Turning Asynchronous, Individual Learning into a Constructive Online Community of Practice: A Case Study of The “L5” Psychology ESP Moodle University Course

Due to the mobilization, de-localization and flexibility of today’s job market, university students are increasingly heterogeneous in age, competency and professional needs. Therefore, some universities have begun to tailor the programs, content and conveyed skills of their ESP courses to a new sort of target which cannot attend regular classes and seeks practical skills that may be immediately used in their current or desired work environment. An innovative and unique solution is the “Scienze e Tecniche Psicologiche” (L5) online bachelor’s degree course offered by the University of Padova especially aimed at working students, thus implicating a “translation” of the courses’ content into new forms and teaching strategies and tools. The present paper will consider theories on and necessary changes in psychology ESP teaching and evaluation methods required by an online moodle context as well as reflect on possible tools and solutions to emerging problems in light of three years’ courses. The workshop of the 2014-2015 course will be presented as a promising site that unites group and class linguistic and meaning negotiation with psychology ESP.