ESP Courseware Development for Practice in
Participating in International Trade Fairs
This study focuses on establishing a model for developing ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courseware for practice of participating in intemational trade fairs. The content of the courseware includes sili: sections: requirements for participating in
a trade fa眩" virtual website of a trade fair, conversation practice, writing practice,
hyper-linking of global websites of trade fairs and terminology. The courseware integrates the introduction of specialized knowledge with the five basic skills of English leaming: reading, listening, speaking, writing and translation. A test and evaluation system combined with a self-checking or reference function is created in order that leamers can examine for themselves irnmediately and understand their leaming progresses and achievements. The courseware has been used and evaluated by 51 students in the four“year program of the Applied Foreign Languages Department at a technical university. At the end of the pilot use of the courseware, a questionnaire was administered to elicit the stu由帥， responses conceming the suitability of the courseware content anιits usage, and language acquisition. The results show that most students are satisfied with 位le courseware
f、
一一心 ζ叮叮……Introduction
With the rapid development and fierce competition of business and ﹒ indus廿弘
business communities around the worl丘 have deemed English language skills an
important tool for competing globally. Furthermore, competence in English has also played a pivotal role in the success ofindividuals' careers. In addition, a high level of professional skills and experience are also requ叮ed for the j 0 b market. This development trend makes English for specific purposes (ESP) much more discussed during last few years.
ESP is well known as a learner-centered and content-based approach to teaching!leaming English as a foreign langua侈， which meets the needs of leamers who need to leam English for use in their specific fields, such as business, science, technology, medicine, leisure, an吐 academic leaming. There are two main problems in ESP development in Taiwan: the first is a lack of qualified ESP teachers who have pedagogical skills, rea1 work experience, and knowledge; the other is a lack of
relevant curricula and materials 也atcan reflect or meet the needs ofthe job market so
血的 students can get more practice and skills before entering the job market (Wu,
2003; Wang, 2004; Lai, 2005). With recent progress in information technologies, integrating technology with instruction has become a very effective tool for leaming
(Rob旬， 2003; Rosenb呵， 2001; Tsai and Wang, 2006). Thus, the development ofESP
courseware an吐 related teaching!leaming approaches could be a useful way to
overcome the problems.
Accordingly, the aim of this study is to establish the ability of the higher vocational education system to develop ESP courseware through which students or
leamers 企om different fiel吐s are able to upgrade their level of knowledge about the development in industry as a whole, to improve English skills, and to gain relevant abilities applicable to the job market. In addition, with the development of ESP
courseware, we hope to promote i心 related teaching/leaming approaches through
e-leaming systems in order that problems occurring in the development of ESP courses in Taiwan could be overcome. Of course, it is also expected that the development of ESP courseware can allow creating a new orientation in English instruction, which could make Applied Foreign LanguageslEnglish departments in vocational universities different 金"Om general F oreign LanguageslEnglish departments
m 吐letraditional universities in Taiwan.
Li
terature reviewOne of the goals of foreign language e吐ucation identified by The Minis虹Y of
Education (2004) for vocational educational systems is to provide students with the foreign language ability and advanced professional knowledge that are necessary to succeed in 也ejob market. Thus, the ESP instruction has been gra且ually emphasized for the last few years. The background analysis for each courseware was done by reviewing literature and survey旭g related courseware on the market. In fact, most ESP courseware for business focuses on training English reading and conversation skills. Since intemational trade is the most active commercial activity in Taiw側，1t 1S important to promote the development of related courseware in higher vocational education to enable students to leam practical knowledge and help them enhance their abilities and competitiveness for entering the job market.
With the explosive growth of e-leaming, there is currently a technological
revolution taking place in higher education. E-Ieaming is a leamer-centered educational system. An e啊leaming system must enable leamers to leam whenever,
wherever and whatever the leamers want to leam according to their leaming objectives. It also must offer leamers a leaming environment with a high degree of 企eedom so that leamers can choose appropriate leaming content themselves and understand their leaming progress and achievement (Rosenberg, 2001). This value and benefit corresponds to the requirement of ESP, in which content and method are based on the leamer's needs. Thus, e-Ieaming would be the powerful technologythat supports new approaches to ESP teaching an吐 leaming
Several 正levelopedcountries have invested a large amount of money to improve related hardware and software of e-Ieaming systems. However, some problems have been encountered, and much effort has been exerted to overcome these problems in the United States (Will芯， Thompson and Sedara, 1999, Ertn凹， 1999). Drawing lessons from the American experienc巴， Song et al. ο005) have recently suggested that the development of instruction-oriented software is one of the most impo抗ant issues in promoting the e-Ieaming industry in Taiwan
Courseware, also called instruction or educational software, is widely used in higher education as an integral part of the courses. However, the success or failure of courseware depends on the quality of its content. Thus, it is very important for content providers to effectively integrate and coherently organize source materials including texts, audio or video tapes, images, animation movies etc, so that the content will be in place before the implementation of the courseware
According to content vehicles, there are two types of courseware: CD-Title and Web-Title. The common feature of these two types is that their cont巴的 is digitally
stored and transmitted, and is represented by multimedia and hyp巳rtext. In general, the content features of digital materials or courseware are as follows: (Lin, 1999; Chiang, 2003; Le皂， 2004)
1. Integration: they include features of several media (audio, video, images, text, pictures and animated movies etc...) to communicate learning information. 2. Interaction: they provide mutual communication between learners and the
computer so that learners' motivation and participation are enhanced. 3. Familiarity: they provide users with a user-企iendlyenvironment.
4. Non-linearity: they provide more resources an社 information for learners by hypermedia, and an on-line inquiry function is also provided.
5. Simultaneity: they provide latest developments or information for learners through the Internet.
6. Virtuality: they provide a virtual world that nearly looks like the real one through computers, which will promote learning interest and e在lClency.
In addition, in 0的er to raise the learner's motivation and interest in learning
conslstent妙" the following elements should be considered (Lin, 1999; Robly, 2003) 1. It is important to decrease the pressure of learning, increase cognitive abili旬，
develop better learning a位itude and characterist間， and nurture frequent and practical usage of multimedia materials.
2. Utilizing technology to create an interactive and diverse learning environment will be the trend of the new generation. Multimedia usag巳 and design should not distract the user's attention or lose his or her interest
3. Topics of materials should be based on daily life. They should not only help incorporate the learner's prior experience but also help acquire new
know1edge through experience and usage.
4. The program runs 1ike a computer game. This allows 1eamers to be challenged whi1e enjoying the system
5. Eva1uation systems ar己的tablishedwith challenging questions to eva1uate the 1eamer's independent thinking and prob1em solving abi1ity. Leamers can participate in the on1ine se1f-examination that a1so provides answer keys. Even if the above advantages are inc1uded in digita1 materia1s
,
the user's abi1ity shou1d a1so be considered. If the 1eamer cannot integrate all the information or know1edge, the information wi11 not be effective1y used (Chiang, 2003). Therefore, the content, the sty1e of the med間， and design of the interface must be considered when producing digita1 materia1s or courseware.Courseware Design
According to the L訟法 study， Eng1ish for Intemationa1 Commerce has not been provided for students. The aim of this sωdy is to deve10p ESP courseware for practice of participating in intemational trade fairs in order to meet the needs of related industries as soon as possib1e and help stu吐ents establish relevant ability and knowledge for entering the job market. The basic steps used to create the courseware in this study are shown in Fig 1.
The background analysis for the courseware was done by reviewing literature
an社 surveyingre1ated courseware on the market. In fact, there is little ESP courseware for the ta穆巴ttopic through which related specia1 knowledge and English skills can be leamed at the same time. That is the reason to design courseware for students in higher education, or people working in or interested in the field was undertaken. Thus,
the courseware can be used for education or for job training.
Background Analysis
U
Data mining & Selection
U
Structure & Production of Content Editing I Translation I Evaluatio叫
U
Digitization of Content Texts I Audio I Video I Images
U
Multimedia Design
U
Integra討onof Content System
G
Test & Modification
U
Completion of Courseware
Figl The basic steps used to create the courseware
Designing e-learning materials is a multi-disciplinary task that emphasizes coordination and integration of di在erentfields of study. The courseware developed in this study focuses on intermediate-level students and people from all walks of life.
四le design concept of the courseware is mainly based on practical on-the-job application and integration of 由e English skills of listening, speaking, readin臣，
writing and translation. In order to facilitate learning in a user-企iendly environme凶， the courseware is designed based on learners' needs (Alessi & Trollip
,
2001; Fan,
2003).f冉、
consistent e-leaming material to suit leamers' needs.
2. 百le courseware creates a user.司friendly environment based on leamers' qualities and experiences to help leamers become familiar with the leaming material.
3. The courseware uses audio and video elements to increase the motivation and interest ofleamers and promote effective leaming.
4. The courseware prov祠的 quick and easy-to-get information for leamers. An
evaluation system with answer keys is also included in the courseware.
5. The courseware includes various multimedia techniques such as Html, .mp3, Photoshop, and Flash to facilitate leaming.
有潘虹
Regist用tionmust be done before Ihe deadline, Including remittance ofthe regîstration fes. Jn generaL !here is always a discounl for pre- r旬出 ration
A罰 erse!ection ofthe desîred boo!h, you should comact the
organizer for conflrrnalion and remit the renfal fee before Ihe
伺 quîreddate. A罰 errenl!ng a boolh, you should fo!low 1M relaled
regu旭討 onsof Ihe fair in designing and decor祖Itingthe booih
A 59! of elec制c!ly 叫 Hbe supplied for each boolh.lf more
eledricity ì::;; needed. you should apply to the orαanizer of the fair
;而:xtl BA認
們叫
Fig 2 S血 sectionsshown on the main page of the courseware.
The content of the courseware incorporates related ESP and multimedia functions, and other related software or technologies to integrate all aspects of resources into the system. In addition, the content is in both English and Chinese and is based on simplicity and consistency. Translations are also provided for greater ease
and better understanding. The content of the courseware includes six sections: requirements for participating in a trade fair, a virtual website of a trade fa眩， conversation practic巴， business letter日， hyper-linking of global websit郎， and terminology. The d巳$ign and structure of the courseware content are explained below, shown in Fig 2.
1. Requirements for Participating in a Trade Fair:
Tasks and responsibilities required before and 丘uring a trade fair are explained.
The leaming units for applying English skills include Listening an丘 S伊拉mg
Practic巴，Text Reading and τ'ranslation.
2. vì加al Website
A virtual website of a trade fair with an online problem solving and reference system is designed 也rough which leamers can leam how to prepare for and budget for trade fairs.
3. Conversations
A series of conversations for exhibitors and visitors is provided so that leamers can practice.
4. Letter Writing
Some practical business letters used for the preparation and registration of intemational trade fairs are given
5. Hyper-linking ofGlobal Websites
According to features of the in社ustry development in our country, several official websites are super-linked in order to provide a richer and self-motivated environment for leamers
呵，
with a selιchecking and a reference system in order that leamers can examine themselves immediately.
The courseware developed in this study has been used and evaluated by 51 students in the four-year program ofthe Applied Foreign Languages Department at a technical university. At the end of the pilot use of the courseware, a questionnaire was administered to elicit stud凹的， responses conceming its effectiveness. The overall average score for the courseware was 3.蚣， which means that most students chose
“
Satisfied" as the answer to the questions. This indicates that students were satisfied withthe courseware.References
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Ertmer, P.A. (1999). Addressing first- and second-or社er b位Tiers to change: Strategies for technology integration. ET R&D, 47(4), 47-61
Riley, F. (1995). Understanding lT:. Developing multimediα courseware. Hull: University ofHu11
Robly, M.D. (2003).lntegrating educational technology 的ω teaching. (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Rosenberg, M. J. (2001). E-Leαrning: Strategi，臼 for delivering knowledge in the digital age. New York: McGraw-Hi11 Companies Inc.
T悶， S.C. (2005) . Courseware development of English for specijìc purposes on semiconductor technology. Oral presentation in E-Leam 鉤的一wor1dconference on e-leaming in corporate, government, healthcare, and higher education,
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