Hybrid pedagogical design of a business English course for beginners: the experience of Yugra state university

Abstract

Introduction. The digital transformation of higher education has necessitated the search for effective ways to integrate online resources into traditional learning, particularly in the field of foreign language education. This article presents the experience of implementing a digital online module into a traditional Business English course for students majoring in non-linguistic fields with a foreign language proficiency level of A1. The impact of partially replacing classroom hours with asynchronous digital content on academic performance, language proficiency dynamics, and student satisfaction is analyzed. The aim of the study is to identify the effects of integrating a digital module into the traditional educational process and to determine the pedagogical conditions that ensure positive results. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted at Yugra State University in the 2025/2026 academic year as part of a pilot project involving 649 students, subsequently divided into control and experimental groups. The methodology was based on entrance and final testing in Business English, statistical analysis of academic performance, questionnaires, and a comparative analysis of the study groups' indicators. Research Results: It was found that the implementation of a digital module, while maintaining in-person practical classes, reduced the achievement gap between the traditional and experimental groups from 12% to 4.1%, increased the proportion of excellent and good grades in the experimental group from 56% to 68%, and maintained a high level of satisfaction with the learning format (4.8 out of 5). Discussion and Conclusions: The scientific novelty of the study lies in the empirical verification of a model for partially replacing classroom hours with asynchronous digital materials and in the description of measurable pedagogical conditions for the successful integration of a digital module into a traditional English course. The key effects of the integration include increased student learning autonomy, a reduction in language barriers, and a redistribution of the teacher's workload in favor of communicative and creative activities. Practical recommendations for implementing a digital module into a traditional Business English course are presented.