Computer Assisted Language Learning Business English Writing

Business English Writing course in Higher Vocational College has always been one of the most difficult packages to deliver in Business English teaching. Though both teachers and students spend considerable time and make great efforts, the results are too often far from satisfactory. In Business English Writing, many students are: 1) too often unfamiliar with the writing form of daily Business English; 2) only able to write material that baffles those who are engaged in business activities.Many of the students who major in Business English are, unexpectedly, unable to write a resume or an application letter in English upon graduation. Such students would be defeated in the fierce job-hunting competition. In my view, this phenomenon occurs because of the defective methods and scarce knowledge involved in traditional Business English Writing teaching. With widespread application of multimedia in education, more and more educators are trying to apply modern education tools to English teaching to improve results. However, such researches often concentrate on listening, speaking and reading of Basic and College English while Business English Writing is seldom involved.With reference to the findings of experts'research in the relevant field both at home and abroad, the writer of this paper introduces the multimedia computer into Business English Writing as an auxiliary teaching method. Application results are examined by using the methods of group experiments, questionnaires, examinations and others. Analysis of questionnaires, final examination papers and teacher-and-student forums and checks conducted by the Human Resources Departments of related enterprises show that the multimedia computer applied in Business English Writing teaching can help to remedy the deficiency of traditional teaching methods. The computer is especially suited to creating a better studying atmosphere among students in the process of Business English Writing teaching than other methods.On the other hand, as students in Higher Vocational College are too young and possess a relatively poor foundation in English, computer-assisted teaching cannot yield significant results in enlarging vocabulary in Business English or in deepening the understanding of new words and phrases. Further, as English teachers are often unable to get rid of all the technical failures appearing during courses, class activities are sometimes suspended. A random investigation shows that the English teachers'ability to use multimedia needs to be improved.The author, therefore, suggests that in Higher Vocational College Business English Writing teaching, the multimedia computer can be adopted on the premise that traditional classroom instruction will remain in place. The two methods should complement each other rather than act as mutual substitutes. In addition, in order to improve the English teachers'abilities to obtain modern educational skills, educational leaders should pay attention to strengthening the training of English teachers and to enhance their abilities in using the multimedia computer. Only in this way can the needs of English teaching under new circumstances be better met.