PROSPER (Project, Sustainability, and Perseverance) Learning Model in English for Computer Science

Abstract

We propose the PROSPER (Project, Sustainability, and Perseverance) Learning Model in English for Computer Science (ECS), a course provided by undergraduate Computer Science programs in Indonesian Higher Education Institutions. PROSPER has eight competencies: (1) System Thinking; (2) Critical Thinking; (3) Envisioning for the Future; (4) Personal Involvement; (5) Interpersonal Relations and Collaboration; (6) Tolerance for Ambiguity and Certainty; (7) Communication and Use of Media; and (8) Strategic Action. The syntax refers to Project-Based Learning and has eight stages: (1) choosing the theme of the project; (2) open-class discussion on the correlation between the topic and sustainability; (3) meeting the experts; (4) structuring the project by considering its contribution to sustainability; (5) executing the project in a sustainable way; (6) presenting the project; (7) evaluating the project; and (8) publishing the project. PROSPER model highlights the concept of sustainability and increases awareness, which has real-world relevance on a global scale. The urgency of incorporating sustainability into ECS is intimately tied to student perseverance, which is anticipated to educate them to be change agents for a better world in the present and future.

1. Introduction

The new normal is a once-in-a-generation chance to look at the world as it is and concentrate on finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. Rarely in the history of the human race has it had to deal with such a complex mix of issues as in dealing with the recent pandemic. Everyone possesses the power to make a significant and immediate difference in the world. Significant swings in power and conduct have been to the benefit of all of humanity, and this is a scenario that is possible again. For months, billions of individuals have been isolated. Existing lives and livelihoods have been jeopardized or destroyed. However, as certain restrictions loosen, individuals are emerging into a new, uncertain world with a renewed hunger for change.

A series of answers to the world’s most pressing problems was signed into law by all member states of the United Nations on 25 September 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Specifically, the most crucial area where people must take immediate action is climate change and the environment, which raises awareness about sustainable living. This sustainability consciousness has risen to the surface and has recently become a primary focus as an increasing number of people recognize how what was once considered normal practices in life have consumed the earth and torn society apart. The misuse of science and technology contributes to the segregation of people from their environment and society.

As we lose contact with these, the earth is forced to bear the costs of local and global disasters as we enter the Anthropocene epoch, which is believed to have begun with the Industrial Revolution when humans became the dominant force of nature. As an ecological concept, sustainability is used to conceptualize the world as a connected and interdependent system whose stability is contingent on the balance of its constituents. Currently, the aforementioned concept has expanded beyond the realm of simple ecology to encompass all facets of human life [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11].

The concept of sustainability is also integrated in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The ESP course is usually intended for General English (GE) intermediate or advanced students because its level of difficulty is considered unreachable by basic students [12,13,14,15,16]. The problem is, most English for Computer Science (ECS) students in Indonesian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are at a basic level, and this low English competence has become common in Indonesia’s HEI despite having studied English since Elementary School. The ECS is in an EFL context and taught in a non-English-speaking country. Therefore, the requirement of having at least intermediate or advanced GE competence cannot be applied. This lack of student competence is rooted in their background in schools.

On the other hand, ECS is a part of the General Basic Subject, and it is necessary for every student taking a Computer Science program to take it as a required course to graduate regardless of their competence. The allocated meeting time for ECS is also limited. This limited time allocation for studying is not supported by adequate of exposure to English in the students’ real daily lives, as Indonesia is a non-English-speaking country. Moreover, they have learned English at school prior to joining HEI, and yet most of them are still at a basic level where it can be assumed they are a false beginner. It takes a longer time for a false beginner to be at an intermediate or advanced level if they strictly follow the requirements of Dudley–Evans [13,15]. Therefore, a new learning model that can accommodate this situation is urgently needed.

A twentieth-century skill needed for student survival because of their lack of competence in English is perseverance. Perseverance defines how students continue their learning activities despite complications they have encountered [17]. Duckworth et al. [18] argued that grit, which they considered as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, is what makes a student successful. Since not all students in the Computer Science program have a passion for English, the writers cannot use grit as one of the elements in this new learning model, and therefore perseverance is the right choice.

Considering that the growth mindsets also affect perseverance, writers have also referred to this theory [19,20,21]. As students who live in this digital era, they have many alternatives to employ technology in assisting them to acquire English. The point of this new learning model is not to emphasize the points of language but to use this language as a medium to communicate students’ ideas, perspectives, and messages in English with any assisting media so that they can collaborate locally and globally. Hopefully, they will be the change agents who contribute to actualizing the world’s sustainability awareness and making the world a better place to live in.

2. English for Computer Science

In Indonesian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), English is taught not only to the English Department but also to other majors, and the courses are adjusted for each department. One of these is English for Computer Science (ECS).

Researchers, such as Septiana et al. [22], Chaplier [23], Belinda [24], and Puspitasari [25] categorized English for Computer Science (ECS) as English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which is different from General English (GE). However, some researchers, including Benchenane [26], Irshad and Anwar [27], and Yürekli [28], convert it into English for Academic Purposes (EAP), for there is a belief that EAP is a part of ESP as it is specific to an academic setting, particularly when it is a subject offered for students majoring in Computer Science.

Experts frequently divide English Language Teaching into two categories when outlining: General English (GE) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). ESP is then separated into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and English for Occupational Purposes (EOP). Some maintain that EAP is a component of ESP, while others maintain that EAP is not a component of ESP in and of itself.

Previously, EAP was designed for international students enrolled in universities in English-speaking countries that used English as their primary Medium of Instruction (EMI). The course is generally evaluated using standardized tests, such as the TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, and Cambridge Exam. The primary goal is to make it easier for students to manage their studies in EMI. Following that, the EAP course is divided into two sections: General English for Academic Purposes (GEAP) or English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP), and Specific English for Academic Purposes (SEAP) or English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) [29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41].

Based on the elaboration above, the position of ECS in English Language Teaching (ELT) is shown in Figure 1:

By referring to Hutchinson and Waters [42] who divided ESP into English for Science and Technology, English for Business and Economics, and English for Social Science, we considered ECS as part of English for Science and Technology. In this context, we will only address ECS as ESP in the EFL context taught at HEI as a General Basic Subject in the Computer Science Program. This refers to the Indonesian Qualification Framework launched by the Minister of Education and Culture, and it is an obligation for each student to pass the course. Although the writers categorized ECS as an ESP course, it is not possible to comply with common ESP courses, which are normally designed for GE intermediate or advanced students [12,13,14,15]. The students’ levels of skills regarding GE are far below the determined competence standard. They are at the fundamental and false beginner levels [43].

Brown and Mullen [44] published a book on ECS, and it is often used as a reference by lecturers teaching English in computer science programs. It discusses the computer, its history, characteristics, capabilities and limitations, as well as its hardware and software. It only talks about computers in general, and the computer has evolved to the point where the computer from 1987 no longer represents the current computer in shape or specifications. Therefore, ECS in general covers details about computers and is usually adjusted to recent developments. In EMI universities, particularly in English-speaking countries, ECS is initiated due to the difficulties of students as speakers of other languages learning to use computers in English. Typically, students in this program are assigned to write a report in English regarding their field of study [45].

Learning ECS in an EFL context with something other than English as the Medium of Instruction is challenging. Most HEIs in Indonesia use Indonesian as a classroom language, similar to Meddour’s [46] research finding that French was the dominant language at the Computer Science program at Biskra University, where he did his research.

In the EFL context, students must pass an ECS course in order to graduate [46,47]. They do not use it in other required courses offered in this program, and since it is categorized as a "General Basic Subject", some students tend to place it in a less prestigious position compared to expertise courses in their field of study, yet it is part of the curriculum, and the students have to pass it in order to graduate [43]. Based on the above elaboration, ECS should not be offered as a course detached from students’ nature. The instructional materials should be incorporated with things that students really need in their real life as well as their field of study [48]. For instance, the topic of Internet of Things (IoT) is what students deal with in their everyday lives and is related to the impacts on sustainability as this is commonly used around the world.

3. PROSPER (Project, Sustainability, and Perseverance)

Essentially, the PROSPER Leaning model principle refers to the PBL’s that emphasize the sustainability concept and raise awareness of this sustainability issue that resonates in the real world both locally and globally. The urgency of incorporated sustainability in education is closely related to students’ perseverance, which is expected to prepare them to be change agents for a better world now and in the future.

3.1. Specification

• The syntax of the PROSPER learning model was developed from the research of Alan and Stoller [49], Fragoulis [50], Thitivesa [51], and Akharraz [52]:

  (a)

  Choosing the theme of the project.

  (b)

  Open-class discussion on correlations of the theme and sustainability.

  (c)

  Meeting the experts.

  (d)

  Structuring the project by considering its contribution to sustainability.

  (e)

  Executing the project in a sustainable way.

  (f)

  Presenting the project.

  (g)

  Evaluating the project.

  (h)

  Publishing the project.

• The supporting systems in this learning model are the:

  (a)

  Lesson Plan.

  (b)

  Project Instruction.

  (c)

  Supplementary Learning Materials.

  (d)

  Learning Evaluation Instruments.

  This supporting system is designed to assist lecturers and students in using the PROSPER learning model.
• The social system created in this learning model is more geared towards collaboration in finishing the project. Students work in small groups, and it is also possible for them to search for advice from experts, their classmates (even if they are not in the same group), the lecturers, and society, locally and globally. The lecturer’s role is mostly as a facilitator.
• The reaction principle defines how the lecturers facilitate the learning process by:

  (a)

  Supporting students to work collaboratively.

  (b)

  Connecting students with experts.

  (c)

  Facilitating students to look for a solution when they become stuck with their project.

  (d)

  Freeing students to choose their own way of contributing as agents of change.

• The expected instructional impacts from the PROSPER learning model are:

  (a)

  Basic twenty-first century skills; critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication (4C).

  (b)

  Awareness and involvement in sustainability based on their field.

  (c)

  Perseverance and continuing despite being beset by obstacles.

  (d)

  Having students as agents of change to contribute to the improvement of the world’s living conditions.

• The expected side effect is to increase interest in learning and working collaboratively rather than competitively.

3.2. Principles

By referring to seven Education for Sustainable Development competences from Lozano [53] and eleven from Drew [54], we modified them into eight competencies to serve as the principles of the PROSPER Learning Model as per Figure 2 below:

The above PROSPER Learning Model Principles are embedded in the PROSPER learning model implementation. The details are explained in the following

Table 1. Description of the PROSPER Learning Model Principles.

Principles	Description
System Thinking	$1.$ Research into a wide range of complex systems, from the smallest to the largest size.
	$2.$ Understanding, testing, and articulation of a system’s structure, behavior, and critical components.
	$3.$ Paying attention to systemic elements, including feedback, inertia, stocks and flows, and cascading effects.
	$4.$ A better understanding of complex systems phenomena, including systemic inertia, path dependency, and intentionality.
	$5.$ Connectivity and cause-and-effect linkages can be better understood.
	$6.$ The use of modeling (qualitative or quantitative).
Critical Thinking	$1.$ The ability to question established norms and behaviors.
	$2.$ Personal self-reflection on one’s own ideals, perceptions, and actions.
	$3.$ Perspectives from the outside world.
Envisioning for the Future	$1.$ Visualization, analysis, and appraisal of future possibilities, including multi-generational scenarios.
	$2.$ Use of a preemptive principle.
	$3.$ Predicting what people will do next.
	$4.$ Adapting to uncertainty and change.
Personal Involvement	$1.$ Involvement in the development of sustainable projects.
	$2.$ Ability and willingness to act.
	$3.$ Willingness to learn and develop new ideas.
	$4.$ Self-motivation.
	$5.$ The beginning of one’s own education.
Interpersonal Relations and Collaboration	$1.$ Collaboration and participation as a method of problem-solving or research.
	$2.$ Confidence in dealing with conflict.
	$3.$ Observing the world through the eyes of others.
	$4.$ Involvement in the affairs of the community.
Tolerance for Ambiguity and Certainty	$1.$ Managing disputes, opposing aims and interests, contradictions, and setbacks is an essential part of leadership.
	$2.$ Constant effort or duration between beginning and concluding an activity are both examples of persistence.
	$3.$ How to use one’s strengths when one is not sure which path to go down so that one can accept responsibility, take initiative, and endure.
Communication and Use of Media	$1.$ Effective intercultural communication skills.
	$2.$ Use of appropriate information and communication technology.
	$3.$ Evaluation of media with an open mind.
Strategic Action	$1.$ Design and implementation of interventions, transitions, and transformations for long-term success.
	$2.$ Engaging in sustainable activities in a responsible manner.
	$3.$ Ideas and strategies are developed and implemented.
	$4.$ Managing projects from start to finish.
	$5.$ Being able to recognize and deal with potential dangers.
	$6.$ Management and control of initiatives, interventions, and transitions.
	$7.$ Defining the areas in which people can be involved in the creative process.
	$8.$ Taking the lead in energizing others.

:

The PROSPER Learning model syntax, which refers to PBL, consists of eight stages, five of which are not in the stages stated by the four referred to in PBL syntax. The state-of-the-art rubric is pictured in

Table 2. State-of-the-art rubric of the PROSPER Learning Model syntax.

Alan and Stoller [49]	Fragoulis and Tsiplakides [50]	Thitivesa [51]	Akharraz [52]	PROSPER
Agreeing on a theme	Speculation	Choosing a topic	Choosing the project theme	Choosing the theme of the project
Determining final outcome of the project	Designing the project activities	Negotiation	Determining the project outcomes	Open-class discussion on correlation of the topic and sustainability
Structuring the project	Conducting the project activities	Project Determination	Structuring the project	Meeting the experts
Preparing students for the demands of information gathering	Evaluation	Preparing the students for the project demands	Information gathering cycles	Structuring the project by considering its contribution to sustainability
Gathering information	-	Gathering information	Information compilation and analysis cycle	Executing the project in a sustainable way
Preparing students to compile and analyze data	-	Sorting out information	Information reporting cycle	Presenting the project
Compiling and analyzing information	-	Submitting the project	Evaluating the project	Evaluating the project
Preparing students for the language demands of the final activity	-	Reflection	-	Publishing the project
Presenting the final project	-	-	-	-
Evaluating the project	-	-	-	-

.

The operational syntax of the PROSPER Learning Model are detailed in

Table 3. Operational syntax of the PROSPER Learning Model.

PROSPER Learning Model Syntax	Description
Choosing the theme of the project	$1.$ Students are grouped.
	$2.$ Lecturer provides themes.
	$3.$ Students and lecturer agree on the project themes.
	$4.$ Students choose a topic.
	$5.$ Lecturer introduces the project goals.
	$6.$ Students decide the project goals in group.
	$7.$ Students decide on the audiences.
Open-class discussion on correlation of the topic and sustainability	$1.$ Teacher provides language intervention.
	$2.$ Students have a class discussion on the group’s topic.
	$3.$ Students may use any media to help them in using English during the discussion.
	$4.$ Students correlate their topics with sustainability.
	$5.$ Students engage in a broader debate and draw connections between the project and sustainability.
	$6.$ Teacher provides feedback on language usage, project, and sustainability.
Meeting the experts	$1.$ Teacher connects students with the expert.
	$2.$ The experts present their knowledge in project theme and sustainability.
	$3.$ Students have a question and answer session with the experts.
Structuring the project by considering its contribution to sustainability	$1.$ Students and the teacher determine the details of the project’s contribution to sustainability.
	$2.$ Students consider their roles and responsibilities as individuals, group members, and part of society.
	$3.$ Students design their collaborative work in groups, between groups, and beyond the classroom.
	$4.$ Students negotiate on the time limit for completing the project.
	$5.$ Students agree on a timeline for obtaining, sharing, and compiling data.
Executing the project in a sustainable way	$1.$ Lecturer provides students with a language intervention session and sustainability issues.
	$2.$ Students conduct the designed activities from the preceding step.
	$3.$ Students gather information on their topic and pay attention to sustainable action.
	$4.$ Students have interval information and feedback.
	$5.$ Students discuss complications in personal relationships and the possibility of changing members in their groups.
	$6.$ Students analyze the gathered information.
	$7.$ Students conduct the project based on the gathered information in a sustainable way.
	$8.$ The project should contribute to sustainability.
Presenting the project	$1.$ Lecturer provides students with language intervention for presentation.
	$2.$ Students may use any media to help them communicate their messages in the presentation.
	$3.$ Groups present their projects.
	$4.$ Teacher and other groups give feedback.
Evaluating the project	$1.$ Students review teachers’ and other groups’ feedback.
	$2.$ Students reflect on the language, project, and sustainability issues in their group, between groups, and with the classroom.
	$3.$ Students may find other people beyond the classroom with skills that resonate with the project.
	$4.$ Students are to give references for improving prospective projects.
Publishing the Project	$1.$ Students revise the end-product of the project.
	$2.$ Teacher reviews the language points and the value of the project.
	$3.$ Students publish the project. It can be formal or informal depending on a class consensus.

.

4. Discussion

As ECS is ESP, the learning model used in this course also refers to the one that is commonly used in ESP. In most ESP courses, Project-Based Learning (PBL) is considered the most effective model for creating a supportive learning environment. Đorđević and Blagojević [55] defined Project-Based Learning in ESP as a series of multifaceted tasks executed by students in probing actions. The students are projected to acquire problem-solving skills and to decide and create products as a reflection of authentic language usage.

In some ways, this kind of learning model is believed to be a means to connect classroom English and actual English. This model allows the use of authentic materials, promotes collaboration, delineates overt learning objectives, places teachers as facilitators, and enables students to act on their own learning while evaluating their English usage in a manner closer to authentic usage. Nevertheless, PBL is not a panacea since it is so flexible in its implementation that it is challenging to define whether the said project is, indeed, authentic.

The image of ECS is generally taught as an English course with content about computers and technology. Furthermore, the concepts included in the course content miss the urgency of promoting sustainability awareness. It is seen from research done in ECS objectives that students typically focus on acquiring English based on their field to compete globally with others after graduating and finding a good job. The course normally anticipates that students need to be able to communicate how to deal with computer matters and components, be it hardware or software, and their prospective career path, but fails to discuss how sustainable those technologies are.

The negligence of sustainability in this course is understandable since the concept of sustainable technology itself has not yet been fully covered in the computer science field, particularly in Indonesia, where people compete to maximize their use of technology and do not consider the impacts on sustainability.

Therefore, we propose the PROSPER learning model where the curriculum better represents ecology. This model is expected to be effective for ESP courses, such as ECS, that promote sustainability awareness. The courses should be redesigned to promote sustainability. In order to do this, rather than reductive separate fact-based disciplines, the goal is to integrate sustainability awareness with competencies, such as learning how to learn, critical thinking, creativity, transformation organization, and dispute resolution.

The students are taught the importance of task-based learning in collaboration, language construction and usage, responding to genuine language in a setting, and many other skills. The integration of the sustainability concept with the ESP and the discipline taught, ECS, is how the PROSPER learning paradigm is placed into action. Despite English-language education being a self-identified global field, it has mostly failed to be considered by students and scholars. Any effort to construct a more sustainable English-language learning environment must ground and relate the work of English to a live, local, and sustainable environment.

The importance of place and space in this discipline was also studied by Eyraud [56], who explored what language classes should look like if ESP/EAP at the university level is to encompass a socially, economically, and ecologically sensitive curriculum. According to the principles of place-based Eco pedagogy, such lessons should challenge students to reconsider how they interact with people and live in their surroundings. He investigated how a place-based Eco pedagogy assists English-language learners in identifying and engaging with discourse models of sustainability and ecological self-hood, as well as how the pedagogy improves students’ English-language development.

In the end, their study provides a window into the compelling pedagogical benefits of such an approach, not only for language learning and teaching but also for structuring awareness of the environment, reinforcing relations among humans and habitation, and complex awareness of more than human worlds. The implication is that, because ESP/EAP students are frequently displaced in their environments, reconnecting them to a place can promote their re-engagement with a sense of connection to nature [57,58,59].

As recent students and younger generations live in such a stressful environment, it is essential to have a strong sense of perseverance in the 21st century. The challenges that recent students face were not present when the previous generation was in school. When faced with a difficult task, many people give up and take failure as a given. Nevertheless, embedding perseverance in ECS teaching in line with the PROSPER learning model will help students to overcome failure, keep them focused on their goals, and teach them to never give up. Even if students face academic, social, or economic difficulties, they can overcome these difficulties by remaining persistent.

5. Conclusions

ECS is meant to be a medium for students majoring in Computer Science to communicate, in English, their ideas, perspectives, and messages relating to their fields that they are going to use later in the workplace or in entrepreneurship. PBL is proposed to be effective in delivering the course. However, the need to incorporate sustainability into project-based learning for this is often ignored, while it is required of students to learn not only the mechanics of the language but also things related to their field of study. Projects integrated with sustainability and perseverance are assumed to enhance students’ interest in working collaboratively, being a part of change for the better, having awareness of sustainability and influencing others to do so, and being persistent in achieving their goals.

Based on the elaboration above, we propose the Project, Sustainability, and Perseverance (PROSPER) learning model to be employed for ECS. First, this learning model considers the 4C skills as basic skills for 21st-century learners. These ECS students, even with their limited competence in acquiring English as a foreign language, will still be able to communicate with a wide range of people in English by using any medium and technology to help them make their message clear. Joining an ECS course with PROSPER is inextricably linked to collaboration with classmates as well as local and global society.

The problem that students solve in the assigned project should be something that cannot be easily searched on the internet; therefore, it will require critical thinking and creativity, which will be assisted by having a project directly related to their studies. The second point that PROSPER contributes is raising sustainability awareness among students and encouraging them to leverage their potential to be agents of change in spreading awareness and taking action.

The last is also one of the skills that twentieth century learners should have. It is called perseverance. This skill is essential because, no matter what challenges a student might face, this skill will assist them in achieving their objectives. These students are facing challenges that the previous generation never imagined. They must be prepared for an uncertain situation in the future as many jobs do not exist anymore, and they may have to create new employment opportunities for themselves.