ERASMUS Research Articles

Intra-European student mobility and the different meanings of ‘Europe’

One of the main aims of the Erasmus programme is to promote a sense of European identity. Whereas several empirical studies have already investigated this relationship, few studies investigate what students actually mean when they refer to ‘Europe’. Therefore, in this paper I investigate the different latent dimensions of the concept Europe, as well as which of these dimensions are particularly associated with an exchange period abroad. The analyses are based on an online survey conducted with higher education students in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Sweden in 2011 ( n = 4278). The presented models reveal four latent dimensions, namely a ‘cultural’, ‘political’, ‘rights’ and ‘experiential’ dimension. Furthermore, the analyses suggest that exchange students are largely a self-selected group, being a priori more likely to identify with Europe and score higher on the four dimensions.

Promoting intercultural awareness among European university students via pre-mobility virtual exchanges

For more than 30 years, the Erasmus programme has given thousands of higher education students throughout Europe the chance to live and study abroad. For many, this sojourn in a foreign country is an extraordinary learning experience which enriches their language and (inter)cultural learning process. However, for others, this opportunity is undermined by cultural shock or lack of preparation...

THE INTERVIEW AS GUIDANCE RESOURCE IN THE PROCESSES FOR YOUTH EUROPEAN MOBILITY

INTRODUCTION. Within the European reality there are actions such as the Erasmus Plus initiative, the Ploteus Portal and the EURES network, which generate diverse academic and professional possibilities abroad. These initiatives increase the cultural and social exchange opportunities for young people, and boost their labour insertion opportunities in the European Union. Interviews, structured dialogues, websites, etc. have been highlighted amongst the instruments used by counsellors during guidance sessions regarding mobility opportunities. The European Project, “Guide My W@y” (Kreutzer & Iuga, 2016) proposes action strategies and resources for vocational career counsellors which can be used in interviews. Likewise the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) competencies has been encouraged. The main objective of these counselling tools is to provide guidance professionals from different fields (EURES Network, Euroguidance, Public Employment Services (PES), Universities...) with the support that they require. METHOD. This study has been carried out in four European countries (Germany, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic), it firstly uses a descriptive methodology to analyse the role of the interview as a guidance strategy which can be used by counsellors in youth mobility processes, and subsequently a guidance proposal, based predominantly on the counsellors’ use of the virtual interview process as an intervention tool has been drawn up. RESULTS. Among the tools used in the guidance practices for international youth mobility processes in the four analysed countries, particular focus has been placed on the use of real and virtual interviews, conducting a specific frequency assessment. Likewise the relevance of using a questionnaire as an evaluation tool has been emphasised. DISCUSSION. The interviews implemented by the counsellors by means of virtual and face-to-face dialogues during the intervention process have been considered as an appropriate counselling strategy, and one that is of great value during guidance sessions regarding international mobility. The level of use and the degree of importance placed on the interview process by counsellors have served as the basis for drawing up a virtual dialogue proposal which will enable all young people who are involved in mobility processes in Europe to receive support.

Evaluation of the impact of Erasmus study mobility on salaries and employment of recent graduates in Spain

ABSTRACTLittle empirical literature assessing the impact of Erasmus study program on graduate career prospects exists. All too often, the empirical evidence available is either bias or indirect. Furthermore, the existing differences among study mobility participants and non-participant peers in terms of ability, socioeconomic background or field of study are often ignored, leading us to believe that the correlations observed to date cannot be considered as causal. In an attempt to obtain less biased evidence on the effect of Erasmus study mobility on career and salary prospects, a propensity score matching approach was used. As far as we are aware, no other studies involving this approach have been carried out in Spain. Our objective therefore was to contribute to the knowledge available through the analysis of two graduate surveys. The main conclusion reached was that in the medium term, Erasmus programs do in effect have a positive impact on the prospects of recent graduates, who in terms of income were able to command salaries that were 10–12 per cent higher than their counterparts.

The experience of teacher’s academic mobility of the University of Girona (Spain) and I.K. Akhunbaev Kyrgyz State Medical Academy (Kyrgyzstan) in the framework of the international program Erasmus+

The experience of teacher’s academic mobility of the University of Girona (Spain) and I.K. Akhunbaev Kyrgyz State Medical Academy (Kyrgyzstan) in the framework of the international program Erasmus+

Innovative Education and Training in high power laser plasmas (PowerLaPs) for plasma physics, high power laser–matter interactions and high energy density physics – theory and experiments

The Erasmus Plus programme ‘Innovative Education and Training in high power laser plasmas’, otherwise known as PowerLaPs, is described. The PowerLaPs programme employs an innovative paradigm in that it is a multi-centre programme where teaching takes place in five separate institutes with a range of different aims and styles of delivery. The ‘in class’ time is limited to four weeks a year, and the programme spans two years. PowerLaPs aims to train students from across Europe in theoretical, applied and laboratory skills relevant to the pursuit of research in laser–plasma interaction physics and inertial confinement fusion (ICF). Lectures are intermingled with laboratory sessions and continuous assessment activities. The programme, which is led by workers from the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete, and supported by co-workers from the Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Bordeaux, the Czech Technical University in Prague, Ecole Polytechnique, the University of Ioannina, the University of Salamanca and the University of York, has just completed its first year. Thus far three Learning Teaching Training (LTT) activities have been held, at the Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Bordeaux and the Centre for Plasma Physics and Lasers (CPPL) of TEI Crete. The last of these was a two-week long Intensive Programme (IP), while the activities at the other two universities were each five days in length. Thus far work has concentrated upon training in both theoretical and experimental work in plasma physics, high power laser–matter interactions and high energy density physics. The nature of the programme will be described in detail and some metrics relating to the activities carried out to date will be presented.

European Union Nation Branding through Humanitarian and Developmental Initiatives - Focus on EU Aid Volunteers

Diverse from the Erasmus program, amongst other EU international interactions, Humanitarian and Developmental initiatives resulting in Nation Branding is a field that is hardly explored. This paper has tried to analyze the concept of supra-nation branding through the EU humanitarian and development program named EU Aid Volunteers Initiative, through focusing on how a supranational organization such as the EU would go about a nation branding initiative that promotes its collective values in Humanitarian and Development Aid. In order to explore the concept of supra-nation branding, it firsts gives a brief introduction about the initiative and identifies the key elements of EU nation branding as well as its humanitarian and development initiatives. Then, it analyzes it through Anholt’s lens and a SWOT analysis, followed by critiques and a conclusion. This analysis proved fruitful in terms of enabling a structural understanding behind the processes employed by the E.U Aid Volunteers Initiative and how it shall enable the E.U to advance its image as a supra-national entity both locally, regionally and internationally. In addition, as the European Union is an entity unlike any other it generates comprehension for future organizations motivated by a collectivity in idealisms and cultural identities, enabling the application of their country’s image abroad through a means of which embodies a form of cultural-humanitarian diplomacy.

Exploring the Relationship Between Education and Tourism: A Case Study of Erasmus Students at the University of Economics - Varna

International travels motivated by participation in exchange programs, form a significant part of the dynamically developing market for tourist products and services. The combination of studying abroad with the choice of tourist destination is a common practice among students around the world. The aim of the current study is to establish the relationship between study abroad programs and tourism during the stay in the chosen destination, through a case study of Erasmus students at the University of Economics – Varna. For the purpose of the study a survey had been conducted among representatives of international Erasmus students in UE-Varna. The results showed that the relationship between education and tourism is more likely to intensify within and outside the country. In the context of follow-up studies, the results could be adapted to identify the potential economic contribution of the Erasmus programme to the tourism development in the destination.

La experiencia de innovación en formación docente en Educación Superior: el caso de la participación de la Universidad Autónoma de Asunción (UAA) en la Red TO-INN Programa Erasmus (2016-2019)

La experiencia de innovación en formación docente en Educación Superior: el caso de la participación de la Universidad Autónoma de Asunción (UAA) en la Red TO-INN Programa Erasmus (2016-2019)

Academic Integrity Norms Compliance in the Process of Research Data Management: Foreign Practice

The article deals with the principles of adherence to the standards of academic integrity and ways of avoiding misconduct manipulation with research data in the process of Research Data Management (RDM) on the example of world universities and organizations with experience in implementing high-quality RDM.In this article was used the author’s experience gained during participating in Erasmus Plus Staff Mobility for Training Program agreed between the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and The University of Glasgow (Scotland, the UK). In particular, was regarded as the UK approach to providing Research Data Management (RDM) in the University Library on the example of University of Glasgow Institutional repository which is named “Enlighten” and is base on the EPrints platform. The connection between the image of the institution and its research activity can be checked by means of monitoring the research data, so that is why the University of Glasgow pays considerable attention to the exactness and accuratness of the RDM. In this material were mentioned several schemes of research data lifecycle and what can happen to it in case of research misconduct. The most widespread terms concerning research misconduct were regarded in this article, namely: falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism. With this purpose, several online reference websites and dictionaries were analyzed. Open Science Framework (OSF) was described briefly as one of the proposed instruments for the researchers who need to deposit their research data. This tool also was defined as an additional bibliographic instrument as it can generate citations for data packages thus providing transparent data reuse without breach norms and regulations of Academic Integrity. The importance of Academic Integrity in connection to the Research Data Management and Research Data Lifecycle is underlined as a crucial element in the whole research process. Six fundamental values of Academic Integrity were named and mentioned as basic points at which every researcher must orient in their work.

Job profiles for museums in the digital era: research conducted in Portugal, Italy and Greece within the Mu.SA project

Due to the increasing use of technologies in the museum sector, new job profiles are now emerging within that sector. This paper describes the key findings of the research activities carried out in Greece, Portugal and Italy within the Mu.SA – Museum Sector Alliance – project funded by the European Erasmus Plus Programme – Sector Skills Alliances. Our research addressed the questions of what skills and know-how are needed by museum professionals in the process of digital transformation of their sector and what emerging job profiles would help museums to thrive in the digital environment. The research validated four job profiles such as Digital Strategy Manager, Digital Collections Curator, Digital Interactive Experience Developer and Online Community Manager. It also showed that there are some digital and transferable competences common to the four museum job profiles, but, most importantly, that an awareness of digital culture should be developed throughout the whole of a museum's workforce.

Exploring the Effect of Erasmus Program on Cultural Intelligence of University Students

Bu nicel-nedensel karsilastirma calismasinin amaci, kulturel zekâ degiskeninin Erasmus Ogrenim Hareketliligi Programi’na katilan ve katilmayan ogrenciler arasinda farklilik gosterip gostermedigini, “deneyime aciklik” kisilik ozelligini kontrol altinda tutarak incelemektir. Calismanin verileri, Ankara’da bir devlet universitesinde farkli bolumlerde ve sinif seviyesinde ogrenim goren 450 universite ogrencisinden toplanmistir. Calismada veri toplama araclari olarak arastirmaci tarafindan Turkceye uyarlanan Kulturel Zekâ Olcegi ve Bes Faktor Kisilik Olcegi – Deneyime Aciklik alt boyutu kullanilmistir. Cok Degiskenli Kovaryans Analizinin (MANCOVA) sonuclari, Erasmus Ogrenim Hareketliligi Programi’na katilimin deneyime aciklik kisilik ozelligi kontrol altinda tutuldugunda, kulturel zekânin tum alt boyutlari uzerinde (ust-bilis, bilis, motivasyon ve davranis) istatistiksel olarak anlamli bir etkisi oldugunu gostermistir. Ayrica sonuclar, deneyime aciklik kisilik ozelliginin, bu calisma icin onemli bir esdegisken faktor oldugunu gostermistir.

Does studying abroad enhance employability?

AbstractOver 200,000 European students study abroad under the Erasmus programme. It appears that studying abroad may impart skills which are helpful for professional careers after graduation. Approximately, 54% of European students report that participation in the Erasmus exchange programme helped them to obtain a first job; however, interestingly, those from Central and Eastern European countries report it much more often—in 73% of cases. The aim of this paper is to find out whether studying abroad enhances the employability of higher education graduates in Poland. Using the propensity score matching method and data from a nationwide tracer survey of Polish graduates, we find that Polish students who completed at least one semester of their studies abroad do not benefit in terms of a higher employment rate after graduation.

Observations of a Public Health Nurse in the Erasmus Programme at the Finland/ Turku

Observations of a Public Health Nurse in the Erasmus Programme at the Finland/ Turku

Diverse student voice approaches across Europe

AbstractThe Student voice concept encompasses the right for learners to express their opinions, access people who influence decisions and actively participate in educational decision‐making processes. In this article, three features of a European Erasmus Plus project called “BRIDGE” are presented in a sequence ranging from theoretical considerations for school improvement to an analysis of school contexts and settings, followed by a presentation of results from working with one of the project’s student voice tools. Central in each example is the notion that working in partnership with students will enable students to become more self‐directed learners and active citizens.

The impact of the ERASMUS program on cultural identity: A case study of an Arab Muslim female student from Israel

This article presents a case study of a female Arab Moslem student from Israel who participated in the Erasmus Program student exchange program in Germany. The main goal of the study was to examine dilemmas relating to her cultural identity abroad within the Erasmus Program and to understand the impact of her studies abroad on her social, religious and political behavior associated with her identity. Qualitative methodology employed content analysis to interpret the reflective journals she was asked to write in English as a part of a class assignment. The main findings of the study show that the Erasmus Program experience was in general successful allowing the student to interact with and learn about the culture of the host country and the cultures of other international students although she faced complex dilemmas regarding her cultural identity.

Il digital storytelling nell’educazione dell’infanzia: la formazione degli insegnanti nel progetto STORIES

The key themes addressed by the Erasmus Plus STORIES project (2015-2018) are the promotion of media literacy practices in early childhood education and teachers’ professional development in media education. One of the main outcomes already achieved is a training course on digital storytelling in early childhood education. Dedicated to in-service preschool teachers, the course was provided in the four countries involved in the project: Italy, Finland, Germany and Turkey. The course was designed to address all the components foreseen in the TPACK model. The paper explores the training course structure, the key contents and the activities implemented.

Erasmus-Erfahrungsberichte. Eine textlinguistische Analyse mit didaktischen Anmerkungen für den DaF-Unterricht

In this article exchange student testimonials (Erasmus Programme) are examined as text types. In this context function, structure, topics and selected linguistic features of the texts are focused. Analysis shows that the majority of the examined exchange student testimonials demonstrate many common features with advice giving texts. Regarding content, culture comparing topics are found as characteristic elements, and on the linguistic level, a frequent occurrence of elements of conceptual orality. These texts can therefore become relevant authentic teaching materials, as they are able to enhance knowledge of everyday language use and intercultural skills. Thus, the article concludes with didactic notes.

Becoming Europeans: the relationship between student exchanges in higher education, European citizenship and a sense of European identity

Since the initiation of the Erasmus programme in 1987, intra-European student exchanges in higher education are expected to promote a sense of European identity and citizenship among European exchange students. Panel studies grasping students’ identification before and after participating in an exchange programme, however, remain remarkably scarce today. Moreover, the few existing studies report conflicting results. This paper adds to this debate, presenting the results of a survey conducted in 2009 and 2010 among non-exchange and exchange students from thirteen European countries, based on a pretest – posttest nonequivalent groups design (n = 400). My analyses did not find any statistically significant differences over time within and between the groups of exchange and non-exchange students, and neither between students with similar identification scores at wave 1. Finally, an analysis of the relationship between social network types and identification patterns did also not yield any significant results. Altogether, these findings suggest the impact of European exchange programmes on European citizenship and a sense of European identity is relatively limited.

Edukacja międzykulturowa dla przyszłości - na przykładzie zajęć akademickich, „Intercultural dialogue” i programu Erasmus

The article is a presentation of basic problems of contemporary civilization, connected with: the crisis of humanity and community, and also the necessity to define social strategies in multicultural societies and education for the culture of peace. Referring to the tragic cases of Islamic terrorism and conflicts originating from religious fanaticism, I point out the need to involve education in shaping human identity and intercultural competences, in creating civic foundations and in living in a community in a multicultural society. As examples of such educational activities I am presenting an authorship course titled “Intercultural Dialogue” – UW Erasmus Programme and also my lectures and artistic workshop the University of Art and Design Linz (Kunstuniversitaat Linz) in Austria – intercultural dialogue.