The Language Assistant Exchange Programme (LAEP), developed within Work Package 7 of NEOLAiA, is one of the most innovative initiatives aimed at strengthening the plurilingual and intercultural dimension of European higher education.
Targeted at Master’s students and PhD candidates, the programme offers the opportunity to undertake a period of training mobility abroad as language assistants. LAs will support lecturers in courses delivered in English (EMI – English Medium Instruction), contributing to improved teaching quality and enhanced student engagement.
The assistants will play a key role by providing:
- linguistic and methodological support for students and lecturers;
- design and revision of teaching materials;
- development of intercultural competences and soft skills;
- a bridge to their home cultures, enriching the learning experience with new perspectives.
The programme is fully compatible with Erasmus+ Traineeship and includes a one-semester mobility (Spring 2026), preceded by a 20-hour online preparatory seminar focused on EMI pedagogy, intercultural communication, and digital tools for teaching.
In the second semester of the academic year 2025/2026, the University of Salerno (UNISA) will also host Language Assistants: two UNISA professors will be supported by language assistants, who will be integrated into their courses as direct academic support.
The WP7 team at UNISA is working closely with the International Office to manage the application procedures and Erasmus+ funding.
