Teaching strategy to improve oral expression in English through virtual environments

Abstract

Introduction: Given its national scope and its connection to strategic sectors such as commerce and tourism, the Cimex Training Center requires its employees to possess high levels of communicative competence in English. This responds to the need to train professionals capable of interacting effectively in diverse and demanding work environments. In this context, English proficiency becomes a key tool for ensuring service quality and enhancing competitiveness within Cuban institutions. Materials and Methods: The research employed various methods, including the historical–logical method, modeling, the systemic–structural–functional approach, document analysis, surveys, and experimental techniques. Results: A didactic strategy was designed and structured into five stages, each encompassing specific teaching actions aligned with the particular objectives of each phase in the teaching–learning process. Each stage outlines the type of activity through which both the instructor and course participants—specifically front-line personnel—engage, detailing its implementation within the Moodle platform. Discussion: The overarching didactic principle supporting the strategy posits that oral expression in English is enhanced through the systematic execution of interactive, flexible, guiding, and hierarchical activities. These activities facilitate the development of communicative skills among course participants. Conclusion: The proposed didactic strategy addresses the needs identified during the diagnostic phase. It is characterized by conceptual robustness, methodological coherence, and effective integration of educational technology. It fosters learner autonomy and contextualized practice. The incorporation of interactive activities, timely feedback, and both formative and summative assessment within the Moodle platform enabled the achievement of sustainable outcomes transferable to real work settings, thereby confirming the effectiveness of the approach.