ESP course evaluation purposes and methodology: Tertiary teachers’ perspective and policy implications

Abstract

Course evaluation has held a prominent position in higher education in the past few decades, yet there exist certain deficiencies pertaining to its design and implementation in some contexts, such as tertiary English for specific purposes (ESP) programs in Serbia and Slovenia. This study focused on ESP course evaluation at universities in these two countries. It examined teachers' evaluation practices, concerns, and suggestions so as to gain insight into their acquaintance with evaluation purposes and methodology, and identify challenges they encounter. The sample comprised 58 ESP teachers who completed a questionnaire, the results of which were analyzed by the authors for both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings reveal that respondents were aware of the importance of conducting course evaluation but also point to the need for promoting their acquaintance with its various methodological aspects (e.g., data collection, evaluation of participants) in order to be able to perform the procedure in a manner that suits their specific teaching context. The findings have important policy implications in terms of providing education and training so as to build teachers' evaluation capacity. Although the study included data from only two European countries, it sheds light on evaluation issues that are of general concern to all teachers of English.