Navigating the world of EMI: Key takeaways from the ICLHE 2025 Conference

Simon from Oxford EMI shares his insights and highlights from this hybrid, global event on Content and Language Integration in Higher Education.

ICLHE Conference logo

The 8th Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education Conference took place in Brazil, hosted by Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) and Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) between the 24th and 27th of September this year.

As an online participant at this well-executed hybrid event, I had the opportunity to connect with a truly international community. From the comfort of my own office, I was able to observe and absorb knowledge from peers across the globe, as well as deliver my own presentation to an engaged, international audience.

The talks were rich, highlighting the crucial and ever-evolving role of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). Here are a few of my key takeaways from the sessions I attended.

A hidden hurdle: Easing EMI teacher anxiety

One of the most immediate and relatable topics was raised by ECR conference grant awardee Dr. Mladen Marinac, who highlighted a critical challenge: anxiety among EMI teachers.

The pressure of planning and delivering courses in a second language can be a significant source of stress, especially for lecturers who are new to the EMI environment. This presentation was a clear call to action, emphasising the need for ongoing training and robust support structures. This type of continuous professional development is vital to help reduce teacher stress and empower lecturers to systematically develop high-quality, well-planned EMI classes.

This message resonated deeply, as addressing these very concerns is a core focus of the training we provide at Oxford EMI. It also tied directly into the theme of my own talk, which explored how targeted training can be a powerful solution (more on that below!).

Encouraging a leap: The power of experimental practices

Another talk that stood out for me was that by Professor Mariangela Picciuolo (University of Bologne). Her presentation provided a compelling argument for why EMI content teachers should be encouraged to try new pedagogical approaches to better meet the dynamic needs of their students.

Dr. Picciuolo showcased a fascinating case study where a lecturer on an MA Engineering course successfully adopted a Flipped Classroom model. By moving some of the core learning content outside of the lecture hall, the professor was able to dedicate valuable class time to focused peer interaction. This shift offers two benefits:

It provides the lecturer with a real-time, active demonstration of student comprehension.
It gives students ample opportunities to develop their English skills in class—a key, integrated element of effective EMI learning.

These kinds of innovative practices, and the evidence-based reasoning behind them, are exactly what we explore with course participants on Oxford EMI training courses.

Simon’s setup for his ICHLE conference talk

The Role of CPD in EMI: Evidence of real change

In my own talk, I focussed on demonstrating the impact Oxford EMI training courses have had on EMI teachers across the globe. My aim was to show how our courses have helped hundreds of EMI teachers plan and deliver more effective and successful EMI courses in their own institutions.

I framed this against the three main areas of concern raised by EMI lecturers in a study by Dr. Ben Beaumont:

“The main areas of lecturer concern in relation to their EMI practice were speaking in English, matters relating to pedagogy and time.”

(Beaumont, 2019:102 )

To illustrate the positive changes, I shared powerful evidence, including feedback from post-course feedback survey responses, as well as follow-up emails and conversations from past course participants.

These included:

A slide from the presentation

This feedback clearly showed how these dedicated lecturers had made meaningful and lasting changes to how they plan and deliver their EMI courses after completing their Oxford EMI courses. It also shows that targeted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) isn’t just a box to tick; it’s a critical catalyst for improving both teacher confidence and student outcomes in EMI.

If you’d like to find out more about how Oxford EMI courses could help you or your institution, please get in touch.

A thanks to the organisers

Congratulations are due to the exceptional teams at UFCSPA and UFRGS, and to everyone who played a part in the meticulous organisation of the conference. Thank you for creating a space that brought together so many like-minded EMI researchers and trainers, both in-person and online, for such wonderful and practical discussions.

Here’s hoping it leads to meaningful, practical collaborations to support EMI teaching and learning across the globe.