The general approach to developing the ESP-T course materials focused on bridging the gap between the language needs of the target group and the lack of appropriate educational materials. Accordingly, the first stage of the project was to carry out detailed language needs analysis among students and professionals in the field of therapy. The results of this analysis became a starting point for discussing the general framework of the course.
Once the general structure of the course was outlined the questions about the course contents, methodologies, and technical implementations needed to be answered. Hence, the next stage of the project involved the review of existing materials to figure out the best practices applied in 3 distinct areas:
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web-based English courses and IT tools and solutions which could be used for the benefit of the ESP-T course
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contents and methodologies for teaching general Medical English in a traditional and distance way
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authentic materials related to therapeutic issues which could be used as a basis for developing pedagogical activities
The search results were discussed and created the basis for deciding what should be the key features of the ESP-T course. The outcome included the use of authentic materials, the choice of work-oriented situations as the basis for developing pedagogical tasks, the use of case studies and professional vocabulary characteristic for the target users. Material developers agreed also that the use of audiovisual materials related to the therapeutic field would be a valuable addition to the course.
Technical possibilities and limitations of the online course were discussed to make all the material developers aware of the significant differences in developing an e-learning course and traditional educational materials for the classroom use.
In establishing a common basis for the course, the quality of the consortium, which consists of partners with different fields of expertise, played the main role. The fact that some of the partners specialise in developing educational materials, some are the educators and professionals in the field of therapy while others have experience in using IT tools for teaching languages facilitated the process of the exchange of expertise. All the partners had opportunity to increase the knowledge and practical skills in different areas and share their expertise with others.
The European added value consisted not only in methodological, technological and professional transfer but also in developing common principles and building a unified approach based on the exchange of international experience and cultural diversity.
Since most of the partners are universities their joint effort to establish common curriculum and attractive educational materials contributed to the development of European Higher Education Area in the field of teaching English to therapists.
