Blended learning for sustainable education: Moodle-based English for Specific Purposes teaching at Kryvyi Rih National University

Abstract

The article deals with the experience of implementing Information Communication Technologies (ICT) into ESP (English for Specific Purposes) teaching and learning. Informatization and application of innovations in education has resulted in emergence of e-learning. While Moodle is one of the most popular Learning Management Systems (LMS) and it enables and facilitates the shift to the student-centered education, the article highlights its implementation and adjustment to the specific nature of teaching and learning languages for specific purposes at Kryvyi Rih National University. The article touches upon reasons for applying Moodle to language teaching/learning and its advantages as a complement to the traditional face-to-face, or classroom, mode, thus combining them into what is referred to as blended learning, or b-learning. Both the teachers and learners interviewed demonstrated positive attitudes to using the platform in their practices. Besides, the article touches upon Moodle-based opportunities of managing the content and monitoring students’ activities both in general and by individual courses. As Moodle is a web-based distance education platform not initially developed for language learning, the article invites discussion on advantages and disadvantages of its application to teaching/learning foreign languages and finding out which factors may allow language teachers and learners to boost its use and reach the set goals.