Institutional Strategies to Increase Emi Quantity and Quality in Russian Higher Education Institutions: Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The article starts by examining the reasons behind the relatively recent growth of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Russian higher education institutions, from internationalization to more altruistic motives. While internationalization in Russia has recently been facilitated through a top-down approach at a national level, the quantity and quality of courses and programs taught in English are the responsibility of Russian universities and are primarily managed at an institutional level. Russian higher education institutions (HEIs) have been employing several strategies such as international recruiting, long-term university partnerships and faculty development. The authors take a closer look at each strategy, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, and illustrating it with some examples. Comparative analysis of the strategies under scrutiny allows to highlight more effective ones which are likely to positively impact the quantity and quality of EMI in Russian higher education in the years to come.

EMI for Universities: How to Benefit from Embodying It into Educational Process

“…The paradigm suggested by Schmidt-Unterberger (2018) describes five distinctive categories: Pre-sessional ESP/EAP, Embedded ESP/EAP, Adjunct ESP, EMI, and ICLHE. It may be stated that in Russian higher education institutions, EAP and ESP predominantly belong to the domain of the English language as a subject in the HE curriculum (Belyaeva & Freese, 2021). CLIL could be interpreted as a foreign language enrichment measure packaged into content teaching, more characteristic of a secondary school (Dalton-Puffer, 2011).…”