English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)

Date: 17 April 2026.
Time: 12:00–13:00 CET.
Format: Online.
Trainers: Leva Žebrytė.                                                                                              Target Audience: Academics & researchers, admin. Staff, early post-docs.                More info here.

Summary: Drawing on insights from Māori–Mapuche educational partnerships, neuroscience and Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the webinar looks at what meaningful learning requires from today’s learners and educators and how assessment in EMI can leverage students’ cultural and social capitals. Together, the speakers discuss how as practice approaches can open up classrooms for learning from and within ecosystems; how doing, including thinking and saying are deeply interconnected.

Webinar focus: This session focuses on challenges that lecturers may face in developing fair and culturally sensitive modes of competence-specific assessment in EMI. It explores the what, why and how of developing Global Citizenship competences (GCi) and entrepreneurial competences (EntreComp) through an intercultural and practice‑based lens.

Date: 12 February 2026.
Time: 12:00–13:00 CET.
Format: Online.
Trainers: Katherine Ackerley and Fiona Dalziel.                                                      Target Audience: Academics & researchers, admin. Staff, early post-docs.                More info here.

Summary: Drawing on data from a student survey and focus groups with students and lecturers, the speakers reflected on stakeholders’ differing perceptions of written and oral assessment of content knowledge. It has been seen that in the case of international students, there may be concerns relating not only to language and academic literacy competence, but also to their need to adapt to the local academic culture.

Webinar focus: This webinar focuses on some of the challenges that lecturers may face in developing fair and effective modes of assessment in EMI.

Date: 11 December 2025
Time: 12:00 13:00 CET
Format: Online
Trainers: Alicia Salomone and Ludmila Kalasnikova.
Target Audience: Academics & researchers, admin. Staff, early post-docs              More information here

Summary: This webinar aimed to introduce “language-light” assessment approaches that are designed to reduce linguistic demands on EMI students while preserving content-focused academic standards. Participants explored practical alternatives to traditional written assignments and learned how small intentional adjustments can meaningfully enhance fairness and inclusion in EMI contexts.

Webinar Focus: The webinar provided concrete, adaptable techniques that educators can implement across a wide range of disciplines. By the end of the session, participants were encouraged to reflect on their own assessment practices and identify opportunities to design assessment tasks that are more accessible, equitable and linguistically inclusive.

Date: 20 November 2025
Time: 12:00 13:00 CET
Format: Online
Trainer: Pınar Koçer
Target Audience: Academics & researchers, admin. Staff, early post-docs

More information here

Summary: This webinar sought to explore the complexities of assessing both content and language, outline the range of assessment practices observed across EMI contexts and discuss how collaboration between content lecturers and language specialists can promote fairness, transparency and validity in assessment design.

Webinar Focus: The seminar provided participants with an overview of the key principles, challenges and current debates surrounding assessment in English-medium instruction (EMI).

Date: 5 June 2025
Time: 13:30 – 14:30 (CEST)
Format: Online
Trainers: Francesca Costa (Catholic University of Sacro Cuore) and Cristina Mariotti (University of Pavia)
Target Audience: Students, academic and non-academic staff interested in EMI research

More information here

Summary:
This was the seventh (and last) event in its English-Medium Instruction (EMI) Seminar Series for 2024–25. This seminar aimed to reflect on the role of qualitative research in the context of EMI. The speakers presented a series of empirical studies conducted in Italian university settings as well as the edited volume Input in EMI, which brings together a variety of perspectives on this topic.

Webinar Focus:
The webinar guided the exploration of several interrelated topics: how lecturers present content to support comprehension, the role of questions in fostering interaction and critical thinking, the ways different disciplines shape input strategies, and the experiences of both local and international students in EMI settings.

Date: 15 May 2025
Time: 12:00–13:00 CEST
Format: Online
Trainer:  Dr Marta Kopinska (University of the Basque Country)
Target Audience: Students, academic and non-academic staff interested in EMI research
Organised by: Arqus European University Alliance & Maynooth University
More information here.

Summary:
Drawing on her own and her colleagues’ recent qualitative research, Dr Marta Kopinska explored factors that lie behind EMI students’ (de)motivation to interact in class, as well as EMI-related anxiety. She also discussed some qualitative methods that were used to investigate these factors in the EMI setting and trace them over time.

Webinar Focus:
The webinar explored affective factors such as motivation and anxiety that might influence classroom interaction in EMI.

Date: 17 April 2025
Time: 12:00–13:00 CEST
Format: Online
Trainer: Michael Byram (Durham University and Sofia University) and Lynne Parmenter, (Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan)
Target Audience: Students, academic and non-academic staff interested in EMI research
Organised by: Arqus European University Alliance & Maynooth University
More information here.

Summary:
In this fifth event in 2024-25  English-Medium Instruction (EMI) seminar series, the speakers presented the view that working in a new academic environment involves much more than proficiency in the language of the environment. Whether the language is “the same” as that used by students in their familiar environment or different and “foreign”, they are bound to have new (academic) cultural experiences and draw on their intercultural competence.

Webinar Focus:
Participants will be introduced to a model of Academic Intercultural (Communicative) Competence and will learn about its implications for practice, including contexts of EMI.

Date: 6 March 2025
Time: 12:00–13:00 CET
Format: Online
Trainer: Dr Samantha Curle (University of Bath)
Target Audience: Students, academic and non-academic staff interested in EMI research
Organised by: Arqus European University Alliance & Maynooth University
More information here.

Summary:
This fourth EMI webinar of the 2024-2025 Arqus series focused on advancing EMI research through quantitative methods. Drawing on her recently published book Researching English Medium Instruction: Quantitative Methods for Students and Researchers, Dr. Samantha Curle introduced participants to key concepts and tools for investigating EMI in higher education.

Webinar Focus:
The webinar explored how quantitative methods—including ANOVA, Likert-type surveys, and structural equation modelling (SEM)—can be used to study EMI practices, challenges, and outcomes. The trainer highlighted critical success factors such as content learning, English proficiency, and psychological constructs affecting EMI student performance.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand key quantitative approaches for EMI research
• To examine real-world EMI studies using these methods
• To explore how quantitative analysis can inform EMI policy and practice
• To reflect on how educators can conduct and apply their own research

Outcome:
Participants left with valuable tools for planning and conducting EMI-related research. The session bridged theoretical and practical insights, helping build capacity for evidence-based improvement of EMI teaching and learning.

Date: 20 February 2025
Time: 12:00–13:00 CET
Format: Online
Trainers: Prof. Emma Dafouz (Complutense University of Madrid) and Prof. Ute Smit (University of Vienna)
Target Audience: EMI educators, researchers, academic leaders
Organised by: Arqus European University Alliance & Maynooth University
More information here.

Summary:
This session—the third in the 2024–2025 Arqus EMI Webinar series—presented the ROAD-MAPPING framework for analyzing English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education. The framework enables educators and policymakers to comprehensively evaluate EMI practices through the lens of inclusive internationalization and institutional diversity.

Webinar Focus:
Participants explored how the ROAD-MAPPING framework helps dissect linguistic, pedagogical, and institutional dimensions of EMI. The trainers shared practical applications of the model across multilingual university contexts, emphasising how it supports quality teaching, policy design, and global academic engagement.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the components of the ROAD-MAPPING framework
• To analyse EMI contexts within and across diverse higher education institutions
• To explore the impact of language policies on curriculum and pedagogy
• To reflect on inclusive approaches to EMI program design

Outcome:
Attendees left with a powerful conceptual tool to inform research, program evaluation, and practice in EMI. The workshop emphasised the importance of aligning language and content goals in multilingual, internationalised educational settings.

Date: 16 January 2025
Time: 12:00–13:00 CET
Format: Online
Trainers: Dr. Yulia Kharchenko (Maynooth University) and Sidi Ahmed Berrabah (University of Limerick)
Target Audience: EMI practitioners, researchers, and educators in multilingual contexts
Organised by: Arqus European University Alliance
More information here.

Summary:
This webinar, part of the 2024–2025 Arqus EMI Series, focused on current research themes and methods in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). It offered both a conceptual overview and a practical case study of EMI research in multilingual, post-colonial contexts, specifically Algeria.

Webinar Focus:
Participants explored major lines of EMI research and engaged with a real-world doctoral case study examining EMI implementation in Algerian business schools. The session provided an analysis of methodological strategies, including mixed-methods approaches, and introduced the concept of translanguaging as a teaching tool in linguistically diverse classrooms.

Learning Objectives:

• To identify key research trends and methods in EMI
• To understand how EMI is implemented in multilingual, post-colonial contexts
• To explore the use of translanguaging in higher education
• To reflect on methodology and positionality in EMI research

Outcome:
Participants deepened their understanding of how EMI practices vary across contexts and how they can contribute to inclusive and culturally responsive education. The case study offered actionable insights for researchers working with multilingual student populations.

Date: 12 December 2024
Time: 12:00–13:00 CET
Format: Online
Trainer: Dr. Clive Earls (Maynooth University)
Target Audience: Academics, researchers, and teachers
Organised by: Arqus European University Alliance & Maynooth University

More information here.

Summary:
This webinar marked the first session in the 2024–2025 Arqus EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) series. Led by Dr. Clive Earls, associate professor at Maynooth University, the event tackled the complexities of knowledge diversity and intercultural responsibility in English-medium classrooms. It raised critical questions about who holds responsibility for navigating and bridging cultural and academic differences in internationalized higher education environments.

Webinar Focus:
Dr. Earls offered both theoretical and practical perspectives on how educators can support EMI students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The session explored the role of intercultural pedagogies, linguistic inclusion, and institutional responsibility in supporting student learning and equity.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the impact of disparate knowledge systems on EMI learning environments
• To explore the role of intercultural competence in higher education
• To reflect on teacher responsibility in navigating diverse academic cultures
• To identify pedagogical strategies that promote inclusive EMI teaching

Outcome:
Participants gained tools and frameworks for critically assessing their own EMI practices. The session encouraged reflective thinking about the social, linguistic, and cultural dimensions of teaching in English in globally diverse classrooms.

6 June 2024

Juan Antonio Lacomba Arias and Pilar Ibarrondo Dávila (University of Granada)

More information here.

27 June 2024

Anne-Marie Elbe (Leipzig University)

More information here.

18 April 2024

Derya Özkaya Öztürk (University of Graz)

More information here.

14 March 2024

Anna Czura (University of Wrocław )

More information here.

15 February 2024

Maria Filomena Pereira Rodrigues Louro (University of Minho )

More information here.

18 January 2024

Yulia Kharchenko (Macquarie University)

More information here.

14 December 2023

Clive W. Earls (Maynooth University)

More information here.

16 November 2023

Marcelo Kremer (Universidade de Aveiro)

More information here.

Monday, 16 February.

This concluding session will provide an opportunity to revisit key themes from the series and address remaining questions or concerns. Participants can share insights, discuss specific challenges and plan how to apply what they have learnt in their own teaching.

Monday, 9 February.

Discover effective ways to help students plan, structure and deliver presentations in English. This workshop will offer language support for guiding students toward academic public speaking.

Monday, 2 February

Gain insight into what constitutes effective academic writing in English and how to recognise it in your students’ work. This session will focus on key criteria such as clarity, structure and appropriate academic style.

Monday, 26 January

Learn how to give clear, supportive, and constructive feedback in English. This workshop will focus on useful language, tone and techniques to encourage student improvement and motivation.

Monday, 19 January

Explore practical strategies to speak more confidently and naturally in the classroom. This session will help you build fluency, reduce hesitation, and communicate clearly with your students in English.

Monday, 12 January

In this opening workshop, participants exchanged experiences and challenges of teaching through English. They identified common themes and practical approaches for building confidence and effectiveness in EMI contexts.

Monday, 4 March 2024

15:30 – 17:00 (CET)

What is interactive teaching? In this workshop, we will practice ways that student input and teacher responses are best facilitated within the ongoing classroom discourse. The focus of this workshop will be on interactive speaking skills practice.

More information here.

Friday, 1 March 2024

13:30 – 15:00 (CET)

This workshop is designed for teachers who want to fine-tune their understanding and use of advanced English grammar in the university classroom.

More information here.

Monday, 29 January 2024

15:30 – 17:00 (CET)

In this workshop, we will produce a short list of language issues that students need for academic success with a focus on interactive communication and refining interactive teacher and peer-feedback in advanced language practice.

More information here.

Friday, 26 January 2024

13:30 – 15:00 (CET)

University students and lecturers have become increasingly aware of the need to acquire the necessary disciplinary language needed for academic success. In this workshop, we will explore ways to improve lexical choice and range in regard to subject-specific course content.

More information here.

Friday, 19 January 2024

13:30 – 15:00 (CET)

In this workshop, participants will deepen their understanding of specific writing issues that comprise the core of advanced academic English language and content courses. In particular, this workshop will focus on writing and editing practice for assigning and correcting university coursework.

More information here.

Friday, 12 January 2024

13:30 – 15:00 (CET)

In academic texts, cohesive devices serve to link ideas and create a logical flow with and between sentences. In this workshop, we will explore the role that cohesive devices play in the creation of academic texts and presentations and practice strategies for teaching these important linguistic elements in the classroom.

More information here.