Blended Learning Models for Industry-Aligned ESP: Combining Online Simulations with Face-to-Face Business Communication Practice

The demand for industry-aligned English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction has intensified as contemporary workplaces require graduates capable of performing effectively across both digital and face-to-face professional communication. Traditional classroom-only models often provide insufficient authentic practice in digital genres and iterative multimodal work, while fully online approaches may limit the development of nuanced interactional and pragmatic competence. This mixed-methods study examines a blended learning model that systematically integrates online business communication simulations with face-to-face practice to strengthen industry alignment in ESP courses. Participants comprised ۱۴۲ undergraduate Business ESP students and eight instructors across two institutions. The ۱۴-week intervention interleaved online simulation cycles—covering negotiation, virtual meetings, collaborative writing, and multimodal pitches—with face-to-face sessions focused on real-time performance, feedback, and reflective debriefing. Quantitative pre- and post-measures of simulation performance and communication self-efficacy, combined with qualitative data from interviews, classroom observations, and reflective logs, revealed statistically significant gains in negotiation, meeting participation, professional writing, and multimodal presentation skills (p <. ۰۰۱). Participants consistently identified the complementarity of the two modes as central to effectiveness: online simulations afforded safe, repeatable, data-rich practice, while face-to-face sessions supplied authentic interactional pressure and pragmatic refinement. Challenges related to technological access, instructional design demands, and cross-modal assessment were also identified. The study proposes design principles for sustainable blended ESP models and discusses implications for curriculum development, teacher preparation, and institutional support aimed at preparing learners for the hybrid communicative realities of contemporary professional environments.

کلیدواژه ها:

blended learning ، English for Specific Purposes ، online simulations ، business communication ، industry alignment.