“Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship refers to an individual’s ability to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. This supports individuals, not only in their everyday lives at home and in society, but also in the workplace in being aware of the context of their work and being able to seize opportunities, and is a foundation for more specific skills and knowledge needed by those establishing or contributing to social or commercial activity. This should include awareness of ethical values and promote good governance.” (Education and Culture DG, 2007 AU45: The in-text citation "Education and Culture DG, 2007" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Published in Chapter:
Telecollaboration as a Tool to Design Fictitious Sustainable Start-Ups in an ESP Context
Copyright: © 2023
|Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-7080-0.ch013
Abstract
Language instructors teaching English for specific purposes in engineering contexts are required to design varied materials aimed at helping their students familiarize themselves with their subject matter areas in English and develop the skills which will be necessary in their professional careers. This chapter explores the implementation of telecollaborative activities in an ESP course addressed to undergraduates. Apart from linguistic and digital skills, these tasks aimed to help them develop their civic and entrepreneurial competences. The participants had to use their knowledge and expertise to design a fictitious start-up which would help humanity live more sustainably. To do so, 49 students worked in groups to design a virtual poster presentation illustrating their results. Data were collected through observation, a pre- and post-task questionnaire, and video recordings of participants' online interactions. Results show that they were better able to identify new opportunities, develop productive ideas, take the initiative, or work better in teams, among others.