrate their slides, pre-recording their presentations, positioning themselves in front of the screen to look as natural as possible, considering how to maintain contact with the audience (especially when they can’t make eye contact or gauge audience reaction), and finding ways to add audience interactivity. In short, this pilot aims to create a flexible course and to apply modern-day concepts to communication in a socially networked environment.