Abstracts Language, Literature, and Linguistic

Computing & english : concepção e implementação de um curso on-line de língua inglesa voltado a estudantes de computação

by Mariana Backes Nunes

Digital Communication Technologies (TCD) are increasingly playing an important role in our society, changing our way of interacting, producing and sharing knowledge, and even teaching and learning. There are currently a large number of free online English language courses, produced by professionals or even laypeople. However, the English for Specific Purposes approach and its studies still have a long way to go in this regard, especially in the area of Computing, in which the English language has great relevance. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate how the constituent elements of Activity Theory and New Literacies are presented during the design and implementation of an online English language course aimed at Computing students. Therefore, the specific objectives were to identify the needs of students in the area of Computing about learning English as an additional language; to propose technical and pedagogical criteria for the construction of an online course, including interactive tasks and technological tools that encourage the additional language learning of students; in addition, to identify the skills, besides linguistic ones, necessary in this learning process. As a methodology to follow in this study, a qualitative approach of an exploratory nature is used, carrying out a longitudinal study, focused on the interactions and contradictions of this process. To this end, the research analysis was divided into three stages, according to the investigated activities: needs analysis, design activity, and course implementation activity. The research participants were undergraduate students in Software Engineering from a public university in the south of Brazil, as well as professionals already in the job market who helped to understand the role of the English language in professional life and the gaps in the area during the needs analysis stage. According to the established analysis criteria, the systems of course design and implementation activities were described, using concepts from Activity Theory and New Literacies. The Computing & English course was developed following the ADDIE model - Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (Souza et al., 2019; Rafiq et al., 2019) and has a total of three modules: 1) Learning and Improving; 2) Being part of a Community; 3) Selling your Project. The course was well accepted by students and specialists as its distinctive feature was its focus on practical activities in which professionals in the field of Computing need to use the English language. It is hoped that this research can encourage future studies regarding the design of online English courses in our country, including English courses for specific purposes.