Speaker
Description
The rapid development of generative AI is reshaping the knowledge base and professional practices of language educators. This presentation examines how AI can support ESP (English for Specific Purposes) educators in developing hybrid expertise that extends beyond traditional content knowledge. The discussion is grounded in the redesign of English courses for students in a Bio-Health Convergence program, where the educator faced challenges related to limited disciplinary knowledge, the lack of suitable teaching materials, and the need to connect language learning with disciplinary learning.
Rather than using AI solely as a source of information, the presentation illustrates how AI functioned as a teaching partner in instructional design. AI-supported processes included the development of reading materials, TED-Ed-based learning resources, vocabulary activities, comprehension tasks, and project-based learning experiences. Through these processes, AI enabled the educator to create learner-centered learning environments while maintaining pedagogical control and disciplinary relevance.
Drawing on classroom practices implemented between 2023 and 2025, the presentation demonstrates how AI-assisted instructional design promoted student engagement, supported meaningful participation, and connected English learning with the construction of academic and professional knowledge. A product development project is presented as an example of how students integrated disciplinary knowledge, language skills, and AI tools within an authentic learning context.
The presentation argues that generative AI is not merely transforming instructional materials but also redefining what it means to be an ESP educator. Effective ESP teaching in the age of AI requires the development of hybrid expertise that integrates pedagogical knowledge, instructional design expertise, discipline-informed teaching, and AI-supported material development. Implications are discussed for professional development, curriculum innovation, and AI integration in educational contexts undergoing rapid linguistic, curricular, and technological change.
Biography
Hee Jeong Oh is an Associate Professor at Seoul Women’s University, Korea. She has taught English language and teacher education courses at the university level for over 25 years. Her research focuses on language learners, effective English language teaching, and teacher education, and she has published more than twenty journal articles and book chapters in these areas. She has also contributed to national projects involving textbook review and approval, standardized test development, and AI digital textbook evaluation. Her recent work explores how generative AI can support curriculum design, ESP (English for Specific Purposes) instruction, and teacher professional development. She is actively involved in KATE (Korea Association of Teachers of English) and has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences. (E-mail: hjoh@swu.ac.kr)
| Affiliate type | University |
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