ERASMUS Research Articles

Engineering educators’ professional learning for educational change in a PBL-base and cross-institutional programme in Africa: a Q-study

ABSTRACT This study explored engineering educators’ perspectives on their professional learning in a pedagogical development programme with the ultimate goal of achieving educational change in African countries through the adoption of PBL methodology. This study was based on a three-year-long programme organised by a Danish university through an Erasmus programme with the participation of diverse institutions across Africa. Q methodology was adopted with 40 participants to explore both individual and collective subjective views of supporting factors for professional learning. Q-factor analysis resulted in three prevailing group-based opinions, which respectively emphasised 1) improvement of teaching competence and student benefits in terms of employability, 2) personal benefits in terms of job opportunities and 3) institutional support leading to confidence in PBL implementation. The results suggest that individual awareness and effort, as well as institutional support, is essential for the facilitation of educators’ learning as an outcome of pedagogical development. It is concluded that pedagogical development efforts should consider the complexity of engineering educators’ professional learning process and that this has implications for the future organisation of professional learning programmes in general and the format of cross-institutional collaboration in particular.

Disrupting and Re-imagining European Studies: towards a More Diverse and Inclusive Discipline

In 2019, UACES and the European Studies Association of Sub-Saharan Africa (ESA-SSA) launched a project funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus Plus Jean Monnet Projects. The aim of the programme was to encourage and promote diversity within European Studies - broadly defined. The project, ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Multidisciplinarity in European Studies’ (DIMES) sought to explore ways to increase diversity within the field of European Studies, in particular with regards to the ethnicity, disciplinary focus, geographical location of its participants and eventually knowledge production within European Studies itself. The outlined aims of the project were threefold: 1) to improve the representation of BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of colour) academics within UACES and European studies more generally; 2) to move away from the emphasis on Western European and North American academics towards greater inclusion for scholars from under-represented, even marginalised geographies; 3) to broaden the disciplinary focus of contemporary European Studies to include adjacent/related disciplines such as anthropology, human geography, cultural studies and sociology.

Beyond Erasmus. Communication of European Universities alliances on social media

The European Union has suffered several problems in recent years, which triggers a proactive action by its institutions to generate a united citizenry and awareness of the importance of the EU. In the field of higher education, the European Strategy for Universities born in 2019 aims to strengthen and developed a common university system. The Erasmus program has traditionally been identified as the main driver of integration, but the emergence of European universities may mark a new phase in the shaping of the European Public Sphere (EPS). In this sense, social media are the key communication tool for higher education centers. The objective of this work is to examine the activity on social media of the 40 consortia of European Universities belonging to the first and second calls. First, the presence on the different social networks of these entities is analyzed to establish a map of the alliances, based on the number of social networks used, the volume of followers, the coordinating university and the year of the call. After identifying Twitter as the most used network, a content analysis is carried out on 12 variables of all the messages published by these consortia since their creation, with the aim of determining whether the content published on their Twitter accounts is professional in tone. The results reveal scant interactivity that does not take advantage of the potential of social networks. However, there is a certain influence of the national cultures in terms of use of digital platforms in the different countries that head each consortium, with Spain and France being rather remarkable in this aspect. Likewise, the advantage acquired by first-generation consortia boosts their greater impact. This leads to a reflection upon the true transnational dimension of the communication implemented by these universities.

Evidence-based practices in teaching

This article presents the results of the implementation of the Erasmus Plus project (KA203 financed by the European Union, contract number 2019-1-NL01-KA203-060339) Research in Teacher Education (RiTE). The aim of the project was to promote and facilitate pre-service teachers to create and undertake evidence-based practices in teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In the RiTE project, pre-service teachers were encouraged to use evidence from educational and scientific research and to experiment and introduce didactic innovations in teaching and learning processes. Although it has its justification in the tradition of thinking about science, evidence-based practice is not yet consciously applied in school practice. In the article, we present both the theoretical framework for such practices, and the results of qualitative research – an analysis of interviews conducted with students, future teachers, and novice teachers involved in the project. The presented results show changes in the context of an understanding of evidence and what evidence-based practices are in the teaching process and the vision of such teaching presented by the respondents.

Analyzing countries’ performances within the international student mobility program over time

AbstractThe phenomenon of internationalization is a priority for higher education institutions. The Erasmus program is the cornerstone of their internationalization strategy, bringing benefits for student recruitment and career outcomes, as well as for staff expertise. Within this scenario, our contribution aims to analyze the performance of European education systems in terms of learning mobility between countries from a longitudinal perspective. International student mobility is analyzed in the context of the Erasmus programs over twelve years in order to compare international mobility trajectories between European countries in terms of quantitative benchmarking and to identify the factors that may influence a country’s performance in terms of its role in mobility network exchanges. A mixed analytical strategy of analysis was adopted, combining exploratory and confirmatory approaches from a network perspective. Centrality indices and network modeling are computed to compare countries’ performances and factors affecting mobility patterns in higher education systems. The main findings can offer policy suggestions for universities in order to improve the quality of their international services.

Midlife in a Changing and Post-Pandemic World. Implications for Career Education and Older Adult Learning Using On-Line and in Person Solutions

Abstract The present study addresses processes and tools for adult career guidance in the context of longer lives. The need for people in midlife to prepare for their remaining working lives is more urgent since the global pandemic, making demands on career and adult educators. Older workers and job-seekers, especially those with lower levels of prior education, face difficulties if employers discriminate against them or discount their skills and abilities, especially in low skilled sectors. An Erasmus Plus project’s results are discussed, demonstrating the benefits of online approaches to support employability, highlighting whether older workers could gain from using online and peer supported tools.

Assessing Cultural Intelligence and Its Antecedents in the Portuguese Higher Education Context

The concept of cultural intelligence has been the object of increasing attention from the scientific community due to its importance in a globalized world. To fulfil their mission, higher education institutions need individuals capable of effectively interacting with others who come from different cultural backgrounds. This study analyzes the level of cultural intelligence and its background in a Portuguese engineering higher education institution. This study used a cultural intelligence scale and applied it to a sample of 445 participants. The results show that individuals in this Portuguese institution have an interesting level of awareness of others’ cultural preferences. However, particular attention should be paid to improving the outcome of the cognitive dimension. The results show the potential of international experiences and activities that foster cultural exposure. Consequently, the managers of institutions should make efforts to promote Erasmus programs or similar internships abroad. In addition, they should promote activities that foster multicultural contact, whether extracurricular activities or multicultural clubs or associations, meetings, lectures or classes with appropriate pedagogical methodologies, for example, experiential or collaborative teaching.

Evaluation of Teaching Mobilities in the Context of Intercultural Education

This specific intervention aims to limit the rates of school dropout. In order to limit the rates of school dropout and to increase the school performance of students with different cultural characteristics, who attend the schools of the Directorate of Secondary Education of West Attica in the school years 2021- 2022, mobilities were implemented in the context of the Erasmus program following intercultural education. Implementing the mobilities was deemed necessary because in the cities of West Attica, during the same period, incidents of delinquency, violence, and battles took place daily between different foreigners or between foreigners and Greeks or Roma. The implementing method of the intervention is an observation with a structured observation sheet with open-ended questions. Positive results, coming out of the mobilities, were that the teachers who served in those schools, who did not always have the required knowledge in intercultural education, were made aware and trained in the effective management of heterogeneity both in students and in their parents for the benefit not only of the school community but more broadly of society—the consequences of this action concern the parents of the children and the society in general.

Pre-Professional International Mobility of European Pharmacy Students—A French Example

Internationalisation, as well as the need to interact with international partners in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry, brings an international experience to the pharmacist's career, which is essential. The objective of present work is to provide a preliminary study of the current situation of the pre-professional mobility of pharmacy students. It represents the first case study of the international pre-professional mobility of pharmacy students in France, and in north-eastern France in particular. The study is based on a recent preliminary survey among pharmacy students, conducted in 2020 at the University of Lorraine's Faculty of Pharmacy, reflecting the impact of international mobility programmes, such as the European Union educational and training mobility programme Erasmus+, on the pharmacy curriculum. The results of the present work tend to show that, despite a number of barriers to the international mobility of pharmacy students, the outcomes of international pre-professional mobility are rather positive in their globality.

The Portuguese Circular Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Experts Advice on How to Overcome the Challenges

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are unique. Considering the singularities of the Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem, this study aims to answer the following question: how can entrepreneurs overcome the challenges of starting their circular businesses in Portugal? To answer it, we carried out a focus group with experts. This study is based on the empirical analysis of data collected in the scope of the RE-START (Reinforcing the Circular Economy Model for START-Ups) Erasmus Plus project, involving organizations from five European countries. The solutions chosen to boost circular businesses predominantly involve education for circular entrepreneurship, cooperation between businesses and universities, and circular entrepreneurs’ competencies. Therefore, these research contributions involve an in-depth understanding of the current context of the circular entrepreneurial ecosystem in Portugal, aligned with elucidating what ought to be adopted to overcome the challenges of this context. These draw attention to the crucial issues that policymakers should consider when regulating and promoting the circular economy. Furthermore, we recommend various actions for the stakeholders in order to foster a sound circular economy ecosystem in Portugal while emphasizing collaborative behaviors.

Europe and Africa: One continent in the university education The ERASMUS+ Programme.

The Erasmus Programme is the EU programme that allows students to travel to countries in the European Union. Erasmus+ is the new programme combining all the EU’s current schemes for education, training, youth and sport, which was started in January 2014 and will be held for the period 2021-2027. It stands for European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students+ [...].

Longitudinal study of phonetic drift in L1 speech of late Czech-French bilinguals

This study investigates temporal development of phonetic drift (i.e., when L1 pronunciation is affected by acquiring an L2 language) in the L1 speech of four Czech university students (two female and two male) who went to study in Toulouse as part of the Erasmus programme. Having started studying L2 French at the age of twelve to sixteen, they are considered the so-called Czech-French late bilinguals. The subjects were recorded reading out a Czech text and producing semi-spontaneous speech in three sessions – immediately after their arrival, and then at the end of the first and the third month of their stay in France. Based on acoustic analyses, we statistically evaluated the formant frequencies of vowels, the spectral moments of the fricatives /ɦ/ and /x/, and the production frequency of schwa in the word-final position, which is a distinctive pronunciation feature for Toulouse French. Even though speech and its development are highly individual, we were able to witness certain pronunciation shifts regarding all the examined phones. However, the majority of statistically significant shifts were linked to the formant values of vowels.

Erasmus Program and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from a Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design

Erasmus Program and Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from a Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design

Percepcija Evropske unije - uticaj Erazmus programa na stavove studenata

This paper has the goal of presenting experiences of Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade students during their Erasmus program stays and to provide insights into the ways in which it influenced their opinions of the European union and the European integration process. After presenting the goals of the Erasmus program and the strategic documents of the Republic of Serbia within the field off education, the paper places the process of forming political opinions in theoretical context. The experiences of students which participated in the Program within the 2017-2019. period are analyzed from the perspective of Erasmus program goals and the influence they have on the opinions and social networking of the participants. The paper concludes that all of the participants entered the Program with already formed positive opinions on the European integration process, while also noting a development of skills and values related to the concept of European identity, such as openness and tolerance. Furthermore, the research finds that among the Program participants there was no sense of otherness developed during their stay and that they were not faced with any serious administrative challenges which could negatively influence their perception of the European union. However, in order to encourage further development of the Program, one must keep in mind that there exist certain barriers in the area of communicating information about requirements and procedures during application, as well as during the process of selecting and approving classes.

Possible ways of translanguaging at the school’s micro-level. The aftermath of a translanguaging project of introducing non-standardised ways of speaking to school for Roma bilingual children

The present study encounters the long-term process of a linguistic ethnographic research. The research took place in a primary school in Hungary, with students being Hungarian-Romani speaking bilingual Roma children and Hungarian as the language of instruction. The research, initiated in 2016, developed an educational approach in the school based on a translanguaging stance through multiple sub-projects and a three-year Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership Program. The applied translanguaging approach involved the Roma children’s home ways of speaking into the children’s learning. Translanguaging was first introduced at the macro level of the school with the cooperation of the school’s management, participant researchers, teachers, parents, teacher trainees and university students. The Erasmus program terminated in 2021. This study details the process of how, following the completion of this macro-level project, translanguaging can be sustained at the micro level within the school. It also discusses the difficulties and challenges faced by teachers when implementing translanguaging at the micro level, after macro-level planning and strategy have concluded.

The Impact of the Erasmus Program and the Institutional Administration of Internationalization in Türkiye

International student and staff mobility, which is widely experienced worldwide, constitutes one of the most critical dimensions of the internationalization of higher education. The Erasmus program, initiated by the European Union, plays a significant role in increasing mobility, especially between European countries. Turkey is one of these countries that benefit significantly from the Erasmus program, and the Program became a driving force for Turkish universities to accelerate internationalization. In this study, quantitative research was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of international office professionals (IPs) on the impact of the Erasmus Program and institutional structures in the universities to administer internationalizaiton. 126 IPs working in international offices of Turkish universities representing public and foundation universities participated in the study. The survey results revealed that IPs believe in the positive impacts of the Erasmus student and staff mobility on the institutionalization of internationalization in their universities, and most universities in Turkey include internationalization in their strategic plan as one of the priorities. On the other hand, IPs stated that institutional support given to their offices by top management and other stakeholders is not sufficient to administer internationalization. Moreover, the T-test results between public and foundation universities revealed that developing internationalization is a more important priority for foundation universities than the public ones.

Spanish and Polish social language conditions in the eyes of students: linguistic politeness and conversation

The aim of this article is to present some of the results of the contrastive analysis of selected aspects of Spanish and Polish social language determinants based on research conducted among students of the University of Silesia in Katowice going to Spanish universities under the Erasmus program and Spanish students coming to the University of Silesia as part of didactic placements. The author discusses the most important differences in linguistic behavior between Poles and the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, which are sometimes the basis of pragmatic errors and may contribute to the formation of negative stereotypes. The subject of the presented research results includes the broadly understood linguistic politeness and conducting a conversation.

The road to an international career: The “Erasmus effect” on resilience, intercultural interactions and cultural intelligence

This study is part of a framework that views study abroad programs as an opportunity for experiential and transformative learning. Using a mixed-methods approach with a quantitative multi-wave study, this research examined the relationship between cultural intelligence and the internationalism career anchor – the individual predisposition and desire for international mobility for work. This study considers the role of resilience and intercultural interactions as predictors of cultural intelligence. In addition, we examined the transformative learning process by relating the development of cultural intelligence to specific critical incidents or critical experiences in intercultural interactions that can be considered triggers of the learning process. A sample of 170 outgoing Italian Erasmus students completed a self-report questionnaire prior to departure and another upon return home. The study also included a control group (n = 52) consisting of students from the same university who had not participated in the Erasmus program. The results revealed the positive value of the Erasmus experience, particularly in terms of strengthening the internationalism career anchor, cognitive cultural intelligence and resilience. The results also showed that students’ pre-departure resilience and intercultural interactions with other international students from different countries can explain higher levels of cultural intelligence and the desire to work abroad or take on global work assignments. No significant change across time was found for the same variables in the control group. In addition, the critical experiences reported by students highlighted a strong cognitive and motivational component associated with the Erasmus program. Some practical implications for higher education are discussed.

Enabling the Implementation of Next-Generation Sequencing into Clinical Diagnosis: Nemhesys Project

Training for the use and analysis of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is uncommon, as shown by the lack of specialized health professionals in this area. This delays NGS implementation into the healthcare system, with the result that NGS solutions hardly ever translated into real and precise experiences. . NEMHESYS (NGS-Establishment in Multidisciplinary HEalthcare SYStem) is an Erasmus Plus Knowledge Alliance programme with the aim of improving the translation of NGS into clinical practice for hematological diagnosis and prognosis by providing clinical and biomedical staff with suitable training in NGS NEMHESYS was initiated in March 2020 with partners from five Academic Institutions (University of Salamanca, Queen's University Belfast, University of Helsinki, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) at Masaryk University and Charité University Medicine Berlin) and three small/medium enterprises (SME) (Artelnics, Mnemotix and IDimás). The project developed an online Masterclass for participants to complete over a 12-16-week period. The course, via the Moodle Platform hosted at the University of Helsinki, included a pre-module and five modules of which, in order to successfully pass the course, modules A & B were mandatory and at least one of the optional modules C, D or E. Regarding the contents, Module A was an introduction to all clinical and laboratory essentials for NGS in the clinic, whilst Module B was focused on all aspects of the analysis of NGS data. Module C looked at the barriers and risks around the implementation of NGS in health systems, Module D explored the role of artificial intelligence, linked data and knowledge graph, and Module E examined innovative programs and intra-entrepreneurship for NGS in the clinic. Three cohorts of the NGS Masterclass were run (March 2021, October 2021, and February 2022). Registration was high for each of the cohorts (161, 253, and 172 participants, respectively). Around 75% of the participants were from Europe but a significant number were from USA, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Australia as well as from Africa and Middle Eastern countries. The background of the participants was reported to be medics, biomedical and clinical scientists, graduate students, and a small proportion of bioinformaticians. As expected, there was a large number who didn't participate further than registration, but overall, at least 180 participants across the three cohorts successfully completed the Masterclass program. Additionally, participants who belonged to one of the five partner academic institutions, and had passed the online NGS training course, were entitled to apply for a learning mobility opportunity. Pre-covid this had been planned to for periods of 2 -12 weeks, but this was modified to enable more participants to be involved when considering covid related travel and other restrictions. Therefore, five Mobility Workshops were planned of one week duration at each of the academic centres, taking place from April to October (2022), and covering fundamental and of interest aspects of the application of NGS methodologies in the clinical practice and research. At the end, twenty-eight (28) participants were involved in the Mobility. The Brno hands-on workshop "Basic Skills in NGS: from PB sample to the Report" covered the clinical and laboratory essentials of NGS. The Salamanca workshop further explored novel technologies and trends in Real World NGS, whilst a focus on Precision Medicine and blood cancer diagnosis was covered by the Belfast workshop. Then, with more innovative methodologies, Charité covered the 4th generation Nanopore Technology, and the Helsinki workshop focused on Single Cell Sequencing Analytics. Overall, the NEMHESYS Masterclass and mobility program achieved the aim of giving online and practical training to a significant number of clinical and biomedical participants around the globe in the use of NGS for hematological disorders. This will enable the delivery of higher quality clinical services. PROJECT REF.: 612639-EPP-1-2019-1-ES-EPPKA2-KA. Disclaimer: The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents that reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

EFFECTS OF THE BREXIT PROCESS ON EDUCATIONAL MOBILITY: NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FROM ERASMUS TO TURING

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Birleşik Krallık’ın (BK) Avrupa Birliği’nden (AB) ayrılma kararıyla birlikte AB’nin sınırlarını kıta sınırına çekerek ekonomik, sosyal ve politik açıdan daralma etkisi yaratan Brexit sürecinin genel olarak AB bağlantılı göçlere özelde ise Erasmus hareketliliğine olan etkileri ele alınmıştır. Erasmus Programı’nın nitelikli aktörlerinden biri olan BK’nın süreçten çekilmesinin etkileri yanında bu sürecin başlangıçta Türkiye’nin Erasmus hareketliliğini nasıl etkilediği ve gelecekte nasıl etkileyebileceğinin araştırılması çalışmanın amacını oluşturmaktadır. Yöntem: Bu çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden durum çalışması deseni kullanılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak ise resmi istatistiklere dayalı dokümanlardan yararlanılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında üç farklı veri grubu kullanılmaktadır. Bunlar: (i) Avrupa Komisyonu yıllık raporlarından elde edilen 2014-2019 yıllarına ait BK’nın Erasmus öğrenci ve personel hareketliliği verileri, (ii) Ulusal Ajans ve Avrupa Komisyonu yıllık raporlarından elde edilen 2004-2019 yıllarına ait Türkiye’nin Erasmus öğrenci ve personel hareketliliği verileri ve (iii) BK’nın resmi internet sayfasından (Turing Scheme) elde edilen Turing Programı’nın işleyiş şemasına yönelik istatistiki verilerdir. Bulgular: AB bağlantılı hareketliliklerde önemli bir yeri olan Erasmus Programı, Brexit süreci boyunca tartışılan konulardan biridir. BK’nın programdan çekilmiş olmasının diğer program ülkeleri ve ülkemiz için bir kayıp olacağı açıktır. Her ne kadar BK ve Türkiye arasında çok yoğun bir hareketlilik olmasa da Brexit sonrası gündeme getirilen Turing Programı’nda Türkiye’ye verilen kontenjanların Erasmus’un çok gerisinde kalmış olması, Türkiye’nin bu süreçte ihmal edildiğini ve beklentilerin ülkemiz açısından karşılanamadığını göstermektedir.Özgünlük: Birçok ülke Erasmus hareketliliğinin hem eğitim sistemine hem de ülke ekonomisine yaptığı katkılardan yararlanabilmek için kıyasıya rekabet halindedir. Türkiye’nin de önemli aktörlerinden biri olduğu bu hareketlilikte ülkeler arasında yaşanan politik krizlerin ülkemiz üzerindeki olası sonuçlarının tartışılması oldukça kritik bir konudur. Özellikle ulusal literatür incelendiğinde Brexit sürecinin daha çok siyasi, ekonomik faktörler ve göç (sığınmacılar, serbest dolaşım) konusu üzerinden değerlendirildiği fakat sürecin eğitim hareketliliği üzerinde yaratacağı tehditlerin ve fırsatların gözden kaçırıldığı görülmektedir. Nitekim bu çalışmayla Brexit ve eğitim hareketliliği ile ilgili literatüre farklı bir bakış açısı kazandırılabilir.