Towards a methodology to deliver English language lessons that foster different competencies in computer science students

Abstract

The school of Telematics at the University of Colima, Mexico educates students in computer science. It teaches compulsory English to all learners to help them develop their linguistic abilities to use them in their professional area in order to get a job with transnational companies, to collaborate with professionals of other countries, to participate in study abroad programs or to continue study in postgraduate programs. Besides the teaching of the language, it is necessary to facilitate student acquisition of other competencies, such as collaborative work, critical thinking, learning to learn skills and so on. Motivation to study the language differs from one student to another, which has encouraged us to innovate and to design a teaching methodology able to meet different computer students' needs. This methodology incorporates different elements that make it flexible and adaptable to diverse requirements. With such a program, not only do the English language classes contribute to the teaching of the language, but also to the promotion of other competencies that may enhance the development and improvement of academic data, professional knowledge and life-long skills in computer science students. In this paper, we present a language teaching methodology that combines different ingredients that encourage the development of varied abilities demanded by computer science students.