Some Remarks on the English Education for Design Students -An ESP Perspective-

The current era of globalization urges learners to be able to communicate in English, the international lingua franca. The importance of being competent in English is commonly recognized in international fields as the key to success. Unfortunately, the importance of English is not reflected in the curriculum of the students' specialized field at Korean universities in general; design is hardly an exception. This study attempts to consider how an ESP-focused curriculum of the general English course should be prepared for the students in design. Focusing on the needs analysis, which is the primary step in ESP, this study looks into the needs and expectations of both students and professionals in design and emphasizes that their various, sometimes different, perspectives should be included in the curriculum development for the general English course. This study also proposes using e-learning technologies such as podcasts and Zoom as useful tools for helping students improve English listening and speaking skills. Thus, blended methodology consisting of face-to-face classroom activity and e-learning component may be an option to be more widely adopted in Korean universities.