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 international openness is a recognized specificity of Le Havre University in line with its identity and territory. Erasmus+ is its flagship program since European cooperation along with the internationalization of its training programs is included as a priority in its international relations policy. It is also within the Erasmus+ program that most of its outgoing mobilities are achieved. Le Havre University was awarded the 3rd place in the national ranking of Erasmus+ member universities (2011-2012).
Le Havre University has achieved its objectives in the implementation of the Erasmus+ 2014-2016 contract concerning the mobility of students and staff. At the time, a 24-month contract was chosen so as to optimize the use of the financial envelope.
The financial support for the mobility for students is actually a major issue, it is one of the first criteria in their decision for going abroad. The University of Le Havre has therefore chosen to make all students going abroad recipients of an Erasmus + grant. In addition to this, they can get fundings through "Region Mobility" and grants from the Ministries of Education Nationale and Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche according to various social criteria. Funding by the Le Havre University is also used as an incentive for staff mobilities.
Knowledge of European partners is a priority for the University. Much of the Erasmus+ bilateral agreements were set up relying on its networks: the SGroup, the European network ELPIS (European Legal Practice Integrated Studies) and the Hanse Law School network. The cooperation with territorial collectivities also provide sustained cooperation with sister cities like Magdeburg.
The academic offer includes transverse language teachings with a choice of 11 languages including 5 European languages. Also on offer are programs taught in English and bilingual (and even trilingual) diplomas established with Erasmus partners (Budapest, Oldenburg), seminars or internships to discover the European professional world integrated into some training (especially in Spain, Ireland in cooperation with our partners). Many courses require internships abroad or a semester of mandatory study abroad. Others taught in English are based on annual incoming teaching staff who facilitate a better mutual understanding. This is often conducive to the development of student mobilities and exchange of practices or innovative teaching methods.
The figures for outgoing mobility are increasing steadily. The 2014-2016 contract enabled 132 student mobilities, 38 Erasmus traineeships, 22 teaching staff mobilities and even an administrative staff mission.
The incoming mobility, however, is not as exemplary and is greater in number with partners outside the EU. We encounter different obstacles such as insufficient supply of English language courses in some disciplines, expensive housing and competition between institutions. However, the SRI is the single point of support for incoming students which facilitates their integration: exchanges with home tutors, pre-booking of accommodations, support for administrative tasks, organization of cultural and social events to facilitate integration, French as a foreign language teaching programs.
The project is in accordance with the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. The course catalog is not yet available for all courses but the university has just adopted a management software for the training offer from which we should soon be able to extract course catalogs. The Diploma Supplement cannot be issued yet but we are working on this.
A wide communication of the Erasmus + program is done internally and externally. Many information meetings on mobility programs are organized by the International Relations Service (SRI) and the International Relations referents of faculties and institutes to encourage student mobility. Explanatory sheets are distributed and one of the successes link with Erasmus + is the forum "LH international" jointly organized by Master students and the SRI to promote exchange programs involving Erasmus+ mobility grants recipients (both outgoing and incoming).
The good results of the Erasmus program have brought a dynamism and a pool of partners to increased and renewed cooperations both at European and international level in other projects (H2020, Interreg ...).
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