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Description
The project will address these challenges by supporting student and staff mobilities, for studies, teaching and training, between West University of Timisoara, Romania, and the following Norwegian/Icelandic higher education institutions: Østfold University College, Nord University, University of Oslo, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
A significant number of mobilities has been allocated to staff mobilities due to the fact that already existing partners (either from the Erasmus+ programme or the former EEA Grants 2009-2014 programme) are ready to support more interaction and cohesion between the two institutions/higher education systems through teaching and training in Norway, respectively Romania; additionally, new partners have preferred staff mobilities for the beginning of our cooperation, in order to develop a solid framework for institutional exchanges focused on students in the future, but also for collaborative educational projects aimed at increasing the quality of the educational process through best practice transfers. Teaching and training mobilities will also increase the coherence of curricula and institutional policy between universities in Romania and Iceland/Norway, which could, in turn, pave the way for more successfull study and placement mobilities between the same institutions. Student mobilities have been included in the project for exchange flows with traditional partners in the EEA in order to support existing interest on the side of students for mobilities at these institutions, both outgoing and incoming.
The preferred subject areas for exchanges (Economics, Computer Science, Social Work and Humanities- including Languages) are also areas in which the Romanian educational system can benefit from input from EEA higher education institutions in order to enhance its qualitative and international dimensions.
Summary of project results
Beginning with June 2020 communication and information activities related to the project have been carried out under the coordination of the SEE officer in charge at UVT’s Department of International Relations.
A problem has been the fact that the programme was not appealing enough for donor countries’ potential beneficiaries, thus leading to a lack of EEA incoming student mobilities to the West University of Timisoara and an imbalance between the number of outgoing and incoming EEA student mobilities from and to UVT. In this sense, neither the univ partners from donor countries or UVT has been able to find clear solutions.
Later on, the most important challenge in the implementation of the current mobility project was the global situation generated by Covid-19. Universities closed down or moved from face-to-face activities to exclusive online teaching and learning, while travelling to a foreign country was extremely difficult, if not impossible. Last but not least, the geo-political situation generated by the war zone in the proximity of Romania also discouraged one potential candidate to pursue their staff teaching mobility at UVT in May 2022.
One of our objective was to ensure the quality of the implementation of mobility projects, both in terms of their quality in terms of impact and academic results, but also in terms of ensuring the quality of services provided by UVT to the beneficiaries of these projects. In the case of each beneficiary the univ opted for an individual approach to mobility from the perspective of the needs and objectives of the beneficiaries, depending on the field of study or activity, constant monitoring of their situation both before, during and after mobility, via e-mail, phone, face-to-face meetings or social networks. All these approaches join the quantitative objectives when we refer to the prioritization of the first mobility persons and to achieve a high degree of exchange of international experience with as many and varied institutions as possible. All this offers the framework of an authentic and realistic internationalization of UVT, in relation to higher education institutions in EEA/doner countries.
Number of students from beneficiary states in exchanges (disaggregated by gender and Donor State) - NO 5
Number of staff from beneficiary states in exchanges (disaggregated by gender and Donor State) Iceland -2
Norwegian partners are constantly struggling to support mobilities in Europe through a variety of mobility programmes, while the possibility that their students and staff choose Romania, in general, and West University of Timisoara in particular, is, in the univ opinion, directly proportional to their interaction with Romanian students and staff in general, and West University of Timisoara’s academic community members more specifically.
Furthermore, as Timisoara was preparing to become Europe’s cultural capital in 2021 initatially (which was postponed for the year 2023), and since West University of Timisoara is a major partner in this project, strong ties with higher education actors in the EEA were considered essential in ensuring the representation of this space’s cultural, social, political and economical principles in what will at that time become a major hub for representing and connecting peoples/countries/nations/regions. Therefore, this project benefited all universities involved in the envisioned mobility flows, as well as the cities where they are located.
Additionally, the project responded to some of the objectives of the Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeships and Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (ESAYEP), 2014-2021, financed through the EEA Grants framework programme. To name a few: the enhancement of the quality and relevance of education and training (through best practices exchanges, through importing education and training models, through connecting two very different social, political and economical areas and education systems, etc); higher education student and staff learning mobility between donor and beneficiary countries (through mobility projects such as this one, that offer grants which are directly proportional with the living expenses in the country where the mobility is taking place and through exchanges that can spillover into additional projects and mobilities).
Number of ECTS credits received ed by the students in the mobility projects - 30
Share of staff who declare improved skills/ competencies in their field - 100
Summary of bilateral results
A significant number of exchanges has been envisioned due to the fact that already existing partners (either from the Erasmus+ programme or the former EEA Grants 2009-2014 programme) showed interest in ensuring more interaction and cohesion between the two institutions/higher education systems through teaching and training in Norway, respectively Romania. Additionally, new partners have also agreed to organise exchange of mobilities, in order to develop collaborative educational projects aimed at increasing the quality of the educational process through best practice transfers. The partners in the EEA/donor countries were: Østfold University College, Nord University, University of Oslo, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, University of Iceland. As higher education institutions in Norway and Iceland, these are institutions functioning as regional, European and even global drivers of quality education and internationalization in the field of higher education. Their role in our project was to support outgoing mobilities for students and staff affiliated with West University of Timisoara and their inclusion and immersion in the Norwegian/Icelandic higher education system, society and culture, in order to, further on, contribute to their personal and professional development. An additional role was to support incoming mobilities to West University of Timisoara through the promotion of our university as a possible destination that could fit their specific requirements and needs for studies/teaching mobilities. Through these mobilities it was expected that the donor countries’ partner institutions would contribute to an input of best practices in regards to teaching and learning, from Iceland/Norway to West University of Timisoara, Romania. I