Abstracts Language, Literature, and Linguistic

“From zero to hero”: A EFL Material for a Six-month Online Business English Course that fits the Linguistic Demands of Business Professionals

by Henrique Ribeiro

This project developed a six-month online Business English course (“From Zero to Hero”) for B1-level professionals aiming for B2 proficiency. Based on CLT, TBLT, and Connectivism, it addresses workplace needs: emails, meetings, presentations, and phone calls through authentic texts, role-plays, and TED talks. The student-centered design spans six thematic units over several weekly sessions, integrating cooperative learning and metacognitive strategies to foster autonomy. Assessments combine formative feedback and a summative exam with real-world tasks. Theoretical results demonstrate that targeted, technology-enhanced materials can effectively build communicative competence in an online-only environment, offering a scalable framework for virtual Business English instruction.