Evaluating the Writing and Communication Skills Course: Insights from ESP Best Practices and Needs Analysis of Undergraduate Students and English Language Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Writing and Communication Skills (WCS) course at the Quaid-E-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology (QUEST) in Pakistan, assessing its alignment with the academic and professional needs of undergraduate engineering students and best practices in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). A descriptive and interpretative investigation using a small sample from 60 final-year male engineering students and four English lecturers at QUEST (English Language Centre). The data were gathered by an extensive questionnaire including a Likert scale (quantitative) and open-ended questions (qualitative) and related documents of QUEST and other similar engineering university curricula. SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The results show a big discrepancy between the WCM as it is being practiced now and what engineering students require linguistically, reflecting inadequate ESP principles in curricular design accounting. This further reflects on the ESP courses claiming to be tailored for engineering students and suggests a need for modification in such a manner from future ESP course curriculum developers.