(1054)DESIGNING SYSTEMS-FOCUSED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FOR EFL BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL WRITING COURSES

摘要

One significant problem with some of the topics used in technical English for L2 learners is that readers of the topic (students)and the text are often far removed from the realities of the technology and its use, besides the fact that they are often incapable of understanding the complex text. This paper discusses document production as a broad holistic activity in the EFL context. This paper describes how collaborative interfaces like Moodle and Google docs along with other brainstorming and information access interfaces might be used synchronously to learn English in business and technical communication courses. A unique feature of the discussed coursework in this article is the suggestion that the platform that students use regularly for course organization purposes should also be used as a test bed to author and design technical documentation. This proposed course offers a project management-oriented approach whereby students communicate with group members and peers using multiple communication channels and work with document drafts in iterations. This article also discusses how students can use the interfaces to participate in the group activities.