Language Courses
Dive into the multilingual world of SEA-EU, where over 90% of students bring English skills, and nearly half are familiar with Spanish, French, and German. While Polish and Croatian expand our linguistic horizons, we’re enhancing language learning opportunities across the alliance. Following the addition of new partners in 2022, Italian, Norwegian and Portuguese were added to our pool of languages. With courses in national languages and specialised programs, we’re committed to broadening linguistic competencies, embracing Croatian, French, German, Maltese, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Italian and English, enriching our community’s global communication and cultural understanding.
Virtual Tandem Language Exchange
The SEA-EU Virtual Tandem Language Exchange is a program that pairs participants with native or near-native speakers for one-on-one language practice, enhancing speaking and listening skills.
What are the benefits of participating in our SEA-EU Virtual Tandem Language Exchange?
- You can improve your speaking and listening skills hands-on.
- You have access to native speakers from across the SEA-EU Alliance.
- You get to define what you want to learn, when and how … flexibly.
- You have the option of meeting your partner virtually as well as physically, depending on your location.
- You can get to make friends and learn about a new culture.
- And most importantly: Just have fun!
Virtual Language Courses
The SEA-EU Virtual Language Courses is an activity based on the principle of reciprocity. Below, we list courses offered by each SEA-EU partner university to participants from other partner universities.
We strengthen our alliance by coordinating and maintaining an up-to-date list of language courses. Thereby, SEA-EU students and staff can obtain centrally all the information needed for enrolment into these online courses. The list is updated regularly as new courses become available.
Conditions of enrolment:
- The course offers are meant for SEA-EU Alliance Universities’ students and staff: Registration is only considered if made with a valid institutional email address.
- No ECTS credits will be awarded.
- A certificate of participation will be issued, upon attendance to >75% of the course.
- An evaluation of the course by participants is appreciated at the end.
- Registration is binding.
- No guaranteed spots.
We strongly encourage participants to self-assess their current language skills and check the course content description and/or learning outcomes of each course prior to registration.
New Virtual Language Courses
Norwegian Language Course (A1)
An introductory Norwegian language course for participants with little or no previous knowledge of Norwegian. Participants will gain a basic understanding of Norwegian pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and everyday communication. The course also introduces aspects of Norwegian culture and society.
Target group: SEA-EU students and staff
Course offered by: Nord University
Total workload: 9 hours of online instruction + independent study tasks
Enrolment deadline: 22 September, 2026
The course will have a maximum capacity of 20 participants, selected on a first-come, first-served basis, distributed equitably among the 9 partner universities.
More info
This introductory Norwegian language course is designed for SEA-EU students and staff with little or no previous knowledge of Norwegian. Participants will gain a basic understanding of Norwegian pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and everyday communication. The course also introduces aspects of Norwegian culture and society, providing a foundation for further language learning and intercultural understanding.
Between sessions, participants will complete short assignments and self-study activities to reinforce learning and prepare for the next class.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- introduce themselves and engage in simple conversations
- recognize and use basic Norwegian vocabulary and expressions
- understand fundamental aspects of Norwegian pronunciation
- use common verbs and nouns in simple sentences
- demonstrate basic awareness of Norwegian culture and language use in society
- read and understand short texts at beginner level
Semester Schedule:
7 online sessions on Tuesdays:
06 October, 10:00-11:00: Introduction to the Norwegian Language
13 October, 10:00-11:00: The Structure of the Norwegian Language
20 October, 10:00-11:30: Pronunciation and Listening Practice
27 October, 10:00-11:30: Verbs and Basic Sentence Building
03 November, 10:00-11:30: Nouns, Gender and Articles
10 November, 10:00-11:30: Norwegian Society, Culture and Language
17 November, 10:00-11:30: Course Review and Final Test
Teaching Methods
- Interactive online lessons
- Short presentations and demonstrations
- Pair and group activities
- Pronunciation exercises
- Independent assignments between classes
Assessment
Participants will complete a short final test during the final session. Continuous participation in class discussions and completion of assignments are encouraged throughout the course.
Tasks and self-study activities will be provided between classes to support learning and prepare participants for subsequent sessions.
Certificate: Issued upon attendance to at least 75% of the course and completion of course activities.
Practical English for Administrative Work
The course aims to integrate SEA-EU administrative staff into the internationalisation process, improve the quality of services provided to international students and staff, foster an open and inclusive organisational culture, and enhance the universities’ attractiveness in an international environment.
Total workload: 20 hours (10 meetings)
Class size: 25 participants
Register before 26.08.2026: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/bcKFKaucua
More info
The course combines live online sessions with asynchronous learning activities, giving participants the opportunity to consolidate and apply the language skills developed during the classes at their own pace. The asynchronous component includes practical tasks and materials designed to reinforce key language areas and encourage independent learning between live sessions.
The course consists of 10 sessions (20 teaching hours):
- 7 sessions are held synchronously via MS Teams. They include practical communication exercises, discussions, analysis of work-related scenarios, pair work, and activities designed to improve accuracy and fluency.
- 3 sessions are completed asynchronously. Each participant selects three different topics from a choice of six and completes the corresponding tasks independently. Individual feedback on each completed task is provided by the instructor.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- communicate effectively in English in administrative and international settings
- use administrative and basic legal English vocabulary in professional communication
- write formal business correspondence and emails in English
- discuss topics related to university administration and higher education
- apply formal English structures used in administrative communication
- communicate professionally in multicultural environments and support international cooperation
Additional details:
- Technical Requirements: Laptop/PC with a stable Internet connection, a camera and a microphone.
- Classes will be held via Microsoft Teams.
- A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
- Applicants will receive feedback regarding their qualification status (accepted or not accepted) on 27 August 2026.
- Participants who are accepted to the course will also receive detailed further instructions, including organizational information and course access details, prior to the start of the course.
| Date | Time / Format |
| 2 September 2026 (Wednesday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 3 September 2026 (Thursday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 8 September 2026 (Tuesday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 9 September 2026 (Wednesday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 15 September 2026 (Tuesday) | Asynchronous |
| 16 September 2026 (Wednesday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 22 September 2026 (Tuesday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 23 September 2026 (Wednesday) | 10:00–11:30, online |
| 29 September 2026 (Tuesday) | Asynchronous |
| 30 September 2026 (Wednesday) | Asynchronous |
Asynchronous sessions
The asynchronous sessions are scheduled for 15, 29 and 30 September 2026. There are no live online classes on these dates. Instead, participants complete individual assignments at a time convenient for them.
Each participant selects three different topics from a choice of six and completes one assignment for each selected topic. Materials and detailed instructions will be available via Microsoft Teams. Participants will receive individual feedback from the instructor on each completed assignment.
The initiative is implemented as part of the project “Support for synergistic and complementary activities of the SEA-EU 2.0 project – SEA-nergy”, which is part of the NAWA program “Support for European University Alliances”, funded by the European Funds for Social Development.
Portuguese Language Course (A1.1)
An introductory Portuguese course for participants with no prior knowledge of the language, focused on basic communicative and grammatical structures for everyday and academic situations.
Target group: University staff (academic)
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours
Enrolment deadline: October 6th
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: None
Course teacher: Sara Vitorino Fernandez
Contact person / Information: svfernandez@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: 09:00–11:00 (Portugal time) / 10:00–12:00 (CET)
Dates: 13 October to 5 November 2026 (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Delivery mode: Online
Detailed description
By the end of this course, using basic grammatical and communicative structures, participants will be able to interact (orally and in writing) using familiar words and basic sentences to describe personal details and simple academic situations; write short context-driven texts including time, date and place; and fill in forms with personal information.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Greet others
- Share personal details
- Enquire about and state the time, and talk about locations
- Discuss daily habits and routines
A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
Mediating Specialised Discourse in English (2nd edition)
A course designed to develop participants’ skills in mediating specialised knowledge for academic outreach contexts, with a focus on audience-aware communication to enhance knowledge transfer and accessibility.
Target group: Master’s and PhD students, lecturers, and researchers in marine sciences
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours (2 sessions per week × 2 hours)
Enrolment deadline: September 29th
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: B1 (CEFR)
Course teacher: Sandra Isabel Rodrigues
Contact person / Information: siprodrigues@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays
Dates: 6 October to 27 October 2026
Delivery mode: Fully online (synchronous sessions)
Detailed description
This 15-hour course develops participants’ ability to activate discourse and language-use strategies to mediate specialised vocabulary, terminology and phraseology according to audience and communicative purpose. The course adopts a discourse-centred and action-oriented approach, combining discourse-focused activities (reception, mediation) with action-oriented scenarios (interaction, production), and is based on CEFR 2020 guidelines for language mediation.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Apply discourse strategies to mediate specialised vocabulary, terminology and phraseology for diverse audiences
- Adapt communication (language, style and register) to suit specific purposes and audiences in academic outreach contexts
- Clarify complex concepts through paraphrasing, reformulation, and the use of synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms and hyponyms
- Facilitate understanding through comparisons, metaphors, analogies and examples
- Transform and adapt specialised texts across genres and registers (e.g., adapting a research paper for a public audience)
A certificate of attendance will be awarded upon satisfactory participation and attendance.
English for Conference Presentations
A course for university staff aiming to deliver clear, well-structured presentations at academic and professional conferences in English at an independent-user level (B1): structuring a presentation, using audience-appropriate academic English, describing research with precision, managing visual aids, and handling audience questions with intercultural awareness.
Target group: University staff (academic)
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours (10 lessons × 1.5 h)
Enrolment deadline: October 27th
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: B1 (CEFR)
Course teacher: Vanessa Oliveira
Contact person / Information: vonunes@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays (November); Thursdays only (December), 17:30–19:00 (Portugal time) / 18:30–20:00 (CET)
Dates: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 Nov; 3, 10 Dec 2026
Delivery mode: Remote learning (online)
Technical requirements: Laptop/PC with stable internet connection, camera and microphone
Detailed description
By the end of this course, university staff will be able to deliver clear, well-structured presentations at academic and professional conferences in English at an independent-user level (B1): structuring a presentation; using clear, audience-appropriate academic English; describing research aims, methods and results with precision; managing visual aids (slides, charts); and handling audience questions, with intercultural awareness.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Open a presentation: introduce themselves, the topic and its relevance; state aims
- Structure, signpost, sequence and transition between sections
- Describe research aims, methods and procedures
- Present and interpret data; describe trends; compare results
- Highlight key findings and make cautious claims (hedging)
- Explain visuals (slides, charts) and direct audience attention
- Handle questions: clarify, reformulate and respond diplomatically
- Network and deliver a short pitch
- Show intercultural awareness with international audiences
A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
English for Professional Settings
A practical English course designed to help participants communicate effectively in professional and workplace situations at an independent-user level (B1): describing academic background, skills and experience; handling job interviews; writing CVs and professional statements; and developing intercultural awareness in recruitment contexts.
Target group: General (SEA-EU students and staff)
Course offered by: University of Algarve
Total workload: 15 hours (10 lessons × 1.5 h)
Enrolment deadline: September 22nd
More info
Prerequisites / Language level: B1 (CEFR)
Course teacher: Vanessa Oliveira
Contact person / Information: vonunes@ualg.pt; ncosta@ualg.pt; peqousa@ualg.pt
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 17:30–19:00 (Portugal time) / 18:30–20:00 (CET)
Dates: 29 Sep; 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29 Oct 2026
Delivery mode: Remote learning (online)
Technical requirements: Laptop/PC with stable internet connection, camera and microphone
Detailed description
By the end of this course, participants will be able to communicate effectively in professional and workplace situations in English at an independent-user level (B1): describing their academic background, skills and experience; answering and asking interview questions with appropriate register; writing concise CV entries and short professional statements; using workplace vocabulary; and showing awareness of intercultural expectations in recruitment.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Introduce themselves and describe their role, responsibilities, background, skills and experience
- Describe achievements using the STAR structure (Situation–Task–Action–Result)
- Answer common and behavioural interview questions with appropriate register
- Ask relevant and politely framed questions during interviews
- Make and soften requests; express opinions and disagree diplomatically
- Write CV entries, cover letters and professional statements
- Write professional emails (requests, follow-up)
- Demonstrate intercultural awareness in recruitment contexts
A certificate of participation will be issued upon attendance to >75% of the course.
Specialised English: University environment
Specialised English conversation course with a lexical focus on the university environment, at an intermediate–advanced level. The course has been specifically designed within the framework of the SEA-EU Virtual Language Platform programme.
More info
Spanish A1.2
Intensive beginners course:
1. Describing people: appearance and personality.
2. Talking about habits and daily routines.
3. Talking about likes, dislikes and preferences.
4. Talking about family and friends.
5. Present tense (irregulars verbs).
6. Making comparisons in Spanish.
7. Basic Spanish prepositions.
