I’m in Colombia, about to lead English-Medium Instruction training for faculty at the Universidad Católica de Manizales (more on this project to come!)

I’ve been involved in faculty development in English-medium instruction for the Colombian context before, notably in the Global English-Mediated Classrooms project with Universidad Católica de Manizales (Colombia), Universidad Católica de Colombia, the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (Mexico), and Dalhousie University.

But I want to make sure what I’m teaching always reflects the latest research. So what better way to update my knowledge than by doing a mini lit review on trends in EMI in Latin America and Colombia? And why not try out a new (to me) AI-powered research tool, Elicit, to do so, to expand my knowledge and skills on two fronts?

Elicit cited ten (real!) sources, references provided, to produce a a research report on trends in EMI in Latin America. Here’s the abstract:

English-medium instruction in Latin American higher education takes a distinctive form that reflects local linguistic, cultural, and institutional realities. EMI is most often offered on a selective, course-by-course basis rather than as full-scale programs and is integrated into broader internationalization strategies. Institutions typically combine English with Spanish in partial immersion or CLIL-inspired models, using formal supports such as tutoring centers when available or relying instead on informal bilingual practices.

Faculty experiences center on the challenges of adapting pedagogy in a second language, with many nonnative English speakers reporting identity conflicts and inadequate professional development. Students report gains in technical vocabulary, increased confidence, and improved prospects for international mobility, yet language barriers and uneven access to support systems impede content comprehension for some. In SWOT terms, EMI in Latin America is strengthened by its role in enhancing global competitiveness and institutional prestige; weakened by inconsistent language support and teacher training; presented with opportunities through its alignment with international opportunities; and threatened by sustainability concerns, resource constraints, and risks of cultural marginalization. Compared with Europe and Asia, Latin American EMI practices remain less mature and less supported by a robust empirical research base.

I found the reports Elicit produced to be quite accurate, though because I am on the free plan, I was limited to 10 sources. These were all over the map in terms of age, and relevance. So I did my own lit search, focusing on articles from the last 5 years, with a few exceptions, and mainly on the Colombian context. I also expanded my search to focus not only on EMI but CLIL in higher ed. This bibliography is below.

Then, as a comparison, I fed my bibliography into ChatGPT, and asked it to summarize the trends. I don’t usually use ChatGPT for this kind of thing because of hallucinations, but in this case, I asked it to only draw from the sources I compiled. Here’s the report it produced:

EMI and CLIL in Colombian Universities: Key Trends From Recent Research

English-Medium Instruction (EMI) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL/AICLE) have expanded quickly across Colombian higher education. Below is a snapshot of the major trends emerging from recent studies.

---

1. Internationalization Is the Main Driver

Colombian universities—especially private ones—are adopting EMI and CLIL as part of broader internationalization agendas, rather than language-learning policy (Aliaga Salas & Pérez Andrade, 2023; Miranda & Molina-Naar, 2022; Tejada-Sánchez & Molina-Naar, 2020, 2025).

This has led to:

• Growing numbers of EMI-labelled courses
• New language policies and English requirements
• Strategic efforts to attract global partners

However, implementation remains uneven, even within the same institution.

---

2. Classrooms Are Becoming Multilingual, Not English-Only

While EMI policies often emphasize exclusive English use, real classroom practice is increasingly bilingual. Students and instructors switch between English and Spanish to support comprehension and disciplinary learning (Molina-Naar, 2022, 2024; Montoya & Salamanca, 2017).

Recent research highlights a shift from:

• English-only ideologies
  to
• multilingual and translanguaging-friendly pedagogy.

---

3. Students and Faculty Support EMI—But Need More Support

Across several studies, both groups see EMI as beneficial for employability and access to international knowledge (Corrales, Paba Rey & Santiago Escamilla, 2016; Archila et al., 2024; Muñoz, Tobón & Betancourt, 2025).

Yet support is conditional on:

• Clear language and content scaffolding
• Teacher training in bilingual pedagogy
• Realistic expectations of student English proficiency

When these are missing, students report anxiety, cognitive overload, and lower participation (Corrales et al., 2016; Archila et al., 2024).

---

4. CLIL Is Emerging as a More Sustainable Alternative

Many institutions use CLIL/AICLE to gradually bilingualize programs, especially in fields like engineering, environmental science, and math (Crous & Leguizamón, 2017; Montoya & Salamanca, 2017; Espejo, Londoño & Álvarez, 2017; Pérez Carrillo & Segura Garzón, 2022).

CLIL is seen as more feasible because it:

• Integrates language objectives alongside content
• Permits flexible use of Spanish
• Aligns better with students’ actual proficiency
• Offers teachers structured methods for scaffolding

Studies emphasize that CLIL provides a more sustainable and pedagogically coherent model than full EMI (Hernández, González & Luis, 2025).

---

5. Policies Are Advancing Faster Than Practice

Many universities now have EMI guidelines, incentives for faculty, and English proficiency requirements (Miranda & Molina-Naar, 2022; Tejada-Sánchez & Molina-Naar, 2020).

But persistent issues include:

• Inconsistent implementation
• Gaps between policy goals and classroom realities
• Limited institutional support for materials and training

The result: EMI sometimes functions more as symbolic internationalization than as a fully supported instructional model (Aliaga Salas & Pérez Andrade, 2023).

---

6. A Shift Toward Equity and Linguistic Justice

Newer research takes a more critical perspective, raising concerns about the equity of EMI expansion (Molina-Naar, 2024; Tejada-Sánchez & Molina-Naar, 2025).

Key questions include:

• Who is excluded when programs assume high English proficiency?
• Does EMI reinforce socioeconomic divides?
• How can institutions support multilingual learners fairly?

This signals a move away from early promotional narratives and toward more socially aware EMI/CLIL policy discussions.

Bottom Line

Colombia’s approach to EMI is evolving from English-only, prestige-driven policies toward more flexible, bilingual, and pedagogically grounded practices. EMI continues to expand, but CLIL is increasingly viewed as the more sustainable and equitable model for Colombian universities.

All in all, I was pleased with the results of both these tools to help me make sense of the literature so I could incorporate trends and findings into the curriculum and courses I’m working on. If this was for a thesis or publication, I’d want to be much more meticulous about using AI tools. But for this practical purpose where I was simply after broad strokes, it was adequate.

Here is my expanded, brief (but non-exhaustive) bibliography about EMI and CLIL in Colombia higher ed:

Aliaga Salas, L., & Pérez Andrade, G. (2023). EMI in Latin America. In C. Griffiths (Ed.), The Practice of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) Around the World (pp. 133–152). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30613-6_9

Archila, P. A., Danies, G., Calderón, F., Coronado, I., Truscott De Mejía, A.-M., & Restrepo, S. (2024). Student Perceptions of Bilingual Teaching Practices: Evidence from a Colombian University. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2024.2345297

Corrales, K.A., Paba Rey, L.A. & Santiago Escamilla N. (2016). Is EMI enough? Perceptions from university professors and students. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 9(2), 318-344.
doi:10.5294/laclil.2016.9.2.4

Crous, I. M., & Leguizamón, C. S. (2017). CLIL approach used as a curriculum internationalization strategy in a Colombian higher education institution. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 10(1), 105–131.

Espejo, N. E. P., Londoño, L. A. C., & Álvarez, C. A. R. (2017). La metodología clil o aicle aplicada en el área de educación ambiental. Educación y Territorio, 7(13), 83–106.

Hernández, J. A., González, J. B., & Luis, N. R. D. (2025). Desafíos en la implementación de AICLE en la educación superior: Barreras y propuesta. E INCLUSIVA, 17.

Miranda, N., & Molina-Naar, M. (2022). Profiling English-medium instruction in Colombian universities: Policies and practices. In J. McKinley & N. Galloway (Eds.), English-medium instruction practices in higher education: International perspectives (p. 111). Bloomsbury. https://www.torrossa.com/gs/resourceProxy?an=5262447&publisher=FZ0661#page=134

Molina-Naar, M. (2022). Roles of English in English-medium instruction (EMI) university settings in Latin America: A transnational multiple-case study. https://ddd.uab.cat/record/272543

Molina-Naar, M. (2024). Multilingual practices and disciplinary-based functions of language in EMI classrooms in Latin America: Insights from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Multilingual and Translingual Practices in English Medium of Instruction, 31–47.

Montoya, S. I., & Salamanca, C. (2017). Uso del enfoque CLIL como estrategia de internacionalización del currículo en una institución de educación superior colombiana. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 10(1). https://laclil.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/LACLIL/article/view/7368

Muñoz, D. A. A., Tobón, M. F., & Betancourt, B. L. C. (2025). Las ventajas de Utilizar el Inglés como Medio de Instrucción para una Formación Profesional de Orientación Global. Una Revisión Teórica. Ciencia Latina: Revista Multidisciplinar, 9(4), 8089–8113.

Naar, M. J. M. (2022). Roles of English in English-Medium Instruction (EMI) University Settings in Latin America: A transnational multiple-case study [PhD Thesis, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/tesis?codigo=325262

Pérez Carrillo, Y. M., & Segura Garzón, A. del P. (2022). Propuesta pedagógica con metodología Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de matemáticas en educación superior.http://repository.usergioarboleda.edu.co/handle/11232/2012

Rey-Paba, L., Corrales, K. A., Bailey, A., & Rosado-Mendinueta, N. (2025). Integrating Language and Content: Sixty Years of University English Language Education in Colombia. HOW, 32(2), 53–72.

Tejada-Sanchez, I., & Molina-Naar, M. (2020). English medium instruction and the internationalization of higher education in Latin America: A case study from a Colombian university. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 13(2), 339–367.

Tejada-Sánchez, I., & Molina-Naar, M. (2025). English medium instruction practices in the internationalized university: The cases of Colombia and South Korea. International Journal of Educational Research, 133, 102654.