The main aim of the project is to develop an e-learning English course for therapeutic professions (physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists and massage therapists). The course methodologies and contents are tailored to address the language needs of a wide target group of learners including students participating in formal education and professionals who will attend the course in an informal setting.
Development of a web-based course ensures a maximum accessibility for all interested learners overcoming time and space barriers. Special effort have been made to make the course accessible to visually impaired learners by basing ESP: T on audio materials. Additionally, one module is specifically designed to address the distinctive needs of visually impaired massage therapists.
The course is based on the joint expertise of professional material developers (specialising in writing materials for health sciences), higher education teachers having direct contact with the target groups and aware of their language needs, ICT experts, educational professional bodies and enterprises employing therapists. The quality of the produced materials is assured by on-going involvement and evaluation provided by experts experienced in similar projects. The high quality of the acquired competence is validated in the form of end-of-course exam, and a certificate is issued to successful candidates to promote future qualifications recognition.
The following measures were taken to make the course attractive: relevant authentic materials based on a thorough needs analysis were produced, stimulating tasks resembling everyday real-life situations in professional context (cases, problem-solving activities) were added, and an appealing form of the material presentation (audio and video materials, interactive activities including games and quizzes) were created.
Involvement of partners with considerable expertise in the use of the new IC technologies ensures high quality of web-based materials. Apart from course modules which are offered in the form of distance learning an e-learning platform with an open resource centre has been created with a forum which is to serve as a platform for the exchange of practice methods for English teachers, professionals improving their language skills and their prospective employers in the field of therapy.
To promote the transparency among distinct providers of education, 8 higher education institutions have cooperated to establish a common curriculum, develop educational materials and validate acquired competences by a unified form of examination and certification.
