International exchange strengthens teaching
How can teaching in English become more inclusive, engaging and better adapted to student groups with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds?
“One of the most important insights was that successful teaching in English is not only about language proficiency but also about adapting teaching methods to student groups with different backgrounds and needs,” says Muhammad Hanfi, Assistant Professor at the Örebro University School of Business and one of the participants.
Teaching in English is becoming increasingly common in higher education, while student groups are becoming ever more international. To respond to this development, around twenty teachers from several of NEOLAiA’s nine European partner universities took part in the BIP course Common Accreditation Certificate for Plurilingual Education (CoACe). The course, the first of its kind, was delivered by the University of Jaén, Spain, in June.
The aim was to provide participants with tools to develop English-medium instruction and create more inclusive and student-centred learning environments.
“We hoped that participants would gain insights and skills in how to make teaching in English more productive, interactive, engaging and adapted to diverse groups of students,” says Eva Zetterberg-Pettersson, senior lecturer in English at Örebro University and lead representative in NEOLAiA’s working group on multilingualism and intercultural understanding.
Very positive feedback
In addition to providing new pedagogical perspectives, the course also gave participants the opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues from other European universities.
“It was particularly interesting to learn about the experiences and reflections of teachers from other countries. Exchanging perspectives provided valuable insights into different teaching contexts, but also into the challenges we share as educators,” says Sara Karimzadeh, associate senior lecturer in the School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences at Örebro University, who also took part in the course.
For Muhammad Hanfi, participation led, for example, to a new research collaboration with colleagues from several countries, and to exploring opportunities for student and staff exchanges with Tours, France.
The course was delivered as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), combining online learning activities with an intensive week on site. The spring course was offered as a pilot, and the initiative will continue next year. Two additional CoACe courses will be offered in spring 2027, one in Jaén, Spain, and another in Nicosia, Cyprus. Applications for both courses will open during the autumn.
Text: Jerry Gray
Photo: Jerry Gray