An Exploration to the Needs of using English in the Bachelor of Computer Science

Abstract

The English language is a necessary tool to promote and disseminate knowledge at the local and international level. This article discusses a sample of the findings of a case study from a Master’s thesis and a broader research project at a public university in the north of Mexico. We discuss the emergent data found from the perspectives of a program coordinator, a professor, a student, and alumnus from the undergraduate program in Computer Sciences as part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field. The objective of this research is to identify the needs of students in this undergraduate program in connection to academic and occupational purposes in regards to English language use. The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire (to the program coordinator) and three interviews (to a teacher, a student, and an alumnus). The data shows that students mainly use English for reading in order to comprehend academic texts and articles in journals, as well as the knowledge of technical vocabulary. These results prove helpful in order to justify the need for designing English for Academic purposes courses in the Natural and Exact Sciences in this university.