Abstract:

As of the academic year 2023/2024, the University of Applied Sciences Baltazar Zaprešić launched fully online studies at its main institution in Zaprešić. Although there are numerous advantages of this model for students, teachers were faced with a number of challenges. This paper focuses on the experience of online classes from the perspective of teaching foreign languages for specific purposes, namely ESP Business English on the second year of undergraduate studies Business and Management. The topic is discussed putting emphasis on the specific features of online foreign language teaching while the research is complemented by the analysis of students’ attitudes towards online learning and teaching gathered through a survey. Furthermore, the paper identifies the areas that posed the greatest challenges, such as written and oral online exams and online presentations, which are the basic elements of assessment. It also describes the changes that had to be introduced in the process of adapting the face-to-face model to the new digital environment. The quality of institutional support regarding teacher training related to technical issues of online teaching is also appraised. In conclusion, parts of the analysis which point to the most useful guidelines for improving the experience of online teaching for both students and teachers are defined.

Keywords:

Online study, ESP, Business English, digital environment, survey.