Description
The aim of the project is the international education of the University's students. The project is a response to needs identified at the University's International Cooperation Offices Staff. The preparation of outgoing students to study abroad in terms of intercultural differences is still insufficient. Detailed aims of the project are intercultural education through seminars with experts, meetings with students, international or national working meetings and joint evaluation process. It is assumed that the project will develop intercultural competences of the International Cooperation Offices Staff and will allow for better preparation of outgoing students that will take part in international mobility. The results will be achieved through the work with experts, partners and students. Expected benefits are: the quality increase of mobility carried out in the partner institutions as well as creating a tolerant and open attitude among students.
Summary of project results
Three universities forming a partner group implemented a joint project as part of the Leonardo da Vinci programme. This experience shows that international competences and communication between nations, religions and cultures require is a notable challenge and requires hard work. Therefore, the most important objective of the project “Eye on outgoing students” consisted in its participants’ intercultural education. It was implemented through two groups: the first one composed of employees of career and international cooperation offices, and the second composed of the partner HEIs’ outgoing students. The project involved training and workshops for people conducting preparatory classes for students intending to carry out mobilities abroad. The partners learned from one another, implemented scenarios, developed new proposed exercises for students and participated in workshops with the students. This education was provided in an international environment and each HEI contributed with its own experiences in improving the quality of student mobility. The Norwegian partner prepared a workshop for students. The observation of the workshop was a particularly interesting part of the programme. Owing to the project, the HEI trained staff to conduct workshops preparing students for mobilities. The workshop scenarios developed during the project will be used during classes for students in the partner institutions. The project outcomes have a positive influence on the quality of current mobilities. The added value consists in the project participants’ personal development and in discovering their potential for being a trainer or coach. The most important outcomes and impact of the project: (1) academic staff acquired practical skills necessary for preparing students for mobility; (2) students are better prepared for mobilities; (3) acquisition of intercultural competences; (4) opportunity to use partner experience; (5) discovery of new opportunities for development, for example coaching competences; (6) improvement of the attractiveness of the HEI’s offer.
Summary of bilateral results
Each of the partners added different value into the workshops and staff training courses. The Norwegian university already had workshops for outgoing students before the project began and knew about difficulties that occur during this process, while the University of Liechtenstein have diagnosed the need of cultural education development of its staff and need to better prepare students who are going abroad. They shared this observation with rest of the group. The partner from Iceland have recently planned to implement structured forms of workshops to prepare students for exchange periods abroad, and thus had plenty of ideas for workshops’ realization. The project promoter treated these workshops as a chance to increase the quality of students’ mobility and increasing students’ interest in mobility abroad. All partners together were preparing workshops for staff, offered exercises and worked on new methods of work with exchange students. The partnership allowed for better recognition and understanding between particular universities, aside from building cooperation with Polish university, relations between partners from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have been established.