Abstract:

This paper is about the international cooperation "Edit Video Challenge" (https://www.editvideochallenge.org/) and the run of two Blended Intensive Programs (BIP) in 2022 and 2023 of the Universities that work together within the Project.

From the theoretical basis, it is a paper about how project-based learning can be integrated into study programs and how intercultural skills can be developed with students and lecturers. The projects benefit the society. Through service learning, students can improve their professionalism and job opportunities and acquire important professional skills. With such projects, universities can impact professional and interdisciplinary knowledge and cooperative working methods.

From a globalisation perspective, including intercultural competencies and international aspects in university teaching holds significant value. The EDIT is based on a highly practice-oriented approach to help students acquire skills and practical experience.

The Edit Video Challenge is a hackathon between universities every year in November. The students are producing educational videos within five days. The videos are reviewed by an international jury with participants from every participating University. The reviewing criteria include educational, technical and artistic factors.

In the last two years, the participating Universities organized BIPs with the winning groups of the Edit. The first BIP was in Linz, Austria 2022, and the second was in Rhodes, Greece, in 2023.

BIPs are supported by the Erasmus+ Program. A minimum of three cooperating universities and a minimum of 15 students is required for the project.
The BIPs within this group were also about educational videos. The students received a topic for their video production. In Linz, the topic was "Our food is our future", and in Rhodes, the topic was "Tourism and sustainability".

The term “BIP” (Blended Intensive Programs) refers to a program including an online and an offline part. To organize the BIP, we used an online board for the introduction and to get to know coaches and students. Beforehand, we asked the students about their expectations and planning. We gave information about the location and the possibility of accommodation during the week. A schedule was provided before the online session, and we had an online meeting to provide information and offer the opportunity to ask questions before the start of the program.

During the week of the BIP, we started with icebreakers and exercises to get to know each other. The coaches provided workshops about video production, acting, storytelling, editing and technical issues. On the first day, we also managed the group building for the week. Following, the students worked together in teams on their video projects. The coaches supported them and offered help if needed. On the last day, we had a session with video screening, discussion, and feedback on the videos.

The BIPs were reviewed with an online survey. In our presentation, we would like to show some findings about the students' impact and learning during this international cooperation. For example: What did students like most? What did the students learn?

For the coaches, it is also a valuable experience and an excellent opportunity to gain future teaching skills. For example, transitioning from the role of a teacher to embracing the role of a learner and becoming more and more of a guide for the students.

Keywords:

BIP, project-based learning, Collaborative based learning, Hackathon, intercultural experience, Erasmus+, Educational Videos, international cooperation.