Every Classroom Is Multilingual
Walk into any classroom at our university and you will find multilingualism – not as an exception, but as a constant. Some students may be fluent in more than one named language. Others may primarily identify as English speakers, but move between dialects, registers, and ways of speaking depending on context. In both cases, students navigate language in active, intentional ways as they learn.
Multilingualism is often framed as something tied to a specific group of students – those who are labeled as “non-native English speakers” or “English language learners.” But this framing is too narrow. In reality, many students are already shifting how they use language as they move between home, community, and academic spaces. A student who speaks English at home may still adjust their vocabulary, tone, or sentence structure to align with what is expected in an academic setting. That is a form of code-switching. It takes effort, and it is part of the learning process.
When we recognize this, we begin to see language not as a fixed skill that students either have or lack, but as something they are constantly working with.
Academic English carries a set of expectations that are often unspoken. There are norms around how ideas should be structured, how arguments should be presented, and what counts as a “clear” or “professional” voice. For students who are already familiar with these norms, the transition into coursework may feel more straightforward. For others, it can feel like learning a new way of communicating altogether, even when they are already proficient in English.
This is where course design becomes important. This is particularly relevant in online and hybrid courses, where students often interact with course materials independently. Without the opportunity to immediately ask questions or rely on classroom discussion to clarify expectations, the language used in module overviews, assignment instructions, discussion prompts, announcements, and feedback plays an even greater role in shaping the learning experience. Thoughtful course design helps ensure that students are spending their effort engaging with the content rather than deciphering the course itself.
If multilingualism is the norm, then designing a course around a single, assumed way of using language creates unnecessary barriers. Students are not only engaging with new content; they are also working to interpret instructions, understand expectations, and express their thinking in ways that align with academic conventions. When those expectations remain implicit, the cognitive load increases, and learning becomes harder than it needs to be.
Small design choices can make a meaningful difference. Clear and consistent instructions, examples of what strong work looks like, and opportunities for students to process ideas in multiple ways can help reduce the amount of guesswork involved. These choices do not lower rigor. They make the learning process more transparent. More importantly, they acknowledge the reality of the classroom.
When we start from the understanding that every classroom is multilingual, we shift away from designing an imagined “standard” student. Instead, we design the range of language practices that students already bring with them. This shift does not require us to become experts in every language or culture represented in our courses. It asks us to be intentional about how language functions within our teaching, and how our design choices either support or constrain students’ ability to learn.
For faculty and instructional designers developing online and hybrid courses, this perspective also shifts an important question. Rather than asking how to support multilingual learners after barriers arise, we can ask how our course design can reduce those barriers from the beginning. Clear communication, transparent expectations, and thoughtfully designed learning experiences benefit multilingual learners and make courses more accessible, effective, and welcoming for everyone.
Visit our Resource Library to learn more about how you can effectively design online courses to include and engage all learners.