Team Teaching in the University: Description of a Collaborative Experience between the Computer Engineering and the English Departments

Abstract

— In the last twenty years, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses have become very popular due to the growth of science, technology, politics and economics, and also due to the condition of lingua franca of English language. From then on, the implementation of English specific courses has spread throughout the world and can be found in almost every educational institution. ESP courses at Universitat Jaume I (Castellón, Spain) are present in almost all the degrees. The objective of this paper was twofold: firstly, we describe the relevance of the English language in the Computer Engineering degree as students have to complete 6 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits of the English subject in the first year and carry out activities in the English language corresponding to at least another 12 ECTS credits in the second, third and fourth year; and secondly, we explain the close cooperation between professors from the Computer Engineering department and professors from the English Studies department. This collaboration brings about the design and implementation of a rubric that is used to assess the compulsory oral presentations in English in the fourth year courses in the Computer Engineering Degree.