Enhancing Students and Teachers’ Digital Literacy in a Productive EAP Classroom in China

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has gained significant traction in recent years, particularly in countries like China, where English proficiency is increasingly valued for academic, professional, and social advancement. This study tackles the applicability of CALL in productive EAP classrooms in China through surveying the effect of both teacher training and students in an academic speaking component in a master’s level English class and intends to examine the component’s effectiveness, challenges, and future prospects. Findings show that students benefited from computer-assisted learning in EAP but for productive skills like speaking, they needed more teacher engagement and feedback using digital literacy. Results suggest that learning outcomes can be maximized with moderate teacher training in digital literacy. Trained teachers with AI-assisted feedback skills can improve student motivation and learning outcome, and students will require less outbound resources. Addressing challenges such as varying levels of technological familiarity and keeping up with rapid advancements can be managed through additional support sessions and ongoing professional development. By staying updated with the latest tools and trends, teachers can continuously enhance their curriculum, ensuring that students remain engaged with content that is both current and relevant. The future training will focus on helping students tackle technological issues while ensuring that extra workload will be minimized. Overall, these approaches help to create a more self-sufficient learning environment, which reduces the reliance on external resources and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation.