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Higher education student and staff mobility projec..
Higher education student and staff mobility project
Start date: Jun 1, 2014,
End date: Sep 30, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
With the aim of enhancing human resources, the Polytechnic University of Marche considers internationalization, in particular the Erasmus+ programme, a good tool to promote integration between different peoples and cultures, to spread a positive contamination capable of activating virtuous mechanisms for a balanced growth.
The activities implemented within the Erasmus+ programme are also included in a wider strategic plan, whose objective is the development and improvement of the university internationalization through the three-year plan 2013-2015. Such plan is based on activities also functional to the achievement of the objectives provided for by the Erasmus programme: the creation of new degree courses completely taught in English, the improvement of services for international students (accommodation, welcome services, tutoring and so on), the increase of the number of visiting scientists. The development of internationalization cannot happen without international mobility of students and teachers; for years the Polytechnic University of Marche has been promoting international mobilities within the Socrates, Life-Long Learning and, now, Erasmus+ programmes. Furthermore the university promotes other programmes/networks in non-EU countries like the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 and Uniadrion; promotes agreements for the awarding of double titles with the Universidad Nacional del Litoral (Santa Fe-Argentina), with Hochschule Heilbronn (Germany) and Agricultural University of Tirana (Albania); implements students exchanges with Ohio College of Business (USA), with Lipetsk Technical University (Russia); offers scholarships to foreign students attending the university international courses and scholarships reserved for students coming from developing countries. The constant increase of incoming and outgoing mobilities highly contributed to improve the visibility of the university at international level and to create a multicultural context bringing to the development of “internationalization at home”.
In the Academic year 2014/2015 UNIVPM implemented a total of 314 mobilities: 215 outgoing students for study, 91 outgoing students for traineeship, 8 outgoing teachers. Moreover the university hosted 105 incoming students and 8 incoming teachers. Before dealing with the student mobility, the International Relations Office takes care of updating the webpages dedicated to the Erasmus+ programme by updating the academic offers and by supplying information on the inter-institutional agreements, forms and other information for the participants. When the calls for mobility of outgoing students are published, the office organizes meetings to inform the students and information desks at faculties and departments. Before the students start their mobilities, the office takes care of practical aspects in order to ensure a good quality of the mobility: language courses, procedures for the approval of the Learning Agreements, contract between the institution and the participant, mobility agreement, visa, healthcare, insurance and accommodation. Incoming students are treated in the same way as the students normally registered at UNIVPM. With the aim of facilitating their integration and to present all the university services (free language course, library, canteen, labs, information center, sport center) the International Relations Office organizes an information meeting at the beginning of each semester. At the end of the mobility of the outgoing students, by respecting the programme rules and what indicated in the university didactic rules, the activities carried out abroad and included in the Learning Agreement are fully recognized. The recognition is carried out by the Erasmus Coordinators at faculty/department level. As far as incoming mobility is concerned, the transcript of records is issued within five weeks from the end of the study period by fully respecting the provisions of the inter-institutional agreement.
The individuals participating in the Erasmus programme are generally very satisfied at the end of the mobility, which is considered an enriching experience, not only from the academic but also from the cultural/social point of view. The mobility is considered an occasion to experience different teaching methods and approaches to work, to become more independent and prepared to face an environment subject to constant changes. To live an intercultural experience contributes to an open-mind attitude facilitating the entrance into the working world, not only in one’s own country but also at international level. Generally, after a starting period dedicated to adaptation, expectations are not disappointed and the objectives of the programme are usually achieved.