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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: May 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
The student and personnel (faculty and staff) mobility project of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (hereinafter UMH) was developed in accordance with the ERASMUS Policy Statement of the UMH and is marked by the actions that have been taking place since 1999, with the first student exchange project, subsequent to the founding of the UMH (the 1997-98 academic year).
Included among this project’s objectives are to achieve internationalization of our degree programs by incorporating European students in our university classrooms and lifestyle and permitting our students, faculty, and staff to fulfill international experiences at European universities. Furthermore, another objective is to foster relationships with other European universities through our personnel and students. The ultimate objective is to internationalize all UMH degree programs, striving for incoming and outgoing mobility in all of them. Actions have also been set in motion in the degree programs with smaller mobility rates to increase said rates in the short- and mid-term as part of the Aid Program for Internationalization of Schools, Faculties, and Institutes (AEIFI).
In the project during this academic year, 181 students completed stays at other European universities (135 study exchanges and 46 business internships). As for personnel, 54 employees carried out teaching or training stays. These numbers exceeded forecasts, as the demand has been growing, just as we have observed in recent years. As such, mobility for educational purposes increased by 25%, mobility for business internships increased by 24%, teaching stays grew by 50%, and training stays did so by 38%.
All of this was possible because of the tremendous interest shown by our university community and the support provided by the UMH, which allocated additional funding to cover the non-subsidized assistance in this project, because we understand that this is vital for our students and our education.
During this academic year, our university received 228 students from other European universities.
Student stays at other universities were achieved in practically all undergraduate degree programs.
Activities involved student mobility for educational purposes (135 students), student mobility for business internships (46), and personnel mobility (18 teaching stays and 36 training stays). The total number of participates grew to 235, of which 52 students came from disadvantaged backgrounds. One student had special needs.
The impact of the project’s development on the participating institution was positive in several aspects.
On an institutional level, the project and its results had significant impact on both persons considering taking courses from a degree program at our university in the future (incoming), but above all on students currently enrolled at the UMH who have shown an interest in participating in future calls (outgoing). The analysis of the mobility figures over the last three academic years shows this.
Locally, we observed increased participation by businesses and university departments in the placement of students from partner entities due to the tasks of disseminating the project. It is considered especially significant the fact that the project facilitates equal opportunities for university students facing the acquisition of international experience, and that this encourages others, in both the teaching realm as well as that of administration and services, to consider these types of programs as a possible option. Likewise, the project and all activities related to it carried out within the municipality aroused the interest of the general public in the ERASMUS+ program.
Regionally, the program also benefitted from a new call for assistance by the Generalitat Valenciana for students receiving ERASMUS support to increase their funding and improve the stay’s general conditions.
Nationally, the project provided the opportunity to contact other active academic institutions in the ERASMUS+ program. Information and good practices and experiences in relation to the project were also exchanged. This enriched the professional performance of the personnel at the Service of International Relations, Development Cooperation and Volunteerism.
On an international level, the project had a positive overall impact with virtually all European partners on a reciprocal basis. Students and employees alike were sent and received to teach and to receive training. This also enriched professional performance. Specifically, in only the 2015-16 school year, six new agreements were signed that, in many cases, resulted from the teaching and/or training stays. What’s more, we are currently negotiating new agreements.
All these results are consistent with the strategic lines concerning the internationalization of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche and the fundamental aspects of the electoral program of the university’s presiding administration.