Mapping the Status of EMI Courses at the University of Messina: The EMI@UniMe Project

Abstract

English-Medium Instruction (EMI) represents a significant development in Higher Education (Pulcini & Campagna, 2015). EMI courses spread across European universities when they embraced education through English to enhance their academic offers and encourage student mobility (De Wit, 2011; Dearden, 2014). By carefully implementing and continuously improving EMI courses, universities can strengthen their internationalisation agenda and provide students with valuable skills for their future careers (Bowles & Murphy, 2020). As Higher Education institutions increasingly adopt EMI to improve their international appeal and foster a multicultural academic environment, the University of Messina (UniMe) has similarly incorporated EMI degree programmes as part of its strategy to increase internationalisation and appeal to students. By implementing EMI courses, UniMe aims to improve global competitiveness and align with European education reforms (Macaro et al., 2018). This paper investigates the current situation of EMI courses at UniMe, highlighting their role in the university’s strategic planning, the challenges encountered, and providing useful and practical recommendations for future improvements. By adapting a questionnaire on EMI developed by the University of Trento’s Interdisciplinary Laboratory for the Quality and Innovation of Didactics (LIQuID, Polli 2021), this study examines EMI lecturers’ opinions regarding institutional and pedagogical aims, teaching practices, and learning assessment methods. The analysis of courses offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and lecturers’ feedback also highlight both the achievements and challenges associated with the EMI@UniMe project.