Virtual education space at ESP classes: challenges and perspectives

Higher education has moved to various online platforms in recent years, with virtual classes established following national norms during the COVID-19 pandemic and wartimes in Ukraine. Early engineering education, namely teaching ESP, is directly related to the development of soft skills like time management, teamwork, creative thinking, and digital literacy as well as practical talents like sketching, computer graphics, mechanism projecting, etc. This study examines qualitative data collected from second-year engineering students at the Higher Educational Institution “Podillia State University”, Ukraine. The paper is based on instructors’ thoughtful observations of instruction in both times of war and the COVID-19 pandemic. The research conclusions offer some important things to think about when assessing the virtual classroom long-term effects on language education and second-year study techniques. The results of this study showed that the use of technology in second-year engineering education, namely the TED Talks application, promoted creative teaching strategies, increased digital literacy, and improved teamwork. Even if online learning achieved its learning goals, there were drawbacks, such as social isolation and low motivation. The study highlights the value of looking at virtual language studios and integrating technology in early engineering education, providing chances for future research and curriculum development. These results are pertinent to educators worldwide who instruct second-year mechanical engineering students in ESP.