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Higher education student and staff mobility project
Start date: Jun 1, 2014, End date: May 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

2014 meant for us working on two important features of internationalization: on starting the new ERASMUS+ programme and starting the work on the internationalization strategy of the HSD. ERASMUS+ was immediately taken as a central milestone of the internationalization strategy. Exchange with European and especially neighbour countries was defined as a main target. Though it was not obvious to communicate that ERASMUS+ was not just a funding programme for a stay abroad, but that die intention was to modernize the European Higher Education Institutions and furthermore, with the introduction of KA 107, extend it to the whole world. Individual mobility and individual networking is the first step towards institutional networking and modernization of Higher Education. The strategy of internationalization of the HSD stipulates these principles in its vision and the targets and measures realize them. Though, due to autonomy, faculties go different ways in different speed. The Faculty of Business Studies and the Faculty of Design offer students the opportunity of going abroad for a study programme or a practical training thanks to integrated stay abroad semesters or mobility windows. Examinations results are acknowledged thanks to a standard procedure. And students do not exceed the number of courses needed for completion. The Faculty of Business Studies shows the highest number of students going abroad; the mobility window in Design will show its impact in 2015 and 2016. Increasing mobility means also searching for appropriate partners. The Faculty of Design actively extends its network of exchange partners and organizes visits and meetings in order to guarantee the quality of the exchange to their students. Knowing one’s partner improves counselling for students; and so students can be motivated to go to places they had not thought about before. The Faculty of Design tries to set a trend and send students to Poland, Lithuania, Slovaquia, Croatia etc. Engineering students are the less mobile students at HSD. All an International Office can do, like organizing information sessions, workshops, meetings between incoming and outgoing students and so on, has not led to an increased number of outgoing engineers. This is the proof that only structural changes (integration of mobility windows, stay abroad semesters, double or joint degree programmes etc.) change attitude towards mobility. The strategy of internationalization will help administration to change attitudes. In 2014 the number of participants in ERASMUS+ mobility has not increased yet: 54 outgoing students (2013 and 2012: 50 resp.). The number of incoming students, though, has increased: 2014: 96 (2013:74; 2012:71). We regret to say that the rate of teaching mobility is close to non-existing; staff mobility will go increasing due to the fact, that ERASMUS+ staff mobility has been acknowledged as part of the internal staff qualification programme. Participation is enhanced by administration of HSD. Dissemination and distribution of the programme have been largely improved since the removal of HSD to a completely new campus, the introduction of a new corporate design and the new website. The old website management system didn’t offer enough flexibility to present international relations and programmes and waiting for the new system, motivation for working on the old one was small. From 2015 on we’ll be able to report about progress in this field. In the meantime, the International Office presents the ERASMUS+programme on fairs, open door days, information sessions – the ERASMUS+ roll-up, from the National Agency – DAAD always in the background. In 2014, preparing the removal, the International Office has reorganised: the two exchange coordinators who by then were responsible for all incoming and outgoing students of the faculties on the respective campus, are now specialised for either incoming or outgoing students. The concentration of the subjects and processes means that projects and initiatives to promote ERASMUS+ programme for either group will be easier to handle and organize.

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