DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSES USING ICT FOR THE ENGINEERING STUDENTS: AN INDIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

The importance of developing engineering students’ competence in English professional communication skills to achieve their career goals in the 21st century needs to be acknowledged. In a multilingual and multicultural context of India where students come from diverse linguistic communities, it is a challenge for most of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) practitioners to develop students’ English speaking skills (Presentation, public speaking, group discussions etc.). The English language course is a part of the curriculum of the first year engineering undergraduates, however, how much focus is given to the development of oral communication skills in that course is questionable. The present paper is an inquiry into the existing curriculum of professional communication being offered to the engineering undergraduates, and it also probes the weightage being given to the teaching and learning of speaking skills in it. In the era of information technology, where oral communication has a varied mode, it is of utmost importance to delve into the discussion of the pivotal role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in improving the oral communication skills of engineering students. Indian classrooms are turning into smart classrooms, hence, integrating the teaching and learning of speaking skills with ICT is a pre-requisite for the teaching of professional communication. The present study aims to reveal the significance of the combination of such an advanced teaching and learning method. This study has adopted a methodological approach, such as interactive methods and communicative method of teaching English language supplementing it with the application of ICT. The theoretical part of the paper is followed by a more practical approach of suggesting activity-based practising of speaking skills in a specific ESP class; to narrow down the gap existing in the curriculum and the need for the speaking skills of engineering students.