ROBERT ANDREWS -

ORGANIZING GROUP PRESENTATIONS VIA ERT DURING THE PANDEMIC: INSIGHTS FROM AN INNOVATIVE JOB FAIR PROJECT : ELT INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

The Covid-19 pandemic created a range of obstacles for students and instructors, as well as educational institutions. In particular, the abrupt move from the classroom to computer-mediated lessons, characterized as Emergency Remote Teaching, or ERT (Hodges, et. al., 2020), created various student satisfaction challenges (Lafleur, et. al., 2021). As classes could not convene on campus, various unfamiliar online tools had to be used, and students were unable to meet their classmates and instructors face to face. Group projects that had been conducted in class were particularly disrupted by the pandemic. This presentation outlines the efforts made by an instructor to modify a project-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) elective course at a private university in Japan in response to these challenges. The project was called the Innovative Job Fair, and students had to research and present on companies regarded by the website, FastCompany.com, as the most innovative in their fields. Three instantiations of the project, covering the period 2020-2022, are described as well as the teaching modalities used (on demand, livestreaming and hybrid). The presentation will also cover examples of work produced by the students and details of their own ability to innovate and adapt to the pandemic.

Originally from the UK and now based in Japan. Currently an instructor at the School of International Studies at Kwansei Gakuin University. Formerly an instructor at Ritsumeikan University and Kyoto Sangyo University.