As the population of students speaking English as a second language
increases, our business communication courses have required changes in both
content and pedagogical approach. We have taught writing, speaking, and lis
teningfrom a problem-solving perspective for many years and now find its
emphasis on critical thinking poses different challenges for the ESL students
in our courses. Consequently, we have designed a problem-based course struc
ture for an upper-level business communication course that allows both ESL
and native English-speaking students the opportunity to improve communica
tion abilities in cross-cultural work groups.
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