OVERVIEW OF

LANGUAGE
COURSE
DEVELOPMENT
Instructor:
Dr. Ho Thanh My Phuong
GETTING STARTED

■ Have you ever developed/ designed a

language course ?
■ According to you, what do we need to do to
design a language course?
Language course development
– Elements needed
Learning teaching
Learner’s needs
goals/Ojectives contents

Teaching Teaching Instructional

Activities Methods materials

Assessment
 Focuses of Language course development

Language course development focuses on:

- determining what knowledge, skills, and values
students need to learn
- what inputs should be provided to bring about the
intended learning outcomes.
- How teaching and learning can be planned,
performed, measured and evaluated.
Language Course development
– Questions to be considered
1. What procedures can be used to determine the
content of the course?
2. What are learners’ needs?
3. How can learners’ needs be determined?
4. What contextual factors need to be considered?
5. What is the nature of aims and objectives in
teaching and how can these be developed?
6. What factors are involved in planning the syllabus and the
units of organization in a course?
7. How can good teaching be provided?
8. What issues are involved in selecting, adapting, and
designing instructional materials?
9. How can we measure the effectiveness of a language
course?
Language Curriculum vs.
Language Course
A course is a set of lessons that can consist of any
type of content (e.g. video, documents, presentations
etc).

A curriculum is a group of courses usually in a related

topic/ program.
 English for Academic
Purposes (EAP)
EAP refers to a branch of English language teaching that focuses on helping
students (especially at university or college) develop the specific
academic language skills they need to succeed in an English-speaking
academic environment.
Typical features of EAP include:
• Academic reading (e.g., reading journal articles, textbooks)
• Academic writing (e.g., essays, reports, research papers)
• Listening skills (e.g., lectures, seminars)
• Speaking skills (e.g., presentations, discussions, tutorials)
English for Specific Purposes
(ESP)
ESP covers English used in non-academic fields, like:
• Business English (for working in offices, negotiations)
• Medical English (for doctors, nurses)
• English for Tourism, English for Engineering, etc.
General English (GE)

General English (GE) focuses on helping learners communicate

in everyday situations.
- It is not specialized for academic study or for specific jobs.
- It aims to build a broad foundation in speaking, listening,
reading, and writing.
- It usually emphasizes fluency, confidence, and basic accuracy
rather than mastering complex academic or technical vocabulary.
Curriculum Design Models
■ Forward Design
– Starts with topic selection, followed by materials and activities,
and ends with assessment
– Suitable for general English courses but less ideal for specific
EAP goals due to its generalized approach.
■ Central Design
– Emphasizes learners' experiences and activities over specific
learning goals.
– While engaging, it might lack direction and may not align well
with EAP's specific objectives.
■ Backward Design
– Begins with identifying learning outcomes, then determining
acceptable evidence (assessment), and finally planning
learning experiences.
– Particularly suitable for EAP due to its focus on specific
outcomes and alignment with needs analysis.

(Guardado, M. & Light. J. 2020).

 Backward Design
Identify desired results (objectives)
Consider learning goals, examine content standards, review curriculum expectations,
make informed choices

Determine acceptable evidence (of learning)

“Think like assessors”: collect assessment evidence (formal/informal) needed to
document/validate that the desired learning outcomes (stage 1) have been achieved

Plan learning experiences and instruction

Specify instructional planning activities (choices about teaching methods, lesson
sequencing, resource materials) needed to help Ss achieve the desired results

April 27,
2025 (Wiggins & McTighe,
12
2005)
What is the difference
between syllabus design
and course
development?
 Syllabus design and course
development
■ A syllabus is a specification of the content of a course of
instruction and lists what will be taught and tested
■ A syllabus is a document that outlines the topics covered in a
course
■ Syllabus design is the process of developing a syllabus.
■ Syllabus design is one aspect of course development
■ Course development is a more comprehensive process than
syllabus design
 Course development

■ Course development includes:

– Determine the needs of the learners
– Develop the aims and objectives of the course to
address those needs of the learners
– Determine an appropriate syllabus, teaching
contents, teaching methods and instructional
materials
– Carry out course evaluation ( how well the learners
achieve the objectives of the course)
 Review of some language
teaching methods
■ Grammar Translation Method (1800 – 1900)
■ Direct Method (1890 – 1930)
■ Audio-lingual Method (1950 – 1970)
■ Communicative Approach (1970 – present)
– Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT)/ Project Based
Learning (PBL)
– Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)/ Content Based
Instruction (CBI)
– English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI)
 Grammar Translation Method
■ Classes are taught in students’ mother tongue, with little
use of the target language
■ Vocabulary is taught in the form of isolated word lists
■ Grammar instruction provides the rules for putting words
together
■ Reading of difficult texts is started early in the course of
study
■ Little attention is paid to the content of the texts
■ Lots of exercises in grammatical analysis.
■ Translating of disconnected sentences from target
language to mother tongue, and vice versa.
Direct Method
■ Lessons begin with a dialogue using a modern
conversational style of the target language
■ Material is first presented orally with actions or pictures.
■ The mother tongue is NEVER used.
■ There is no translation
■ The preferred style of exercise is a series of questions in
the target language based on the dialogue
■ Grammar is taught inductively
■ Advanced students read literature for comprehension
and pleasure
Audio-lingual Method

■ Basing on the principle that language learning is habit

formation.
■ Dependent on mimicry and memorization of sets of
phrases and over learning
■ Structural patterns are taught using repetitive drills
■ Little or no grammatical explanations are provided
■ Abundant use of language labs, tapes and visual aids
■ Vocabulary is strictly limited and learned in context
■ Great importance is given to precise native-like
pronunciation
Communicative Approach
■ Aim to help learners to develop communicative
competence
■ Focus on the meaningful use of the language.
■ Language is used for communicative purposes.
■ Using of pair work, group work, reflection.
■ Students are encouraged to address questions
■ Free production of the target language
■ Using code switching in teaching and learning
■ Translation is permitted
 Current popular teaching
methods

■ Communicative language teaching ( CLT)

■ Task-based language teaching (TBLT)
■ Content-based instruction (CBI) & Content
Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
Task-Based Language
Teaching
■ TBLT is an approach where learners use language to complete
meaningful tasks (e.g., planning a trip, solving a problem,
conducting a survey).
Focus: Communication and language use rather than just grammar.
Linking classroom language learning with language outside the
classroom.
Key Features:
• Real-world, purposeful tasks
• Focus on fluency before accuracy
• Learners are active participants
Project-Based Learning (PBL)

• PBL is method where students work on a project over a period of

time, exploring and responding to a complex question or
challenge.
• Focus: Deeper learning, creativity, collaboration, and
communication.
• Key Features:
• Inquiry-based and student-centered
• Ends with a public product or presentation
• Integrates language and subject content
• Example: Students create a video documentary on air pollution
and present it in class or at a school exhibition.
Content - Based Instruction
(CBI)
Definition: Students learn subject content (e.g., science, history) in
English — combining content learning with language learning.
Focus: Dual-focus – both subject knowledge and language
development.
Key Features:
• Authentic content is central
• Promotes cognitive and academic language skills
• Often used in bilingual programs or international schools
■ Example: Teaching a unit on volcanoes in geography class using
English as the language of instruction.
 Content - Based Instruction (CBI)
■ ICBI: make a dual, though not necessarily equal,
commitment to language and content-learning objectives”
(Stoller, 2008, p. 59).
■ Factors influencing the CBI types:
o educational level (i.e., pre-school, primary, high school,
university)
o curriculum (e.g., total immersion with 90% instruction time
delivered in L2, or partial immersion with at least 50% of
the subject matter instruction delivered in L2)
o relative emphasis on language or content (e.g., simply
content-based themes in a language class)
■ Regardless of the types, the goal of the program is to
combine both content learning and language learning.
Content Language Integrated
Learning (CLIL)
■ Launched in Europe in the 1990s “CLIL is a dual-
focused educational approach in which an additional
language is used for the learning and teaching of both
content and language.
■ There is a focus not only on content, and not only on
language. Each is interwoven, even if the emphasis is
greater on one or the other at a given time…It is an
innovative fusion of both” (Coyle, Hood, & Marsh, 2010,
p. 1)
■ Similar to the factors influencing CBI types, CLIL types
are also contingent upon the educational level,
curriculum, relative emphasis on language or content.
 Content Language Integrated
Learning (CLIL)/ Content Based
Instruction (CBI)
■ CLIL is more common in Europe and emphasizes integrating
4Cs: Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture.
■ CBI is more popular in North America.
 English as the Medium of
Instruction (EMI)
• EMI is a method which uses English to teach academic subjects
in settings where English is not the native language.
• Focus: Delivering academic content through English, not
necessarily teaching English itself.
• Key Features:
• English is the tool, not the subject
• Common in higher education and international programs
• Often assumes students already have intermediate English
skills
• Example: Teaching business, engineering, or medicine in English
at a university in Vietnam.
 Video Watching
■ Sit in groups, watch the two videos
from Prof. Richard and prepare the
summary of the videos.
■ Share with the class
 Group Sharing & Report

Answer the below questions

1. What methods have you experienced in your teaching and learning
English?
2.Which methods do you think are more appropriate for your students
now? Why?

You have 15 minutes to work in your group. Then make a group

presentation in front of the class.
 GROUP ASSIGNMENT
■ What are some English courses you have
known? Briefly describe their objectives.
■ What is an English course you are using
now? Describe the objectives, learners,
contents, methods of teaching, instructional
materials and the assessment.
– Note: be ready to present in class next week.