Abstract:

In many higher education institutions (HEIs) strengthening the internationalization know-how is part of each student’s personal study plan and traditionally it has been possible through different mobility programs. Internationalization and mobility are important to students as well as staff and also one of the criteria and indicators for funding.

The academic world and the student population have changed over the years. The growing need for continuous or life-long-learning and changes in working life bring in students from various backgrounds but can also create obstacles (life/family situation, health issues, work, economic issues) for the HEI students preventing a semester long mobility period.

In this presentation, we introduce the goals and plans of an EU project that focuses on different ways of internationalization. We’ll also discuss how the plans were affected by the COVID pandemic and what kind of solutions were discovered to meet the challenges.

Seven European universities form the FORTHEM project which focuses on promoting student and staff mobility, co-operation with stakeholders and increasing students’ social involvement. The aim is to share good practices and build networks of cooperation that the partners are committed to, and which endure also beyond the duration of the project. In addition to the traditional ways of internationalization, the aim is to create alternative ways such as short-term mobility and virtual mobility. The short-term mobility offers the student a possibility e.g. to take a weeklong course in another university or to have a 1-2-month internship in another country. On the other hand, for a student who has already had a traditional exchange, it gives an opportunity to have another, shorter mobility period. The staff of European HEIs have in principle unequal possibilities for mobility: the financing structure for mobility or arranging your work can be difficult. Short-term mobility provides an opportunity also for staff (e.g., study administration and digital services) to acquaint themselves with the processes and tools of other universities.

International cross-studying is one form of internationalization in the project. Students from all partner universities are offered courses in different languages in the Digital Academy platform. Students have been involved and they have been heard in selecting the contents: the platform offers MOOCs, online and hybrid courses. Taking these courses give the students the opportunity to develop their language skills, to network and internationalize - all important skills for the working life. For teachers, there are possibilities for team teaching, and they are offered training on integrating digital competencies in course design.

The virtual mobility offered in the form of e-learning has become even more important due to the COVID19 pandemic, as physical mobility stopped and everything that was already planned and agreed on was canceled and alternative ways had to be discovered.

Keywords:

Internationalization, virtual mobility, short-term mobility, international cross-studying digital competences.