Topic: English for Specific Purposes | How activity-based, gamified instructional design can transform ESP teaching at tertiary level
Presenter: Mahendra Dattatraya Shete
Presentation details
In today’s globalised academic and professional landscapes, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction must evolve beyond passive language exposure toward active, purposeful, and contextualised learning. This presentation will explore how an activity-based, gamified instructional design can transform ESP teaching at the tertiary level. It draws from a quasi-experimental study conducted with pre-intermediate level English language learners, investigating how learner-centred, activity-driven pedagogy can enhance communicative competence in English - an essential skill often overlooked in traditional ESP classrooms.
The research study adopted a mixed-methods (Quantitative and Qualitative) approach, incorporating pre- and post-tests, classroom interventions, reflection interviews and a teacher feedback system. The experimental group taught using interactive, gamified strategies demonstrated significant improvement in communicative performance, LSRW vocabulary acquisition, practical grammar usage, and learner engagement compared to the control group. Key gamified elements, such as competitive activities, language games, role-play simulations, and digital collaboration tools, promoted meaningful interaction, reduced language anxiety and nurtured real-world communication skills.
This presentation will outline:
- Classroom-tested and replicable activity models tailored for today's ESP contexts
- The instructional design practices, principles and approaches underpinning the contemporary intervention
- Empirical research findings that validated the efficacy of experiential and gamified strategies in fostering discipline-specific language development
- A critical reflection on maintaining academic rigour while implementing gamification
- Practical recommendations for ESP teachers, including creative lesson planning strategies, learner-centred practices, and digital tool integration.
By reframing ESP through “Language in Action”, this study affirms that gamified, experiential instruction design offers a powerful and engaging pathway to enhance learners’ communicative competence in English.
The presentation will aim to spark dialogue on how tertiary educators can better align ESP instruction with learners’ academic and professional language needs, ensuring that language education becomes not just informative—but practically transformative.
About the presenter
Mahendra Shete is a Professor of English at MIT Academy of Engineering, Pune. A Best Teacher Award (2021) and Gold Faculty Award (2022) recipient, he is a certified Entrepreneurship and Innovation educator (Wadhwani Global University) and a Microsoft Certified Educator.
With over 15 years of teaching experience, he is also an international senior corporate trainer and expert in ESP, curriculum design, teacher training and educational research. He has published widely in international journals and is affiliated with several global ELT organizations including Oxford, Cambridge and British Council.