A Comparative Study of Best Practices for Emergency Remote Language Teaching at Foro Italico Language Centre

The objective of this paper is to illustrate best practices implementedat the Foro Italico Language Centre (CLA) for emergency remote teaching andassessment due to Covid-19 pandemic (Erarslan 2021). To do so a comparativestudy of the organization of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) Bachelor (BA)and Master (MA) courses and related assessment before, during and after theemergency period of strictest restrictions are shown. Furthermore, comparisonsof data collected regarding trends for attendance and exam results overdifferent academic years are discussed, with a focus on the differences betweenpre-pandemic blended learning, emergency remote teaching and thedual mode teaching approach of the most recent phase of the emergency.The decade-long experience of the CLA with computer-based teaching/learning and assessment as well as with e-learning platforms contributed toa smoother shift to remote, hybrid, dual mode teaching and testing for languageteaching staff than for other academic staff. This is due to the CLAresearch interest on effective and innovative use of technology (Chapelle andDouglas 2006, Chalhoub-Deville 2001, Chapelle 2001).Finally, the CLA had a prominent role in supporting and training Foro Italicoacademic staff during the emergency for a more effective remote teaching.Concluding remarks on challenges and opportunities such as the transitionfrom a more traditional face-to-face system or blended learning to a new, innovative,and more effective teaching approach supported by technologicaltools and the consequent improvement of digital literacy and digital divide(Zhixuan, 2021) are provided.