Developing an effective ESP curriculum integrating CALL

Abstract

This study introduces a compilation of the eight-year trial at a Japanese technical college involving an effective CALL training program for EFL learners to meet ESP curriculum goals: to develop global engineers who can work in the real-world environment and exchange ideas globally. According to the survey based on needs research, e-Learning software such as voice recognition software had been introduced and its effective usage discussed. As e-Learning materials were deemed a passive learning method, a Text to Speech (TTS) system was introduced to resolve this issue. Training using TTS systems was conducted in various settings, including metacognitive strategies and autonomous learning, such that students could more actively engage in the training. As one element of the subsequent development of an effective ESP curriculum, an original overseas training program and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were also introduced and applied to evaluate the effectiveness of e-Learning systems. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.