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Mobility of higher education students and staff supported by internal policy funds (KA131-HED) - Coordinator: SOLSKI CENTER SLOVENJ GRADEC

2023-1-SI01-KA131-HED-0001194202023Mobility of higher education students and stafffinalized
Countries: SI · Grant: €15,724.73

Objectives

The Erasmus+ project was designed as an important part of our strategy for internationalisation and for strengthening the quality of educational processes. The objectives of the project encompassed individual development, institutional growth, and a broader social impact. At the participant level, the aim was to enable students and staff to acquire new professional knowledge, language competences, and intercultural experiences through mobility. For students, we sought to foster greater independence, self-confidence, cultural openness, and resilience, qualities that would benefit them in further studies and in entering the labour market. We wanted students to become familiar with different learning and working practices and to integrate into the local environments of partner countries. For staff, the objective was to improve pedagogical and professional competences, gain experience with new teaching methods, and strengthen their role as mentors to younger colleagues. Special attention was given to involving external lecturers–practitioners, as we recognised that international experience provides them with valuable insights into pedagogical approaches. At the institutional level, the aim of the project was to enhance our international visibility and establish long-term partnerships with foreign institutions. We sought to create conditions for joint activities such as Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), guest lectures, and the preparation of new projects under Key Action 2 (KA2). By engaging in the European educational space, we aimed to improve the quality of our pedagogical process, as returning lecturers bring new methods, experiences, and examples of good practice, which they incorporate into teaching. The project was therefore understood as a tool for introducing changes that would have a long-term impact on the development of study programmes and institutional strategies. At the community level, we aimed to contribute to stronger links between education and the labour market. One of our objectives was to involve local employers in presentations of mobility results and raise their awareness of the benefits that young people with international experience can bring. At the same time, we wanted to share the acquired experiences with other higher vocational schools in the region and in Slovenia, thus contributing to raising quality standards across the higher education sector. Another important goal was to increase the visibility of Slovenian tertiary education abroad, thereby contributing to the internationalisation and competitiveness of the entire system in the long term. The project was also deliberately aligned with the horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ programme. Our goal was to promote inclusion and diversity, which we achieved through an individual approach to students with fewer opportunities and by adapting the duration of mobilities when necessary. In the area of the green transition, our objective was to encourage sustainable forms of mobility and raise participants’ awareness of environmental issues. For the digital transition, we aimed to improve the use of digital tools in the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of mobilities, including the introduction of digital signatures and the use of the Erasmus+ online classroom. Another objective was to increase participants’ democratic participation, particularly through discussions on European values, engagement in local communities, and sharing experiences upon return from mobility. Overall, the main goal of the project was to create conditions in which mobility becomes an integral part of the study process and the professional development of staff. We aimed for Erasmus+ to go beyond the framework of individual exchanges and to be embedded into the long-term development goals of our school, which include internationalisation, raising the quality of teaching, fostering innovation, and openness to European and global challenges.

Project partners (1)