Online: Session and Presenter Details

Opening Plenary

10:00-11.00

Lecture Theatre 4: Redefining the Role of EAP in the Era of English Medium Instruction and expanding Transnational Education

Professor Nicola Galloway (University of Exeter) and Professor Bee Bond (University of Leeds)

The global growth of English Medium Instruction (EMI), alongside the rapid expansion of Transnational Education (TNE), is transforming higher education systems in non-Anglophone contexts. As universities increase English-taught provision and develop cross-border partnerships—often through programmes split between providers—there has been a clear shift in language education from English for General Purposes (EGP) towards English for Academic Purposes (EAP). This transition reflects not only intensified linguistic demands on students and teachers, but also the growing centrality of academic literacy and disciplinary communication in internationalised higher education. This plenary explores the opportunities created by these developments to foreground the pedagogical and institutional significance of EAP in supporting successful, high-quality EMI and TNE provision. At the same time, we consider the implications of this shift for the professional status, recognition, and identity of EAP practitioners. Drawing on a case study in China examining professional development opportunities for EAP teachers in rapidly expanding EMI institutions, we highlight both the emerging possibilities and persistent challenges shaping EAP within shifting higher education landscapes. We argue that systemic change is required to position EAP practitioners not as peripheral service providers, but as central actors in EMI and TNE curriculum design, staff development, and policy implementation. Such change is essential not only for quality assurance, but also for promoting equity across institutions, including more coherent recognition and support for EAP teachers working within English-medium and internationalised programmes. As TNE and cross-border university alliances expand, we also examine the need for a more globally attuned EAP agenda—one that recognises cultural and pedagogical diversity across contexts, and balances demands for global English competence with local relevance, norms, and academic values. We conclude by outlining directions for future research and calling for more collaborative inquiry with EAP professionals to build a shared vision for sustainable EMI and TNE. Finally, we argue for more critical engagement with prevailing definitions of “internationalisation” in higher education, including deeper examination of partnership structures, the dominance of English, and the extent to which EMI and TNE can foster meaningful global engagement, knowledge exchange, and intercultural understanding. We call for a reimagining of internationalisation, EMI, TNE and EAP through a stronger focus on equitable partnerships and the power and centrality of language(s) to the work this involves. 

Nicola Galloway is Professor of Applied Linguistics, with a specialisation in sociolinguistics and language teaching research. Her research has included exploring attitudes towards the English language and in relation to English language teaching, Global Englishes, teaching English as an international language, and English Medium Instruction. Her work straddles applied linguistics and higher education studies. Publications include a number of books on Global Englishes, including Introducing Global Englishes (Routledge), Global Englishes for Language Teaching (Cambridge), The Routledge Handbook of Teaching English as an international language ( Routledge), Teaching English as an International Language (Cambridge) and Global Englishes for English Language Teaching (Routledge). She has published widely in the fields of Applied Linguistics and Higher Education and coordinates the ELIPro network (Education, Languages and Internationalisation network). It partners with The University of Oxford EMI Research Group (http://www.emi.network/), where she is an honorary research fellow.   Bee Bond is a Professor in EAP and is co-lead for a part-time, online MA in Teaching EAP at the University of Leeds. She is a practitioner/ scholar and her work is focused on highlighting the vital role that language plays in all forms of academic communication, and what that means for EAP and university teacher and student development. This was the focus of her book: Bond, B. (2020). Making Language Visible in the University: English for Academic Purposes and Internationalisation. Multilingual Matters.

11:10-11:40

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Symposium. Question and Answer. A series of 20-minute talks on research and reflections from EAP educators at one of the largest and longest established UK-China EMI/TNE institutions. Talks will be released on 19th March and shared with online participants to watch in advance. (Choice of 6 - See below)

EAP in transition: building crucial competences for a changing world through language teaching - Steven Bateman and Yuan Tian.

Facing a world filled with uncertainty, ambiguity, complexity, changeability and scarcity, an emerging aim in global higher education is to produce graduates who are not only knowledgeable in their field, but also culturally and academically agile. They should be able to adapt their learning and communication strategies to meet different expectations effectively, integrating and synthesising perspectives from diverse cultures and traditions. To our increasingly internationalized higher education, helping students adapt to different academic cultures and expectations is a core mission. It requires moving beyond simple ‘orientation’ to embedded, scaffolded, and reflective support that fosters intercultural academic competence.

Drawing on experience teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) to Year One students and the shift from teaching English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) to Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) to Year Two students in Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), this presentation will share practice and reflection on helping students cope with different academic cultures and disciplinary expectations in English-medium and transnational Higher Education, and how global academic literacy – a crucial competency – can be developed through language teaching. Steven Bateman is a Principal Language Lecturer with the English Language Centre at XJTLU. He is also working towards his PhD in Education with Lancaster University. His research interests include: leadership and followership in international higher education, student engagement, and transition to university. Yuan Tian is currently the Deputy Head of the Academic Literacies Centre (ALC) at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and a Senior Language Lecturer. She previously served as a Head of Division, overseeing all EAP courses catering for Humanities and Social Sciences students and Filmmaking and TV Production Students. Her research interests include: content and language integrated learning (CLIL), language learning strategies, sociolinguistics, and intercultural communication.

Enhancing Pre-Sessional EAP Teacher Development through Academic Reading Circles - Sam Evans and Xiaoqing Bi.

This presentation explores how Academic Reading Circles (ARCs) can serve as an effective model for continuing professional development (CPD) among English for Academic Purposes (EAP) practitioners, using a case study from a 12-week pre-sessional programme at a transnational university in China. The ARC initiative brought together teachers to engage with key readings, encouraging comprehension through collaborative interpretation, evaluation, and synthesis (Fox & Alexander, 2011).

The ARC sessions drew upon Seaburn’s (2016) model, adapting it from a focus on developing students’ reading skills to developing teachers’ engagement with the content of written texts. The sessions used a non-hierarchical format involving pre-reading, post-it notes and concentric circles as a template for group discussion, and critical reflection. Data collected from a semi-structured focus group revealed a range of professional benefits. Participants reported greater engagement with pedagogical literature, enhanced understanding of key course concepts, and practical changes in their teaching. Importantly, teachers also noted that the ARC process built a stronger sense of professional community and mirrored the kind of reflective, collaborative learning they sought to promote in their own classrooms. Sam Evans has been teaching English for over 20 years in Poland, Spain, the UK, and China, where he is currently a Senior Lecturer in EAP. Sam's principal research interests relate to EAP curriculum development, discipline-specific language acquisition, TEAP pedagogies, and cultural influences on student and teacher engagement. Xiaoqing Bi is an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China, where she teaches on a range of pre-sessional and in-sessional academic literacy programmes. She is also a PhD student whose research is situated in transnational and English-medium higher-education contexts. Her research interests include ESAP practitioners’ professional identity and socialisation, teacher development, collaboration between language and content specialists, and the role of students in teachers’ professional learning. She is also a member of the All Things EAP podcast team, contributing to professional dialogue and knowledge exchange within the EAP community.

Integrating Intercultural Competence into EAP for Transnational Education: A Practical Framework - Yi Tao, Liqun Pan and Haiying Song.

While definitions of intercultural competence (ICC) vary, there is broad consensus that it is a critical ability to be nurtured alongside students’ academic knowledge and skills. This is particularly relevant in the context of transnational education (TNE).

This presentation aims to demonstrate how activities targeting the awareness and development of ICC can be effectively woven into EAP curricula at TNE institutions. It starts with a brief review of the meaning and core components of ICC (Neuner, 2012; UNESCO, 2013), and outlines its importance for postsecondary students - especially those attending TNE institutions. Underpinned by the view that the language classroom provides an ideal setting for introducing and developing ICC (Moeller and Nugent, 2014; Zhang and Zhou, 2019; Yang et al., 2025), the speakers then propose a 4-E framework, i.e. Exposure, Engagement, Extrapolation and (Self-) Evaluation, for ICC-focused EAP activities. The activities are illustrated through hands-on examples, several of which leverage AI tools in their design and implementation. The presentation concludes with a reflection on the framework and broader considerations regarding the cultivation of ICC within TNE (Ou and Gu, 2018). The audience will leave with a reinforced understanding of ICC’s vital role in TNE, and a toolkit of classroom-ready strategies. All three presenters have experience teaching on a diverse range of EAP modules in a TNE setting. Their research interests span from language teaching methodology, technology-enhanced language instruction to integrating intercultural competence with language teaching and learning.

Supporting Academic and Cultural Transition: The Role of EAP in Student Mobility - Jiahang Li (Bruce) and Yuran Wang (University of Minnesota Twin Cities).

As increasing numbers of students move from transnational and EMI programmes to degree study in English-speaking countries such as the UK, challenges of transition extend beyond language proficiency. Students are required to adapt rapidly to unfamiliar academic cultures, including expectations around criticality, assessment practices, feedback engagement, classroom interaction, and independent learning. Drawing on practice from a Chinese EMI context, this presentation will explore how EAP can explicitly prepare students for the academic cultures. I will firstly examine common transition challenges faced by students. Then, practical EAP tasks and curriculum strategies will be shared, including activities that develop assessment literacy, feedback literacy, and confidence prior to and during mobility. Moreover, this presentation also discuss how EAP practitioners can work more closely with disciplinary colleagues and AI to design transition-focused support that enables students to transfer more smoothly, confidently, and successfully into degree study. Jiahang (Bruce) Li is an Associate Language Lecturer in EAP at Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University. He teaches across pre-sessional and in-sessional programmes and contributes to curriculum design, material development, and cross-cultural activities. His research interests focus on Sociocultural theory, identity development and technology use in language education. Jiahang is a BALEAP member, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), with teaching experience across China, Canada, and the UK.

Supporting Pre-Sessional English (PSE) Students' Assessment Literacy: The Role of Feedback in an EMI context - Ms. Xinyi Chen and Ms Lulu Huang.

Student assessment literacy plays a crucial role in high-stakes English for Academic Purposes (EAP) contexts, particularly within Pre-Sessional English (PSE) programmes, which serve as compulsory language training for students whose English proficiency falls below institutional entry requirements. In English-Medium Instruction (EMI) settings, PSE students often have little or no prior experience of studying in English-medium classrooms. Without the language skills necessary and assessment literacy, students risk misunderstanding assessments, failing to meet learning outcomes, and ultimately being unable to progress to further degree education. This study was conducted during a six-week PSE course at a transnational education (TNE) university in China. It adopted the student assessment literacy framework proposed by Hannigan et al. (2022), with a focus on Active Engagement in Assessment. It aims to understand PSE students’ perceptions of AI, peer, and teacher feedback in writing assessment, as well as to explore strategies for enhancing their active engagement in this process. The study employed Q-methodology to capture the viewpoints of students and teachers on feedback, as well as to identify shared patterns of engagement among them. The results of this study contribute to language practitioners' understanding of active engagement in assessment, offering valuable insights for curriculum design and lesson planning. Lulu has been working as an EAP teacher at XJTLU since 2021. Prior to joining XJTLU, Lulu taught various English courses (e.g., PET, IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) to students of all ages for nearly a decade, accumulating valuable teaching and program management experience. After joining XJTLU, Lulu has not only delivered effective EAP lessons, but has also actively engaged in teaching-related research. Her research interests include innovative teaching and teaching technologies. With the support of her colleagues, students, and the resources at XJTLU, Lulu has published research articles and co-presented the results of their research at various conferences.  Xinyi Chen is an EAP lecturer at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. With an educational background in biological engineering, she has always been drawn to discovery, exploring and understanding how life works. That same curiosity extends to her career in education, where she is constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to enhance learning experiences. She reads about cognitive psychology, neuroscience, the science of learning and a little bit of everything about how humans learn and how things work. Her current research projects include mindfulness in language education, learner emotions and how Affective Computing may leverage learning outcomes.

The Translanguaging Taboo: Is rich meaning-making the key to language acquisition? - James Stubbs, Aaron Kelly and Jonathan Tillotson.

In our, albeit anecdotal, experience the concept of Translanguaging seems to be somewhat taboo in EMI circles. For us, what Translanguaging successfully questions is the assumption that language acquisition can be reduced to a zero sum equation (Quantity of language acquired = Time spent working on that language). The context within which we work is rich in multilingual resources, with students coming to our EMI university from all over the world to join English second language speakers from China. Our idea was to introduce a language exchange to see if Translanguaging could be used to enrichen meaning making and increase language acquisition despite the student’s time being spent across two languages. We examined students’ perceptions by using the well-established Community of Inquiry Framework which focus on social presence, cognitive presence and teacher presence and postulates that they are the building blocks of learning. We surveyed 72 students and interviewed five. We found that our students perceived each of these building blocks to be present in the Translanguaging environment and that they were able to understand that communicating with the full set of linguistic resources and sharing the role of More-Knowledgeable other created an environment rich in meaning-making and learning. James, Aaron and Jonathan are EAP lectuers and Academic Literacy specialists at XJTLU in Suzhou China

11:30-11:50

Lightning Talks and E-Poster Presentation. Question and Answer. Talks will be released on 19th March and shared with online participants to watch in advance. (Choice of 4 - see below)

A Teaching Framework for English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in Thailand's context: Moving from theory to practice - Parichat Chiablaem, (University of Sussex and Kasetsart University)

This study aims to explore Thai lecturers’ perceptions and beliefs in terms of English and Thai use in their EMI classrooms as well as to understand challenges, strategies, and benefits that EMI lecturers face and use in EMI teaching practices. The research design is influenced by Action Research (AR) principles which aim to bridge the gaps between current practices and future improvement within a Thai higher education. With the ultimate goal of this study, the research results will be beneficial to provide some useful suggestions for EMI lecturers to reflect on their own practices and decide to solve problems that occur in their classroom contexts based on Action Research methodology. The findings show that EMI lecturers have a strong belief towards using English to teach academic subjects and using Thai as an additional language when needed. In the classroom practices, some of the lecturers designed their classrooms aligned with their beliefs; however, some lecturers also taught slightly different from what they believe in terms of language use and their teaching focuses. In the aspects of the role of English and Thai in the EMI classrooms, they play different roles. English is seen as a dominant language according to the English-only policy and also personally beliefs of the lecturers towards English skills and English improvement as a by-product after students’ graduation from the English program. Parichat Chiablaem is a PhD candidate from University of Sussex, UK and an Assistant Professor at Kasetsart University, Thailand.

EAP Learner Identity and Writing Style: Developing Students EAP Writers in a Japanese EMI Program - Ellen Head, (Miyazaki International University)

"Reflecting on the teaching of writing since the explosion of generative AI in 2021, students' ability to convey their authentic identity in their written work and consistency between their written work and oral competency, have become increasingly key (Ya-Ping Hsiao et al, 2023). But what are those identities? This talk focuses on students who are studying in a small liberal arts university in the south of Japan. Since 2018, the percentage of non-Japanese students has increased markedly, reflecting the Japanese policy of internationalization (Aspinall, 2010) and need for educated foreign workers in the near future. Students from what Kachru would term ""second circle"" countries have made up around 20% of the student body since 2024. All students take foundation classes in communicative English and academic English but due to accepting freshmen twice a year, the foundation classes have become segregated. However students also take EMI classes in Economics, History, Politics, Philosophy, Sociology and compulsory classes in Global Citizenship and ICT, which are taken together with Japanese students in mixed-ability groups. As a teacher of academic English, the presenter will explore how students develop in their ability to articulate their identity on the page and how interactions with teachers and fellow students can contribute to this. The main data referred to will be students' informal written work and essays from the academic year 2024-5 and 2025-6. Part of the presentation will also showcase the presenter's policy on talking about AI with students, as this foregrounds the need for students to be aware of and articulate their own positionality. If there is an opportunity it would be hoped to discuss how this need may impact academic writing style in the future. References: Aspinall, R. (2010) Education Reform in Japan in an Era of Internationalization and Risk. CRR Discussion Paper. Shiga University; Ya-Ping Hsiao, Nadia Klijn & Mei-Shiu Chiu (2023) Developing a framework to re-design writing assignment assessment for the era of Large Language Models, Learning: Research and Practice, 9:2, 148-158, DOI: 10.1080/23735082.2023.2257234. Ellen Head has taught English at various universities in Japan since 2000. She holds a PGCE in TESOL from the university of London and an MA in Japanese Language and Society from the university of Sheffield. Her research activities have been driven by her teaching context, reflecting the need to find ways to build autonomy capacity for students studying in Japanese Universities.

When English Doesn’t Matter: The Invisible Threshold in a Joint Institute - Russell Savage (University of Warwick)

This lightning talk introduces the concept of the Invisible Threshold to examine how students enter and navigate English Medium Instruction (EMI) within a Sino-British Transnational Higher Education (TNHE) joint institute in China. Drawing on interview data, narrative frames, and classroom observations of undergraduate students, the talk argues that key assumptions about EMI are not fully visible to students at the point of entry, but emerge only through participation.

For many students, EMI is not the primary motivation for choosing to study at a joint institute. Instead, decisions are shaped by factors such as entry scores, institutional prestige, certification pathways, and uncertainty about future study. EMI becomes salient only after enrolment, when students encounter a set of unadvertised rules about how learning and assessment actually function. The Invisible Threshold captures these hidden expectations: when English matters, when it does not, and how students are expected to manage linguistic demands independently. Rather than engaging more deeply with EMI, students describe strategic practices that minimise linguistic risk, including reliance on translation software, AI tools, peer support in Chinese, and bilingual staff outside class. In this context, EMI remains formally present but seen as less important. Russell Savage is a lecturer in EAP/ESAP at Sino-British Transnational Higher Education joint institutes in Mainland China and a PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. His research explores student and staff experiences of English Medium Instruction (EMI), with a focus on hidden institutional expectations, language use in practice, and how EMI is navigated in transnational higher education contexts.

Poster Presentation: Understanding ESAP Practitioners’ Professional Identity and Socialisation in Transnational EMI Contexts: A Q-Methodology Study - Xiaoqing Bi, (Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University)

This poster reports on the first phase of an ongoing PhD examining how English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) practitioners develop professional identities and are socialised into academic and institutional contexts within transnational English-medium instruction (EMI) higher-education settings. Focusing on practitioners’ understandings of professional roles, collaboration with content teachers, professional development, and institutional expectations, the study moves beyond individual accounts to identify shared professional viewpoints through which ESAP teachers collectively make sense of their work.

The study adopts a staged mixed-methods design, with Q-methodology playing a central role. A Q-set of 41 statements was developed from the literature and ESAP professional practice, and ESAP practitioners completed a forced Q-sort followed by immediate post-sort interviews. Q-sort data were analysed using KADE software, producing a three-factor solution representing preliminary shared viewpoints on ESAP professionalism.

Post-sort interview data were analysed in relation to factor membership to explain and elaborate the meaning of each viewpoint. By integrating quantitative factor analysis with qualitative interpretation, the study demonstrates the value of Q-methodology for exploring ESAP professional identity and socialisation in transnational EMI contexts. Xiaoqing Bi is an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China, where she teaches on a range of pre-sessional and in-sessional academic literacy programmes. She is also a PhD student whose research is situated in transnational and English-medium higher-education contexts. Her research interests include ESAP practitioners’ professional identity and socialisation, teacher development, collaboration between language and content specialists, and the role of students in teachers’ professional learning. She is also a member of the All Things EAP podcast team, contributing to professional dialogue and knowledge exchange within the EAP community.

12:30-13:00 Special Session

Lecture Theatre 4: Special Session: BALEAP Vision and Values

13:10-13:30

Service Provider or Pedagogical Partner? Reflections on the EAP Role in EMI at a Chinese Globalised HEI - Dr Simin ZENG (Southern University of Science and Technology).

At a research-intensive Chinese university pursuing internationalisation, I coordinated EMI professional development efforts as an EAP lecturer. This took the form of a series of informal lunchtime seminars to foster dialogue among content lecturers, EAP practitioners and administrators. The initiative began with structured discussions on EMI course design, learning outcomes, and assessment; moved to guest-led sessions on discipline-specific teaching philosophies and practices; continued with practical explorations of classroom challenges such as questioning techniques and vocabulary support; and concluded with reflections on how EMI could respond to emerging trends like AI and translanguaging. Despite these efforts, the initiative faced persistent challenges. While the university promotes internationalisation, there is little concrete action to support EMI teaching in practice. Therefore, participation from content faculty remained low and unsustainable due to a lack of incentives. Even when they attended, many colleagues sought quick linguistic fixes rather than deeper pedagogical reflection and collaboration. What’s more, the initiative highlighted how EAP practitioners are positioned: in these exchanges, we were consistently treated as ‘service providers’ supporting disciplinary teaching from the margins, rather than as potential pedagogical partners with equal standing. This has led me to reflect on why well-intentioned EAP efforts to support EMI professional development falter. First, the vague goal of “exchanging ideas” between content and language teachers sounded collaborative but lacked a clearly defined outcome. Second, the initiative’s rationale was underdeveloped. While justified by the university’s internationalisation rhetoric, it was not supported by allocated staff time or policy framework. Most importantly, entrenched academic hierarchies and disciplinary boundaries in higher education make genuine transdisciplinary engagement difficult. Zeng, Simin works as lecturer at Center for Language Education, Southern University of Science and Technology. She holds a PhD in second language education from the University of Cambridge. She is interested in researching language and education from a sociocultural approach. Her current work focuses on EMI in higher education and supporting the linguistic dimension of EMI with EAP and ESP.

13:30-13:50

Bridging EAP and EMI: Professional development for EAP teachers in Chinese higher education - Dr Jingwen Zhou, (University of Glasgow) and Paolo Delogu, (University of Aberdeen)

The rapid expansion of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, particularly in non-Anglophone contexts, has led to significant pedagogical changes due to the shift of instructional medium from the local language to English, which requires content teachers to adapt their pedagogical approaches to ensure effective content learning. Also, this (shift) requires English Language Teaching (ELT) practitioners to switch from teaching general English to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) to ensure students’ academic success in EMI contexts. Since EAP is more demanding, this switch calls for increased professional development (PD). However, current literature reveals that EAP teachers’ PD in EMI contexts is vastly understudied compared to that of content teachers. This study responds to the growing need of exploring EAP teachers’ PD and their views on PD opportunities in a surging EMI context – China, where EAP teachers are increasingly indispensable for providing much-needed academic support for students. Document analysis of PD-related documents and interviews with EAP teachers (n=20) and PD leads (n=5) across different types of EMI provisions (EMI university, EMI college, and EMI programme) reveal that PD specifically for EAP teachers is currently lacking, possibly owing to lack of awareness and support at the institutional level. The study concludes with practical implications for the refinement of EAP teachers’ PD and advocates for fairer PD investments across teaching cohorts. Jingwen Zhou is a PhD graduate at the School of Education at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include teachers’ professional development and collaboration between content and EAP teachers in Chinese EMI contexts. She has recently published at the International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Paolo Delogu is a PhD graduate at the School of Languages, Literature, Music, and Visual Culture at the University of Aberdeen, UK. Paolo’s research interests include Global Englishes, materials development, and transcultural pedagogical approaches to English Language Teaching.

14:00-14:20

Cultivating Trust in Transnational EAP: The English Gym as a Safer, Shared Learning Ecology - Mohammed Abdul Rehman and Stella Marie Colima Galimpin (Heriot-Watt University)

In this joint presentation, we examine how The English Gym, an in‑sessional EAP initiative at Heriot‑Watt University, supports students navigating English‑Medium and transnational programmes through a pedagogy grounded in trust. Drawing on Archer‑Kuhn & MacKinnon’s (2020) framework of negotiated mutuality, community building, and learner mindset shifts, we show how trust-based practices can flourish even amid sector‑wide pressures and institutional uncertainties. Our session explores how accessible, low‑stakes language support creates “safer spaces” that help TNE students adapt to unfamiliar academic cultures, clarify expectations, and develop confidence in their academic voice. We highlight how relational, inquiry‑driven approaches reposition EAP tutors not merely as language specialists but as cultural mediators, co‑learners, and trusted interlocutors within increasingly complex global partnerships. We further reflect on the changing professional identities of EAP practitioners working across EMI and TNE contexts, where navigating politics, uneven power structures, and shifting institutional priorities requires emotional labour, pedagogical adaptability, and collaborative resilience. Through examples from the English Gym, we demonstrate how trust‑centred design enhances student belonging while also providing a sustainable model for staff development and cross‑institutional cooperation. This presentation offers practical insights for creating humane, trust‑driven support systems in transnational education. Between us, Stella and Mohammed bring over thirty years of experience in EAP and international higher education. I focus on trust‑centred, relational approaches that help multilingual students navigate the demands of English‑Medium and transnational programmes. Stella’s work centres on culturally responsive teaching, academic transition, and creating supportive spaces where students can develop confidence and agency. Together, we are committed to shaping humane, accessible in‑sessional support through initiatives like the English Gym, while also engaging with the evolving identities and professional challenges faced by EAP practitioners working across global partnerships. Our shared practice is rooted in compassion, curiosity, and collaborative learning.

14:20-14:40

Beyond Contracts: Building Sustainable Staff Retention in a TNE Context - Lori-ann Milln and Ms Rosalind Davies (University of Southampton)

High-quality teaching staff are central to successful student outcomes, particularly in transnational education (TNE) contexts where programmes depend on consistency, collaboration, and strong cross-border relationships. However, high staff turnover is a common risk in TNE delivery. This presentation draws on a large joint EAP programme between the University of Southampton and Harbin Engineering University in China, where a staffing model was intentionally designed to prioritise continuity and staff retention as core pedagogic principles. Rather than treating retention as a purely administrative or HR issue, this presentation frames it as a pedagogic concern that directly affects teaching quality, curriculum consistency, and student outcomes. It outlines the practical strategies introduced to build a stable, motivated teaching team within a complex TNE environment involving cross-faculty and cross-border communication. Four core practices are explored: intensive induction and ongoing support; increased teacher agency and autonomy; collaborative planning and reflection; and a relational leadership approach that prioritises community and trust. The role of a short-term UK contract model as an enabling condition for retention is also discussed. The presentation concludes with reflections on staff continuity, developing team identity, and the wider institutional impact of a more stable and cohesive teaching team. Lori-ann Milln is a Principal Teaching Fellow in the Academic Centre for International Students (ACIS) at the University of Southampton. Her interest in transnational education (TNE) developed through her role as Programme Lead for the Southampton Ocean Engineering Joint Education Institute (JEI) with Harbin Engineering University in China. Alongside her involvement as a member of the University’s TNE committee, she has a strong interest in EAP for STEM students and is an active member of the BALEAP STEM SIG committee. Rosalind Davies is a Principal Teaching Fellow and Director of Internationalisation (Education, Social Enterprise and Study Abroad) in the School of Humanities. She is also Director of Internationalisation and Enterprise in the Academic Centre for International Students (ACIS) and is part of ACIS's Senior Leadership Team.