Letter from the Chair-Elect

Gerlinde Koppitsch, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Villach, Austria

Greetings to our global ESP community:

After this wonderful summer, the new academic year has started in most geographical locations or still lying ahead with some old and some new challenges in tow. As we are all looking forward to TESOL convention 2025 in Long Beach, the ESP-IS has put a pressing challenge in the focus of the academic session. The central topic chosen for the convention in 2024 was learner-oriented ESP assessment which addressed a renewed focus on assessment for learning in recent years. The next academic session (2025) in Long Beach is entitled “Addressing the Demands of Industry 4.0 in ESP Practice” and will tackle a relevant issue we currently encounter in education: the rapid development of technology which not only but also includes AI. The presenters will display global perspectives on how education needs to change to meet the industry’s changing demands in workforce skills. This requires embracing technology, recognizing the importance of new skills, and meaningfully engaging in relevant topics. I’m thrilled that we were able to win speakers from various ESP fields and very much look forward to them sharing their experiences.

As we are looking to increasingly expand and reinforce our global network, we are strengthening our ties with IATEFL, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language situated in Europe. The UK-based global association organizes conventions and other language teaching-related events similar to TESOL. In order to connect the ESP communities of TESOL and IATEFL and profit from each other’s work, we have acknowledged that a collaboration would allow us to introduce our organization to a broader audience. Similar to TESOL, IATEFL organizes events such as conventions and webinars. I am fortunate to have been invited to hold a webinar for the ESP-SIG (ESP Special Interest Group) in October entitled “The Inverted ESP Classroom – fostering student engagement, critical thinking, and information literacy skills”. It will focus on how to introduce and promote so-called Future Skills in the classroom which will help our students to succeed in their future careers. The collaboration with IATEFL presents a central aspect of my work as ESP-IS Chair Elect and subsequently as Chair.

I am excited to serve as Chair-Elect this cycle. Many thanks to Jennifer Roberts who mentored me and supported me in getting my bearings during the unexpectedly fast transition.

Gerlinde Koppitsch
English for Specific Purposes-Interest Section (ESP-IS) Chair-Elect

Gerlinde Koppitsch is a Lecturer in English for Engineering & IT and Senior Researcher at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria. Her areas of research include student engagement, virtual exchanges and the inverted classroom in ESP.