CoACe: international exchange strengthened teaching
How can teaching in English become more inclusive, engaging, and responsive to students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds?
“One of the most important insights was that effective English-medium instruction is not only about language proficiency but also about adapting teaching methods to support students with diverse backgrounds and needs,” says Muhammad Hanfi, Assistant Professor at the Örebro University School of Business.
What is CoACe?
CoACe (Common Accreditation Certificate for Plurilingual Education) is an international professional development program for university teachers, focusing on teaching in English-medium and multilingual learning environments.
The course is delivered as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), combining online learning activities with an intensive week on-site.
Teaching in English is increasingly common in higher education, and student groups are becoming more international. To meet this trend, teachers from several European universities took part in the NEOLAiA BIP course CoACe, the first course of its kind.
The aim was to provide participants with tools to develop English-medium instruction and foster more inclusive, student-centered learning environments.
“We hoped participants would gain insights and skills to make teaching in English more productive, interactive, engaging, and better adapted to diverse student groups,” says Eva Zetterberg-Pettersson, senior lecturer in English at Örebro University and a delegate on NEOLAiA’s working group on multilingualism and intercultural understanding.
Very positive feedback
“Participants greatly appreciated the course, even though it was very intensive and content-heavy,” she says.
In addition to providing new pedagogical perspectives, the course also offered participants opportunities to exchange experiences with colleagues from other European universities.
CoACe was launched as a pilot course, and the initiative will continue next year. Two additional CoACe courses will be offered in spring 2027: one in Jaén, Spain, in April and another in Nicosia, Cyprus, in May. Applications will open in the autumn semester.
Text: Jerry Gray
Photo: Jerry Gray