Del Carmen PT-29

Teacher Training College

English for Specific Purposes

13
ESP COURSE
DESIGN
FOR HOTEL EMPLOYEES
Students: Elun Garca and Agustina Snchez
Professor: Beln Farr

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ESP COURSE DESIGN FOR
HOTEL EMPLOYEES
ESP methodology is characterised by the use of
tasks and activities reflecting the students
specialist areas.
efore plunging into this course, it is important to say that we have based its design
on an English for Specific Purposes Strategy. Firstly, we will specify some general
considerations about the course. Secondly, the results of the needs analysis will be
analysed in order to identify the students current knowledge, hopes and needs. Thirdly, we
will specify the objectives of the course and. Fourthly, we will focus on just one unit of the
course to provide an example of what the course would look like and how it should be
planned. For this purpose, we will focus on the conceptualization of contents to be taught,
the materials to be used, the planning of the lesson and the unit evaluation.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Level of the students: Pre-Intermediate level
Type of course: English for Tourism: A course designed for a group of eight Hotel
Employees.
We have been hired by the owner of a five-star Hotel, in which the employees claimed in
their CVS that they have an advanced level of English but they actually dont. As a matter
of fact, the owner of the hotel has discovered that his employees do not know the specific
language for communicating with English-speaking tourists.

B

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his section of Needs Analysis is dedicated to study the target environment in which
we will teach; their hopes, strengths, weaknesses and needs. Besides, the needs
analysis will give us two types of information about the learners: Their possessions
(current proficiency level in the foreign language, field knowledge, motivation, learning
strategies and styles and learning methods they have already experienced). The needs
analysis will also help us to compile information on both the individuals and the use which
they expect to make of the language when they have learnt it.
NEEDS ANALYSI S
CURRENT PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF THE STUDENTS
Intermediate level.
FIELD KNOWLEDGE
After analysing the results of the placement tests provided to students in order to know
which their current proficiency level is, we can say that the learners are at an A2 level, in
which:
The learners can understand sentences and frequently used expressions, related to
areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic and personal family
information, shopping, local geography, employment);
They can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct
exchange of information on familiar and routine matters;
They can describe -in simple terms- aspects of his/her background, immediate
environment and matters on areas of immediate need.
MOTIVATION
After analysing the Needs Analysis questionnaires, we arrived at the conclusion that most
learners want to learn English because its essential for their jobs. However, most of them
are not trying to improve it, as they claim that they do not have enough time to do it.
Nevertheless, they all agree that the skill they need to improve the most is speaking, since
it is crucial when communicating with foreign tourists at work. Moreover, they expect to
achieve more fluency when speaking in English, not only for this job but also for their lives.
They also expect to acquire specific vocabulary related to the field of tourism, so that they
can deal with particular situations that they may encounter with at work (e.g: when
showing a tourist the different areas of the hotel, when booking, when having to clarify
T

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possible doubts that the tourist may have, etc). Finally, most of them believe that the best
way to learn English is through speaking.
LEARNING STRATEGIES, METHODS AND STYLES STUDENTS HAVE ALREADY
EXPERIENCED
Most of them had had English just at school. The teaching methods they are accustomed
to are quite behaviourist and teacher-centred. Most of them did not have the opportunity
to study English in context.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
The owner of the hotel wants the employees to be able to communicate with foreign
tourists in an appropriate and fluent way in different situations. What is more, he wants
the employees to make the course in the least time possible, because holidays are coming
and they need to be ready before that time comes.
LEARNING REQUIREMENTS
As ESP teachers, we want the students to be able to communicate properly in particular
situations at the hotel. As we have a short period of time to do so, we will focus on
teaching them how to deal with these communicative situations, rather than looking for
fluency. What we want to make sure of is not only that the employees acquire the ability
to understand the tourists needs, but also that the employees can communicate with the
tourists efficiently.
DESIRABLE KNOWLEDGE
B1 Level, in which:
The learners can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar
matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.;
They can deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling in an area where
the language is spoken;
They can produce simple connected texts on topics that are familiar or of personal
interest;
They can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly
give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
DEFICITS IN KNOWLEDGE:

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After analysing the needs analysis questionnaires, we could say that the employees have
difficulties in communicating orally. What is more, they do not have the specific vocabulary
to communicate or understand the foreign tourists fully. As we can see in the graphs, they
feel that they do not have enough knowledge in most of the skills, especially in speaking.

0%
12%
38%
50%
0%
Pronunciation
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak
0%
12%
50%
38%
0%
Knowledge of Vocabulary
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak
0%
12%
62%
13%
13%
Knowledge of Grammar
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak

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12%
12%
38%
25%
13%
Listening
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak
0%
0%
25%
50%
25%
Speaking
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak

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POSSIBLE TARGET SITUATIONS OF LANGUAGE USE
Welcoming an English-speaking tourist at the hotel;
Showing the areas of the hotel and the requirements or rules of each area;
Explaining the basic rules of the hotel and the rooms;
Answering phone calls;
Answering letters and e-mails;
Suggesting places to visit in the city, like restaurants, museums or entertainment
activities.

12%
25%
63%
0%
0%
Reading
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak
12%
25%
37%
13%
13%
Writing
Very Good
Good
Ok
Weak
Very Weak

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PLACEMENT TEST
&
NEEDS ANALYSIS
QUESTIONNAIRE samples

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fter arriving at significant conclusions about the students and the companys
needs, we are now able to specify the general goals and objectives for this ESP
Course. This stage will help us to focus on fulfilling the students needs by trying to
achieve the general goal through the specific objectives.
FORMULATION OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GENERAL GOAL
At the end of this ESP course, the learners will be able to communicate efficiently in
specific situations at work with English-speaking tourists;
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Throughout this course, the learners will need to acquire the linguistic ability to:
Complete a register;
Take a message by phone;
Take a booking;
Deal with a telephone;
Deal with a complaint;
Describe a building;
Write an email describing a hotel;
Writing an email of confirmation;
Check in a guest;
Recommend places to visit;
Change a booking;
Explain a bill;
Confirm a reservation by replying to a letter/e-mail.

A

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aving stated the goals and objective for this course, we will now give an example
of what a unit of this ESP course would look like. Before focusing on planning and
evaluating the lesson, the contents to be taught in the unit will be conceptualised,
in order to simplify the remaining stages. It is of paramount importance to highlight that
these contents are based on the conclusions drawn about the needs of the parties
previously stated.
CONCEPTUALIZATION OF CONTENTS
The content that we will focus on is Confirming a reservation by replying to a letter.
NECESSARY SKILLS TO DEVELOP:
Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
NECESSARY COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE TO ACHIEVE:
The ability to reply to a letter in English in order to confirm a reservation at a hotel.
NECESSARY GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE TO DEVELOP
Simple Present and Present Continuous. However, as learners already have background
knowledge about these tenses, we would suggest just reviewing them before plunging
into the activities.
NECESSARY FUNCTIONS AND SITUATIONS LANGUAGE IS GOING TO BE USED FOR
Functions: Language is going to be used for giving/confirming information through a
formal letter. In order to do this, the teacher/s will need to present the appropriate letter
format for this purpose, apart from presenting the necessary expressions of formality and
politeness corresponding to this genre.
Situation: Language is going to be used for replying to a letter formally, so as to confirm a
hotel reservation.
TIME AVAILABLE (CLASS LENGHT AND COURSE LENGTH)
Time available to develop this unit: three hours.
Amount of lessons per week: Three lessons of three hours per week.
Course length: Three months.
H

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INFORMATION FROM NEEDS ANALYSIS (PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE, MOTIVATION, JOB
REQUIREMENTS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH)
Taking into account the previous needs analysis, we have decided to focus this unit
primarily on productive skills, providing students with a communicative context. Besides,
they will be able to learn the specific vocabulary, such as expressions of politeness, so as
to build up their self-confidence before performing the productive tasks.
APPROACH TO BE FOLLOWED
Learner-centred approach, Genre-Based Approach, Task-based approach.


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he following -and last- three stages in this ESP course will be developed as one
single stage, as this is just an example of what a syllabus design should look like.
Therefore we will focus just one of the units, as it was previously stated in the
conceptualization of contents.
SELECTION OF MATERIAL, PLANNING OF THE COURSE AND COURSE EVALUATION
OBJECTIVE OF THIS UNIT
THROUGHOUT THIS UNIT, THE STUDENTS WILL NEED TO ACQUIRE THE
LINGUISTIC ABILITY TO WRITE A CONFIRMATION LETTER.

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1
The first activity consists of handing out a set of two letters for each student. After
observing and reading the letters carefully, the students will have to decide which of them
they think is better and state orally the reasons for their choices.
MATERIAL
The following two letters, extracted from the course book Welcome! English for
the travel and Tourism Industry








T

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ACTIVITY 2
In the second activity, the students have to work in pairs. In the previous letters, they will
need to highlight four phrases that help them to seem better. After this short activity, the
teacher conducts an oral discussion to share the phrases highlighted. Then, the teacher
hands out a worksheet with useful considerations and phrases when writing a formal
letter.
MATERIALS
The letters that students already have
The following worksheet, with information taken from English for International
Tourism (Longman) and Welcome! English for the Travel and Tourism Industry:

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ACTIVITY 3
After reading the useful considerations, rules and expressions to be used when writing a
formal letter, the teacher hands out a worksheet in which the parts of a formal letter are
jumbled. Apart from that, there are some mistakes of register in the letter. Students have
to order the letter and correct the mistakes in register by working in pairs. When they
finish, the teacher asks students to pair differently and hands out the corrected version of
the letter. The learners have to compare the letter and discuss about their mistakes. A
whole class discussion can also be carried out.
MATERIALS
A worksheet containing a jumbled letter;
A worksheet containing the corrected version of the letter, taken from English for
International Tourism (Longman).







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Activity 3: a. The following formal letter is jumbled. Place the parts of the letter in the
correct order. Then, find the expression mistakes inside the letter and correct them.
Sea View Hotel
39 Beech Grove
Brighton BN2 3PD
TEL: 044 487 877
FAX: 044 095 894
Email: seaviewhotel@brightonhotels.co.uk
20th November 2013
Dr. Nicola Talbot
Flat A, 87 Moonmouth Drive
Oxford
OX5 2CG
Ref: Guest questionnaire
Yours for ever,
With love,
Andrew Miller
Hotel Manager
Dear Dr Nicola Talbot,
Thank you so much for completing our questionnaire during your stay at our hotel
last month.
We always appreciate hearing from our clients. Your comments are great for us to
continue improving our accommodations. We should like to say we are sorry for the
problems that you mentioned. The service you experienced is unusual and not the
standard of our hotel. Please find enclosed a complementary voucher for a night in
one of our luxury hotels as compensation.
Once again, we are so sorry for any inconvenience caused during your stay and we
hope that you will give us another chance to serve you.

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Activity 3: b. In pairs, compare this corrected version of the letter to you own corrections
in the previous activity.



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ACTIVITY 4: EVALUATI ON OF THE UNIT
THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITY IS AN INSTANCE OF FORMAL ASSESSMENT, IN WHICH THE
TEACHER WILL EVALUATE THE COHERENCE AND COHESION OF THE LETTER, APART
FROM CONSIDERING THAT AN APPROPRIATE LETTER STRUCTURE IS USED THE TEACHER
WILL NOT GRADE THE LETTER, BUT SHE WILL GIVE FEEDBACK TO EACH OF THE
STUDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR MISTAKES AND CLARIFY THEIR DOUBTS.
In this final activity, the teacher hands out a worksheet with information about a booking
of a conference room in a hotel to each of the students. Students have to -individually-
write a formal letter of confirmation of the booking.
MATERIALS
The following worksheet, containing the necessary information to complete the letter of
confirmation and taken from Welcome! English for the Travel and Tourism Industry and
completed by Elun Garca and Agustina Snchez.

If students are able to complete this task, the objective of this unit can be considered
successfully achieved.

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INDEX
General Considerations ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Needs Analysis ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Current Proficiency Level of the Students .................................................................................................................... 3
Field knowledge ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Motivation .................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Learning strategies, methods and styles students have already experienced ............................................................. 4
Job Requirements ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Learning Requirements ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Desirable knowledge .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Deficits in knowledge: .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Possible target situations of language use ................................................................................................................... 7
Formulation of goals and objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 9
General Goal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Specific objectives ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
Conceptualization of contents ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Necessary skills to develop:........................................................................................................................................ 10
Necessary communicative competence to achieve: .................................................................................................. 10
Necessary grammatical competence to develop ....................................................................................................... 10
Necessary functions and situations language is going to be used for ........................................................................ 10
Time available (class lenght AND COURSE LENGTH) .................................................................................................. 10
Information from needs analysis (previous knowledge, motivation, job requirements, and so on and so forth) ..... 11
Approach to be followed ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Selection of material, planning of the course and course evaluation ................................................................................. 12
Objective of this unit .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Activity 1 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Activity 2 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Activity 3 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Activity 4: evaluation of the unit .................................................................................................................................... 18

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