A case study of technology and engineering students in an EMI university: How engaged are they in their EAP lessons when EdTech-based activities are used?

Enhancing engagement with learning materials is often seen as one of the primary aims of Education Technology (EdTech). To this end, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) practitioners have been leveraging the various digital tools available in the field. Against this backdrop, a five-week intervention was initiated through EdTech-based activities when teaching EAP to technology and engineering undergraduate students at XJTLU, an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) university in China. The learning activities were delivered using four EdTech tools: GenAI, H5P, Kahoot! and Quizlet. The subjects’ engagement level, which was expected to be high given their familiarity with technology, was observed, and at the end of the intervention, a survey was administered. The results confirmed the high engagement level for various reasons, some of which included the instructors’ help, ease of use, and interactive nature. Factors underlining the design of effective EdTech-based activities, such as perceived importance of the tools and duration, were also examined, with several implications proposed at the end. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .