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Mobility of higher education students and staff supported by internal policy funds (KA131-HED) - Coordinator: KAJAANIN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY

2023-1-FI01-KA131-HED-0001215952023Mobility of higher education students and stafffinalized
Countries: FI|AT|CY|CZ|DK|EE|DE|HK|HU|IE|IT|KE|LV|LT|MT|NL|NZ|PT|RO|SK|UK · Grant: €143,597

Objectives

The objective of the project was to support the development of international competence among students and staff through mobility, as well as to strengthen international education and RDI (Research, Development and Innovation) cooperation with selected partners. By deepening collaboration, the aim was to increase double degree opportunities for students and to offer them the chance to broaden their expertise through the course offerings of international partner institutions. Staff mobility periods aimed to support the development of innovative teaching and support practices and to integrate them into KAMK’s operations. The project also sought to support students’ participation in short-term blended mobility periods and BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) courses. Internationalisation was also expected to support environmental responsibility. Negotiations were held with partner institutions abroad, and student information sessions were organised via Teams or Zoom. Similarly, some information and orientation sessions for outgoing exchange students were conducted online, which enabled better outreach, especially to students studying outside the KAMK campus. The Erasmus+ programme enabled the long-term planning and implementation of mobility periods for both staff and students. The programme promoted the internationalisation and quality of higher education and offered diverse exchange opportunities for different student groups. Thanks to the financial support provided by Erasmus+, international mobility periods were accessible to all students, and through the recognition of studies or internships completed abroad, they were always an integral part of KAMK’s degree programmes. KAMK encouraged all students to develop their international competence both domestically and, in particular, by participating in long- or short-term mobility. The same goal applied to staff, and interest in mobility was discussed during development discussions. As in most Finnish universities of applied sciences, the number of long-term exchanges at KAMK has declined and remains far below pre-COVID levels. The increase in blended learning compared to traditional full-time studies makes long-term exchanges more difficult, as the majority of students are working and often have families. Nevertheless, the goal is to design and implement measures to increase mobility numbers and to identify suitable mobility formats for different student groups. Achieving this requires close and goal-oriented cooperation with Erasmus+ partner institutions.

Project partners (1)