Challenges of Online ESP Teaching
Challenges of Online ESP Teaching

Summary/Abstract: English for specific purposes (ESP) implies teaching the English language to non-native speakers who need to communicate in a specific professional, cultural or academic setting. It is characterised by a highly student-centred approach with great emphasis on providing tuition according to students’ individual needs and an increased pressure to provide fast results. It also involves very specific lexical sets and grammatical structures, an awareness of the levels of formality, and intercultural communication. Most importantly, there is the need for simulating real-life situations in order for the target language to be acquired in a relevant context, which in turn requires active participation and receiving constructive feedback in real time. The demand for ESP tuition is constatnly rising in the ever-changing world of today. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most types of teaching have moved online with the use of videoconferencing and the advancement of educational technology (edtech). The trend continues long after the end of the pandemic, as people’s habits and preferences have apparently changed irrevocably. There is now a large number of online English courses available, and ESP is no exception. The advantages of online learning include reduced costs, freedom from geographical and physical constraints, flexibility and the possibility of selfpaced learning. On the other hand, there are numerous challenges of online learning and teaching. They include digital literacy and technical issues, reliability and validity of testing, lack of non-verbal communication, perceived isolation, reduced motivation, distractions, insufficient student engagement, challenges of providing relevant feedback, time management issues, etc. All of these challenges apply to online ESP teaching, with the addition of the lack of opportunities for real-life simulations in real time in the case of self-paced learning and the pressure to provide fast results that are manifested through measurable outcomes. This paper provides a historical overview of the development of ESP and its continously increasing importance with special emphasis on English for professional purposes; a critical review of the recently published literature that treats challenges of online ESP learning and teaching; and finally, it offers solutions to the stated issues and challenges. These solutions may be applicable to teaching any language for specific purposes online.

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