An interdisciplinary telecollaboration in ESP classroom: a study involving Business and Law students

Abstract

Despite the rapid development of telecollaboration in the language classroom, interdisciplinary telecollaborative exchanges in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classrooms have not received much attention. This paper examines students’ perspectives on an interdisciplinary telecollaboration project conducted in the ESP setting. This three-month project involved 23 Law students from France and 24 Business students from Sri Lanka (SL). Their English proficiency ranged from B2 to C1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale. They were divided into eight groups. One group consisted of three Business students and three Law students, except the last group, which had only two Law students and three Business students. In each group, Business students had to suggest a business plan to be positioned in Europe, while Law students had to offer legal advice to establish the business in France. They were required to hold at least three Zoom meetings and were allowed to communicate through any other media. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that interdisciplinary telecollaboration not only enhances language skills but also soft skills like organisation and time management skills. The paper also discusses the challenges encountered by students and their recommendations.