Telecollaboration as a Tool to Design Fictitious Sustainable Start-Ups in an ESP Context

Abstract

Language instructors teaching English for specific purposes in engineering contexts are required to design varied materials aimed at helping their students familiarize themselves with their subject matter areas in English and develop the skills which will be necessary in their professional careers. This chapter explores the implementation of telecollaborative activities in an ESP course addressed to undergraduates. Apart from linguistic and digital skills, these tasks aimed to help them develop their civic and entrepreneurial competences. The participants had to use their knowledge and expertise to design a fictitious start-up which would help humanity live more sustainably. To do so, 49 students worked in groups to design a virtual poster presentation illustrating their results. Data were collected through observation, a pre- and post-task questionnaire, and video recordings of participants' online interactions. Results show that they were better able to identify new opportunities, develop productive ideas, take the initiative, or work better in teams, among others.