HOW INTEGRATING INNOVATIVE DIGITAL TOOLS SHAPED THE ERT EXPERIENCE FOR ESP INSTRUCTORS AND ENGINEERING STUDENTS IN CROATIA

The transition to emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped education, prompting educators to adapt swiftly. In this evolving digital context, the integration of digital tools took centre stage. This paper presents the findings of two questionnaire surveys conducted in the summer and autumn of 2020 between two Croatian ESP instructors employed at HEIs in Croatia and undergraduate engineering students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology Osijek (FERIT), Croatia, focusing on their experiences, perceptions, and challenges related to the integration of digital tools into online ESP classes. It explored the types of digital tools employed and favoured by Croatian ESP instructors and students at FERIT, their impact on instructor and student motivation, the quality of online classes, and the creativity of materials. The findings reveal that instructors heavily relied on Learning Management Systems (LMS), video conferencing platforms and familiar tools while they steered away from more advanced, interactive tools. Although ESP instructors generally felt motivated by the digital tools and believed they enhanced the creativity of their teaching materials, the data indicate that these tools were less effective in fostering student motivation. Students, on the other hand, identified these tools as helpful and motivating. Still, a smaller but significant cohort of students felt they benefited more from traditional tools like Word.