Erasmus Mundus Research Articles

Bridging theory and practice via education: Insights from the erasmus mundus journalism programme

The disconnect in how practitioners and scholars talk about what journalism is and does, and what it could be or do, is often striking. With more universities and other institutions worldwide offering journalism education, and the growing number of journalists turned scholars or instructors, there have been sporadic efforts to bridge the pervasive gap between theory and practice. In this paper, I discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of bridging said gap by drawing on the Erasmus Mundus Journalism Programme as a case study. I delve into some ways in which we deal with co-teaching across institutions to train an exceptionally diverse group of students with a global, collaborative, and interdisciplinary mindset. Finally, I claim that we tend to talk about the theory-practice gap in rather narrow terms and point towards ways to rethink the directionality of this relationship to further a truly reflective and critical journalism education.

The need for interdisciplinary research in marine sciences – A MERry outlook

The global oceans are facing a plethora of pressures, leading to cross-national impacts on marine ecosystems, wildlife, and resource users. Interdisciplinarity is integrating knowledge and methods from different disciplines to generate a comprehensive output. Due to the trans-boundary nature of marine habitats and stressors, interdisciplinary research forms the basis to addressing pressing matters in ocean health and conservation. To this end, the Marine Environment and Resources (MER) master programme was developed at the beginning of the century, enabling students to develop a well-rounded understanding of ocean science. The programme has since become a recognised Erasmus Mundus degree and has had almost 400 graduates. In September 2022, the first MER community summit was held, being a landmark for the building of a long-lasting global community to discuss and deal with priority challenges of the UN Decade of Oceans Science. This summit has highlighted that to understand the state of the oceans and improve conservation efforts, international collaboration is required (including those out with the academic realm). The following article aims to highlight the successes of the programme in aiding the development and training of interdisciplinary researchers from a plethora of backgrounds, uniquely suitable for addressing current problems.

Higher education system in the Kyrgyz Republic at the present stage

Relevance. The relevance of this study is conditioned by the fact that in the conditions of global changes it is necessary to train a new generation of citizens able to adequately respond to the challenges of society.Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reforms carried out in higher education in the Kyrgyz Republic to determine compliance with international standards.Methodology. The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalisation) and special scientific (historical-logical, retrospective, system-structural analysis, statistical) methods.Results. The findings of this study describe that Kyrgyz Republic has gradually implemented the European initiative on harmonisation of the education system for interaction between European universities, as well as reforming the higher education system. It was noted that in the Kyrgyz Republic, for the implementation of tasks to meet international standards of education, a transition was carried out to a credit-module system following the Bologna Convention; developed social partnerships and active involvement of employers in the educational process; an effective policy was carried out on human resources management. Kyrgyz Republic�s education system has undergone two stages during the last 15 years, namely the liberal stage and the stage of comparative stability. In the Kyrgyz Republic there is now an inherent desire to rationalise the management of education, the focus on consolidation and use of European practices has become a determining factor. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of exchange programmes involving students and teachers from Kyrgyz Republic, for instance: the presidential programme �El Umutu�, private programmes from international organisations (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus).Conclusions. The practical significance of this study is that the main provisions, ideas, and conclusions can serve scientists, teachers, and researchers for further scientific searches on reforming higher education in Kyrgyz Republic.

Quantitative estimates of preventable and treatable deaths from 36 cancers worldwide: a population-based study

Cancer is a leading cause of premature mortality globally. This study estimates premature deaths at ages 30-69 years and distinguishes these as deaths that are preventable (avertable through primary or secondary prevention) or treatable (avertable through curative treatment) in 185 countries worldwide. For this population-based study, estimated cancer deaths by country, cancer, sex, and age groups were retrieved from the International Agency for Research on Cancer's GLOBOCAN 2020 database. Crude and age-adjusted cancer-specific years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated for 36 cancer types. Of the estimated all-ages cancer burden of 265·6 million YLLs, 182·8 million (68·8%) YLLs were due to premature deaths from cancer globally in 2020, with 124·3 million (68·0%) preventable and 58·5 million (32·0%) treatable. Countries with low, medium, or high human development index (HDI) levels all had greater proportions of YLLs at premature ages than very high HDI countries (68·9%, 77·0%, and 72·2% vs 57·7%, respectively). Lung cancer was the leading contributor to preventable premature YLLs in medium to very high HDI countries (17·4% of all cancers, or 29·7 million of 171·3 million YLLs), whereas cervical cancer led in low HDI countries (26·3% of all preventable cancers, or 1·83 million of 6·93 million YLLs). Colorectal and breast cancers were major treatable cancers across all four tiers of HDI (25·5% of all treatable cancers in combination, or 14·9 million of 58·5 million YLLs). Alongside tailored programmes of early diagnosis and screening linked to timely and comprehensive treatment, greater investments in risk factor reduction and vaccination are needed to address premature cancer inequalities. Erasmus Mundus Exchange Programme and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. For the German, French, Spanish and Chinese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

THE CONCEPT OF REFORMS OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM OF THE WESTERN BALKANS COUNTRIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

<p style="text-align: justify;">The process of European integration represents  first class, social project for all the countries of the subregion of the Western Balkans. The concept of integration into the European Union covers all spheres of public life, where a significant role is played by the reform of the system of higher education. The author considers the implementation of the Bologna Declaration and the Lisbon Strategy, as well as Tempus and Erasmus Mundus program of the European Commission dedicated to the establishment of a "Europe of Knowledge" in the surveyed countries. The analysis shows that the Western Balkan countries are making great efforts to implement provisions of the Bologna process, particularly at the level of formal adoption in the form of law. However, numerous weaknesses are reported in the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy and the elements of strengthening the impact of the labor market. According to all relevant indicators, the level of the Europeanisation of higher education in the Western Balkans is below the EU average, which points to the unsustainability and  the necessity for the transformation of existing concepts.</p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>

VREA PROJECT - A DIGITAL CURATOR FOR ARCHITECTURE AND DIGITAL PERSPECTIVES FOR HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT

Abstract. Thinking about architectural education, one must face the challenges of the ever-changing and digital world and bear in mind the figure of the architect of the future - the curator of digital data. Nowadays the aim is to train specialists who know how to manage the production of digital products and are able to face the challenges of digital change in the field of architecture and architectural heritage management. Virtual Reality Engineering and Game Design for Architecture and Cultural Heritage (VREA) will be a new Master’s degree course designed to generate a new professional figure in charge of the technological evolution and at the same time having critical sensitivity towards the architectural heritage, its conservation, and enhancement. These objectives received funding as part of the call of European Erasmus Mundus Design Measures (ERASMUS-EDU-2021-EMJM-DESIGN) for the development of new, innovative, high-level integrated transnational study programmes at the Master level. VREA project aims to create a basis for a new international joint Master level course to create a new generation of architects and engineers equipped with the cultural and technical knowledge for managing Digital Twins in the field of Cultural Heritage, outlining at the same time the future course of study for architects and engineers. The result of the work is an innovative, international and comprehensive programme, strengthening the competences of all project participants and aimed at educating architects and engineers of the future, prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.

Digital competences of future social workers: the art of education in uncertain times

ABSTRACT Digital literacy plays a crucial role as part of modern-day citizenship and modern life in general. There are a lot of social work practitioners who lack the digital skills or attitudes to fully benefit from the opportunities created by digital technologies for delivering quality youth work. Social workers see digital media only as social media. Their understanding of the possibilities of digital media and technology should be widened (European Commission, 2018). The goal of the article is to discuss the development of digital competence of future social workers needed in uncertain times during the implementation of European Joint Master programme in Social Work with Children and Youth (ESWOCHY). ESWOCHY is a project funded by Erasmus Mundus in 2020 and it is implemented by four Consortium partners: MRU (LT), RSU (LV), CUR (SK), and ISTCE (PT). ESWOCHY seeks to prepare highly skilled professionals, supporting human dignity and cultural heritage. The main areas for increasing competencies of social workers in working with children and youth where one of the most important is digital competence. The article shares the experiences and reflections of Consortium partners and discusses in depth how digital competence of future social workers are developed in ESWOCHY.

Сучасні тенденції розвитку педагогічної освіти в умовах євроінтеграції

It was determined that at the current stage the formation of pedagogical education is under the influence of the European integration process. It was noted that the fulfillment of the tasks of the Bologna reform led to the formation of long-term trends as a result of the reform of pedagogical education: the introduction of two cycles of study – Bachelor’s and Master’s; implementation of the credit-module system, based on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS); promotion of European cooperation in ensuring the quality of education; activation of mobility of students, teachers, scientists, administrators; ensuring employment of graduates, as well as attractiveness and competitiveness. We emphasize the formation of trends as challenges of the XXI century. social and economic needs of the development of Ukraine. Among them, we single out: reforming the system of pedagogical education within higher education; modernization of the educational process, which led to changes in forms, methods, means, methods of knowledge transfer; introduction of European educational standards into the educational process of higher education institutions of Ukraine; introduction of distance education in the process of teacher training in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. The peculiarities of the development of the trend of international cooperation, which is relevant in the period of the involvement of domestic higher education in the European educational space, are considered, using the example of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. At the current stage of the development of higher education, we observe the active participation of bachelors and masters in the educational programs «Erasmus Mundus», «Erasmus+», «Erasmus+ KA107», DAAD, short-term academic mobility programs. Training and internships for students at universities in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, involvement of teachers in conducting research at universities in the USA, the UK, Spain, Turkey, Poland, etc. countries contribute to the formation of the trend of development of international cooperation and activation of mobility. Keywords: trends in education, teacher education, Bologna process, international cooperation, academic mobility, education reform, modernization, globalization.

Steering by stealth? Influence of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Programmes in European higher education policy

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the interplay of European and national higher education policy in implementing a joint degree Erasmus Mundus programme on institutional level. We utilise the stakeholder approach to highlight and contrast the differing internationalisation rationales. Specifically, we analyse how the impact of external stakeholders (European Commission, national governments) and their policies are affecting higher education institutions at institutional and programme levels. As a particular case, we utilise the Finnish higher education system and the implementation of a joint degree Erasmus Mundus Masters programme ‘Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education’ (MARIHE). We conclude that in Finland Erasmus Mundus programmes have not triggered significant legislative changes at national level supporting the goals attached to the Erasmus Mundus instrument. However, Erasmus Mundus provides important stimulus to institutions and their programmes to find unique ways to collaborate within the boundaries of existing legislative frameworks. The paper also shows that a detailed analysis of the Erasmus Mundus programme can be used as a concrete illustrative example of the multifaceted picture of the EU higher education policy.

EMJM PROMISE—The New International Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Sustainable Mineral and Metal Processing Engineering

The challenge of attracting young people to the field of mineral processing as well as the ever-growing worldwide demand for minerals and metals together with lower-grade deposits and shortages of energy and water triggered the establishment of the new Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Program PROMISE. The consortium of four mining universities in Europe and Chile aims at master level education on engineering and sustainability issues in mineral processing. The first academic year of PROMISE will start in September 2022.

Open to Better? Teachers’ Perceptions of Curriculum Integration in the Erasmus Mundus PETaL Master’s Degree

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees (EMJMD) offer a unique opportunity to jointly design and deliver an integrated curriculum of excellence in an international context. This study analyses the case of a Master’s Degree specialised in Education: PETaL “Play, Education, Toys and Languages”. This is the first EMJMD obtained by the University of Cordoba (Spain) within the framework of the Erasmus+ Program (2014–2020), in coordination with the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon (Portugal) and Marmara University (Turkey). Through the design, validation and distribution of an online questionnaire, this research aims to examine teachers’ opinions on the place of integration in their teaching, as well as on the level of interdisciplinarity in the programme based on Harden’s model (2000). This pioneering course represents a favourable context in which to evaluate the “jointness” in the curriculum and other aspects of the teaching-learning process, little explored so far in this context. The results reveal that, foreseeably, the conditions for greater integration in the successive editions are in place. Thus, it is necessary to continue strengthening teaching coordination and the aspects leading to further curricular integration. The study also serves as a reflection on teaching practice and the possibilities for interdisciplinarity in postgraduate education.

유럽연합의 고등교육 시스템

Higher education policy is a policy area that is deeply located in the realm of national sovereignty, and member countries have objection to the unified policy of the European Union. Accordingly, higher education policy at the EU level was very limited. However, the Bologna Process was launched outside the European Union in 1999 to internationalize higher education due to the heightened sense of crisis caused by the decline in competitiveness of European universities. The Bologna Process aimed to establish a European Higher Education Area through mutual recognition and harmonization of degrees and certificates between European universities. European Union was also stimulated by the launch of the Bologna Process in the 2000s, expanding its higher education program and establishing several technical systems for student and faculty exchanges across borders. Specifically, the European Union expanded the Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus programs for the internationalization of universities. At the same time, the European Union actively implemented systems for human exchange, such as the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). On the other hand, Bologna Process also built its own system such as Bologna Cycle for degree certificate and qualitative evaluation of higher education. The Bologna Process also introduced the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, already implemented by the European Union. It is noteworthy that the Bologna Process, which consists of 46 European countries, includes all 27 European Union member states. Accordingly, the European Union’s higher education policy coexists with the Bologna Process, and mutual exchange and system convergence are taking place. In Korea, internationalization of universities is also a major issue, and in order to promote exchanges and cooperation with the European Union, which has a similar academic level, it is necessary to discuss bilateral projects between the two sides. In addition, in order for Korean universities to promote international exchanges, it is necessary to establish a system for unified grades and degree certificates and qualitative evaluation of education among universities.

A topos of a city in an university syllabus in the frame of the NEWSLA project

The NEWSLA project was supported by ERASMUS MUNDUS program. It includes a preparation of a modern multi-purpose form of the second stage of higher education. The universities that are taking part in the project are the Silesian University in Katowice, Ostrava University in Ostrava and Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. The personal contribution of the author is the syllabus of the educational course “The city in literature and culture”. It consists of the following topics: city as center of the world, city as mythological place, the geocultural symbolic of cities, phenomena of the “lost” cities, the attitude of the human towards the city, flaneurism or the experience of walking around the city, and cities as a problem of translation. The text presents different aspects and examples from the above mentioned syllabus and summarizes the methodology of teaching techniques and the ways of implementation of the course.

РОЛЬ ІНТЕРНАЦІОНАЛІЗАЦІЇ СИСТЕМИ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ УКРАЇНИ НА ШЛЯХУ ДО ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ

The article is devoted to the training of specialists with higher education in the context of the integration of Ukraine into the European educational space. Nowadays it is necessary to implement European principles, approaches and practices into the Ukrainian education policy through fundamental reforms in the field of education. The analysis of scientific research has shown that the academic mobility of all participants in the educational process contributes to the internationalization and adaptation of the national education system of Ukraine to European criteria. Special attention was paid to the current legislation of Ukraine, which regulates legal, organizational and financial relations in the process of implementing academic mobility in the training of competitive specialists with higher education. The article defines the advantages of international academic mobility in the educational process, contains a list of countries with the largest contingent of Ukrainian students and a list of the most popular universities of Ukraine, chosen by foreign citizens for obtaining higher education. Based on the data of the Erasmus+ National Office, the results of Ukraine's participation in the exchange projects of the Erasmus+ program, and joint master's programs Erasmus Mundus and Jean Monnet were analyzed. The paper outlines exceptional measures taken within the framework of the approved European Union Directives to support Ukrainian educators and facilitate their integration into educational projects. Foreign organizations and programs that support the international academic mobility of participants in the educational process are given as an example of cooperation between well-known Ukrainian HEIs with scientific institutions and universities of other countries. Attention is paid to the modern approaches available to Ukrainian students to obtain quality higher education, namely their participation in virtual international academic mobility and double degree programs. This issue is now relevant and could be the subject of further research. In general, the participation of Ukrainian students and researchers in international academic mobility projects has been identified by the authors as an important factor in achieving the goals of the Bologna process and the training of highly qualified and competitive specialists at the European level.

The Adaptive Erasmus Mundus Cartography M.Sc. Program in the Covid-19 Pandemic from a Student’s Perspective

The Adaptive Erasmus Mundus Cartography M.Sc. Program in the Covid-19 Pandemic from a Student’s Perspective

Indonesian Students Adaptation to Culture Shock: A Case Study of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree Students - European Union

Currently, the number of Indonesian students who receive scholarships to continue their studies in Europe is increasing day by day. They managed to get scholarships not only from the Indonesian government but also from the governments of European countries that are members of the European Union. One of the scholarship programs that are in great demand by Indonesian students is the Erasmus Mundus Program with its uniqueness, namely that each student must attend education in 3 countries in Europe. This study aims to answer questions about why culture shock is experienced by Indonesian students who are recipients of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship and how Indonesian students who receive the Erasmus Mundus scholarship overcome culture shock in order to be able to adapt to a new environment. This research is a qualitative research with a case study approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and in a fluid atmosphere. In this study, as many as 5 Indonesian students received the European Union Erasmus Mundus scholarship to take a Postgraduate program in Europe. The results of this study prove that adaptation can be done through 5 factors, namely personal communication, host social communication, ethnic social communication, environment, and predisposition.

Der Europäische Master für Lexikographie 2021 an der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Abstract The following report reflects on the activities of EMLex concerning eight consortium meetings, the 6th intake for Erasmus Mundus scholarships and the situation in the corona pandemic. It also gives a short overview over the international summer term which took place at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2021.

Challenging Neo-Colonialism in Language Testing: The Development and Impact of Indonesia's Test of Academic English Proficiency (TAEP)

Background: 
 In today's globalized world, neo-colonialism exerts significant influence, particularly in political and economic spheres. This influence extends to English Language Teaching (ELT) in Indonesia, where the hegemony of a specific language test system has resulted in its overuse for multiple purposes.
 Methodology: 
 This research employs a quantitative approach to design the Test of Academic English Proficiency (TAEP) for Indonesian non-native speakers, focusing on academic, business, and general settings. The four-step process includes participant selection, data collection, expert judgment, and test try-outs.
 Findings: 
 The study results indicate that TAEP items are acceptable, with a high validity of .98 and reliability of .93. Four poor items require revision, while others effectively distinguish between good and poor test-takers. TAEP's content is balanced and relevant for assessing proficiency in academic, business, and general English.
 Conclusion: 
 TAEP, meeting language test criteria and legally certified, has been utilized nationally and internationally, including by Bank of Indonesia, the Financial Service Authority of Indonesia (OJK), and Erasmus Mundus. This contributes to Indonesia's pursuit of independence from modern colonization.
 Originality: 
 This study innovatively explores the underexamined relationship between neo-colonialism and language testing, addressing issues such as overdependence on specific tests, national spending burdens, and neglect of local linguistic and cultural contexts.

Nepalese In Denmark

This paper attempts to reflect on how international education has come to be imagined as a quest for ‘greener pastures’ by many young Nepalese who are on the move in what is increasingly described as a ‘globalized world’. Networking and engaging deeply in social, cultural and sporting rituals with the Nepalese students in Copenhagen, first as an Erasmus Mundus fellow from 2006 to 2008 and then as a doctoral student from 2011 to 2015 accompanied by a fieldwork in Nepal, this paper examines how international education has come to serve this diasporic desire for many young Nepalese.

Uneasy belonging in the mobility capsule: Erasmus Mundus students in the European Higher Education Area

ABSTRACT Taking Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters students as exemplifications of the intensification of mobility in educational trajectories, this article considers their modes of belonging in super-mobility. Their educational experiences take place within a consortium of universities, necessitating intensive and routinized collective movement to multiple locations. This novel way of practising mobility within higher education calls for new frames to describe the distinctiveness of the super-mobility experience and how belonging is enacted and reflected in this transnational space. It aligns itself with the critical approach to hypermobility, especially with regard to its impact on mental well-being. Through an empirical, multi-year qualitative study of student experiences, we propose a new concept of the mobility capsule as both a meso-level structure and a particular way of practicing mobility which implies a transnational group experience, usually organised within an institutional framework of studies. Our results show that the experience of the mobility capsule is characterised by intense speed, routine uprootedness and cosmopolitan social closure. These features weigh heavily on the construction of personal and group belonging and have particular consequences for well-being. We conclude with a critique of such institutional set ups given the persistent glorification of hypermobility.