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

Erasmus+ mobility of students and teachers is an important part of activities of the University of Žilina (UNIZA) and it significantly contributes to internationalization of education and development of international cooperation of all university workplaces. The University management is interested in increasing the number of participants and quality in accordance with the Erasmus Charter, the Erasmus Policy Statement and the Long-term Development Plan of UNIZA for the years 2014-2020. https://www.uniza.sk/document/ErasmusplusInfoUNIZAmarec16.pdf . Main objectives of the project have been the support of internationalization as a tool for improving competitiveness of UNIZA, filling up the number of mobility applicants and participants defined by the agreement in 2014 and continuous quality improvement to ensure mobility of outgoing and incoming students, employees and teachers as well as ensuring of acceptance of the results of mobility in accordance with ECTS. Number of mobilities was fulfilled and in general exceeded by 14 mobilities. 346 mobilities were realized totally. Erasmus+ mobility activities are coordinated by the Vice-Rector for International Relations & Marketing. Vice-Rector is also Erasmus institutional coordinator and within the frame of his competencies he manages the UNIZA Council of Erasmus. The Council makes decisions about important issues related to program activities – an approval of the activity schedule within academic year, the strategy for selection of students, teachers and employees interested in mobility program for given academic year, an approval of faculty nominations for mobility and allocation of grants for mobility participants. Members of the Council are Vice-Deans responsible for international cooperation. Organizational structure of coordination of activities takes place on two levels – on the university level and on a faculty level. Within the framework of activity 2.1 of the project "Innovation and Internationalization of Education – Tools for Increasing of the Quality of UNIZA in the European Educational Space" (2013–2015) there was a detailed description of procedures of realization of Erasmus mobility program on the faculty and university levels in particular phases of the program and elaborated document "List of Competences of Responsibilities and Activities for the Implementation of Erasmus Mobility". Employees of faculties are responsible for activities related to the content of mobility of incoming and outgoing mobility participants and employees of rector's department are responsible for university coordination of activities within the schedule of the academic year and for management of funds allocated for mobility activities in accordance with the plan of activities and the financial contract. As far as the Study mobility program concerned, academic year 2014/2015 is the most successful in Erasmus mobility from the start of its realization in 1990/2000. For mobilities UNIZA sent abroad 210 students (154 studies and 56 traineeships). Despite the decline in total number of university students for last five years, the numbers of student mobility have increased yearly. Main strategy of student mobility was and still is to send abroad the most students from all parts of teaching and levels of study at UNIZA including recent graduates. Priorities also include participation of students from socially disadvantaged environment as well as students with disabilities. The grants were allocated for all students nominated by faculties for mobility in 2014/2015. From contract 2014 the grants were allocated to 217 students overall. In total there were realized 129 mobility participants from among UNIZA employees from which 24 mobilities for training. On a long-term basis, UNIZA belongs to the leading Slovak universities concerning the number of employees sent abroad. Aim of the university management is to constantly motivate employees to participate in Erasmus+ program and also to improve quality of realized mobilities through the fact that the participation in activities will be taken into account in an evaluation of employees. On a long-term basis UNIZA has been successful in increasing of the number of incoming students due to an increasing the number of courses offered in foreign languages and properly developed cooperation between ESN UNIZA, Rector's Office and faculties. Mobility of incoming employees also has an upward tendency. Among the long-term benefits and long-term impacts we can include an extension of Erasmus long-term cooperation that has resulted in particular projects. Examples of good practice are: the centralized project EACEA: eSEC, the Competency Based e-portal of Security and Safety Engineering, as well as further cooperation with partner companies that receive trainees (Scheidt&Bachman, Airbus Toulouse, Helios, M2C, Procusys, etc.). An important benefit is also Master joint study program with the Telemark University College (USN) accredited since 2015.
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