Employing Digital Tools in Esp, a Need Analysis for Bussines English Course Design

Abstract

The occurrence of pandemics showed the world the importance of integrating technology in daily life. In education, this necessity was even more crucial as whole education systems switched to remote learning almost overnight.  It was also a time when many teaching/learning platforms saw birth or were even developed further. This paper aims at investigating the students’ perceptions about digital tools they deem necessary (and feel comfortable) to be included in a Business English course conducted at the Agricultural University of Tirana, the department of Economics and Rural Development Policies. Through quantitave and qualitative data gathered, the students perceived present needs and target needs in English language communications were identified. Additionally, the research methods collected sufficient data on the preferred digital tools to be used in classroom and outside, in order for the students to be more motivated in language acquisition and skill development. The study concluded that the student were skilled users of digital tools due to remote learning during pandemics and were aware of the BE topics and language skill they needed to possess in their future workplace, thus ensuring input for a successful BE course design.    Received: 12 April 2024 / Accepted: 26 June 2024 / Published: 8 July 2024