Benefits and Challenges of Assisted Technology in Developing English Email Writing Skills among Adult Learners in the Logistics Profession

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Chinchira Bunchutrakun
Angvarrah Lieungnapar
Suwaree Yordchim
Pathitta Akkarathanakul

Abstract

The purposes of this study are: 1) to examine the adult learners' satisfaction on the assisted technology for developing English email writing skills of logistics professionals, and 2) to find out the benefits and challenges of the assisted technology for developing English email writing skills of logistics professionals. The research instruments consist of the online email writing course and a 5-Likert scale evaluation forms regarding the learners’ satisfaction on the learning tools and open-ended questions about benefits and challenges after using the learning tools. The 4-week online email writing course comprises a two-hour live conference via Zoom and 30-minute video-on-demand clip for each week. The on-demand video clips and recorded live conference serve as a pre-live classroom session overview and post-class review. The lessons focusing on replying to inquiry emails cover the topics of providing important information, requesting politely, informing about attachment, and closing appropriately. The participants, who voluntarily attended, are 60 full-time employees from one internationally renowned logistics company. Before designing the course, a needs analysis was carried out to identify the preferred time, duration, and subjects for study. The findings indicated that the participants had favorable views of the online lessons and appreciated the technology-supported learning activities. Each tool used in the learning process fulfilled its intended purpose and helped to boost the learner’s motivation to engage in the learning process; however, some challenges were also discussed in the study.

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