Scaffolding presentation skills for an online EAP program Paul Williams Central Queensland University, Melbourne
Introduction This paper begins with an outline of the specific context in which my action research (AR) took place, including student profiles and the rationale for undertaking the investigation into my own teaching practice. Due to the significant changes made between the two iterations of my research, the first section focuses on efforts to increase students’ confidence and the importance of reflection and responding to student feedback. The second section shifts to approaches for increasing collaborative activities and integrating task-based learning into online lessons, including insights gained from analysing student interaction and discourse.
My teaching context The English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at CQUEnglish has three levels ranging from a B1+ to B2+ on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR, Council of Europe 2001). This research project focused on the EAP3 program, a Direct Entry course that offers a pathway into the Master of Engineering and Master of Business Administration courses, requiring an IELTS 6.5 or equivalent for entry. Due to disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic, adapting EAP courses to the online medium while teaching was a significant challenge I, like many teachers, faced in 2020. A common assessment task in Direct Entry and Higher Education courses is the ability to plan and deliver a presentation, which may be more challenging online for some students. While I felt confident in my ability to teach writing and the receptive skills, listening and reading, I was less confident about my approach to teaching speaking online. As a result, I chose to focus on scaffolding activities to prepare students for presenting an oral presentation in an online environment. By reading articles, reflecting on my teaching practice and considering the students’ context, I arrived at two primary research questions: a) How can scaffolding activities increase students' confidence in preparing for an online oral presentation? b) Which activities do students prefer in preparation for their presentation?
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