Transatlantic Education and Training Conference
- Report on MUNSTER MEETING
- Transatlantic Education and Training Conference
- Informal meeting of BIODAQUA partners present at the Halifax Project Directors' Meeting on 6th November 2002.
Münster, Germany
December 9-11, 2001
Notes from Roundtable Discussion 12/10/01
PREPARED BY SUSAN WHITE INSTITUTE OF MARINE BIOLOGY OF CRETE
Ever Closer Ties: Recommendations for the Further Development of Transatlantic Cooperation in Higher Education and Training
Student exchange program:
- "Multilateral exchange agreements" in one package work best. Agreement should include maximum number of students for program, description of free versus paid tuition, etc. Students pay home institution.
- Support staff very important to student happiness and desire to continue in program.
- Student evaluations very important.
- Education is more than teaching; it includes training.
- Credit transfer a problem in U.S. and Canada; unfortunately, students sometimes have to choose courses similar to those at home institutions so credits will transfer.
What activities and processes encourage further development of collaborations?
- Collaborations between researchers, including graduate and undergrad students.
- Graduate and undergraduate internships.
- Special programs like Fullbright Fellowships in U.S.
- Group problem-solving activities/ collaboratives.
Problems:
- In business projects, E.U. students get more out of experience than Americans; get placed in business; experience helps them get jobs. U.S. students don't usually get placed in European businesses. Suggestion: Place students in multinational companies.
- Need industry members on business exchange program board of advisors; will know job market so students will have jobs when they finish.
- Language more a problem in U.S.; Europeans more multilingual. Suggestion: Offer one-month intensive language course via Internet before exchange happens.
- Lead university needs to know role/tasks up front.
- Make sure what university offers here complements what exchange university offers.
- Need to build infrastructure on how to run a consortium.
How to maintain project after 3 years:
- Include student exchange in research grants.
- Fund projects with prerequisite of having matching funds from industry.
- Lobby for institutional support.
- Expand Socrates and Erasmus to U.S. and Canada?
Notes on Presentation by Ken Tolo, Director of the U.S. Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education
Questions on Sustainability and Institutionalization:
- How are your institution's international studies policies and practices set up?
- How do institutional policies reward faculty for implementing exchange programs and curriculum?
- How can exchange programs and curriculum benefit the largest number of students? (those not involved in exchange)
- How can the project influence the institution's and clienteles' attitudes to curricular-based student mobility programs and change their perspectives?
- How do you create partnerships with private donors (and within the institution) to sustain programs?
- How do you effect change in the institution? (Leadership is mobilizing partners to come up with joint solutions; project directors are change agents.)
Other points:
- Important to disseminate results; can attract other partners and funding.
- Think globally (beyond current partners) by using distance learning appropriately.
Sustainabililty and Institutionalization of Projects
Notes on Presentation by Outi Snellman, University of Rovaniemi, The Northern Consortium
- Involve political leaders in proposal and keep them informed of progress.
- Project must meet an identified need to be sustainable.
- Focus project goals.
- Clear evaluation should be built into project.
- Keep institution and political leaders in the loop and get feedback from them.
- Include dissemination plan in proposal.
- Plan for sustainability in the beginning.
- Think big; don't be satisfied with existing structures.
- Find individuals who are truly committed and will stick with the project when there are funding gaps.
- Northern Consortium web site: www.arctic.org
