The overall WP aim is enhancing the capacity of Asian Universities in strategizing, promoting and managing students’ mobility schemes. This was accomplished by designing a shared mobility management model that was described and defined in a Handbook. After reaching this goal, cascade trainings and presentations of the Handbook were carried out at national level in the three partner countries involving regional Universities and the Ministry of Education as well.
The selected leaders for this WP were the Uppsala University and Yezin Agricultural University.
4.1 Identification of three focus groups according to WP1 and WP2 outcomes
During the third Consortium meeting held in Vientiane in January 2020, Ms Ulrica Ouline from Uppsala University introduced the WP activities and tasks starting from the identification of three focus groups that were meant to work together with European partners in order to write an Handbook on mobility management. Each focus group appointed a chair and a rapporteur.
The tasks of focus groups have been identified and shared as follows:
- FG1 - Strategies and management of mobility programs. This group is meant to work on strategies and general management of students’ mobility programs and focuses on models of institutional partnerships and on students' agreement templates.
- FG2 - Service and quality tools for outbound mobility. It is meant to develop support services and quality tools to foster outbound mobility (i.e. outbound students preparation before the mobility and credit recognition after it ends).
- FG3 - Services and quality tools for inbound mobility. This group is supposed to focus on incoming mobility schemes and personalized services mainly with a particular reference to short term mobility proposals (i.e. summer schools).
Each group was composed by one person from each Asian Partner University (seven people per FG) who worked together to draft the TOOLKIT Handbook on Mobility Management.
4.2 Train the trainers – Mobility flows
The training on mobility flows by Uppsala University was planned to take place in May 2020, unfortunately, due to the pandemic outbreak and related travel restrictions, the Consortium has been forced to rethink the schedule and the modalities of the training delivery.
The Consortium agreed to implement the training virtually from September 28th to October 1st 2020. The program has been published and can be visualized here. During the first part of the training, Uppsala University presented its internal organization and procedures concerning international mobility such as the management of student exchange agreements, courses taught in English, promotional activities, the credit transfer system in EU and services for outbound (i.e. selection and preparation) and inbound students (i.e. VISA support, accommodation).
The second part of the training was dedicated to the drafting of the Handbook. Participants were asked to join a brainstorming session to think about international mobility strategies and best practices which could apply to their own context. After that, participants were divided in three focus groups and worked on the first three chapters of the Handbook. The final part of the training has been dedicated to a wrap-up on the outcomes and to the questions.
A study visit in Uppsala was organized in spring 2021, in order not to lose the opportunity to touch with hand the work of Uppsala University. Unfortunately, travel restrictions persisted due to the pandemic situation and the activity could not be completed.
4.3 Workshops in each Asian University to institutionalize EU trainings outcomes
The aim of these workshops is to disseminate the learning outcomes of the EU trainings at institutional level and train academics, students and staff who will be involved in the drafting of the Handbook and the provisions and management of students’ mobility schemes.
These workshops were planned to take place in each Asian Country but unfortunately the situation with the pandemic and the related travel restriction forced a reschedule of the workshop.
After the conclusion of the trainings carried out during WP2, WP3 and WP4, Asian partner Universities organized internal cascade trainings addressed to their faculties and staff involved in international activities with the aim to share the knowledge and results achieved so far. They presented meaningful arguments about internationalization strategies, staff and students’ mobility and project design and management.
4.4 TOOLKIT handbook for the management of students mobility
The WP coleaders worked collectively in order to reach one common goal: drafting the TOOLKIT handbook for the management of students’ mobility schemes.
For the whole duration of the activity, they kept in contact with the chairs and the rapporteurs of each FG.
The Handbook was first developed on the basis of the knowledge acquired during the training held by Uppsala University.
The Handbook was not specifically designed as a prescriptive guide but rather as a set of principles that are meant to guide and assist Asian Universities in implementing or improving strategies, services and quality tools related to students’ mobility.
It consists of three main sections mirroring the analysis and findings accomplished by the 3 Focus Groups:
- Strategies and management of students mobility programs;
- Support services and quality tools for outbound mobility;
- Support services and quality tools for inbound mobility in short term tailored programs
Asian partners agreed to also include a chapter on staff mobility.
Once completed, the Handbook was presented for the endorsement of the Consortium during the fourth meeting and published on the Project website.
4.5 Cascade trainings at national level on mobility management
The objective of these National cascade trainings is to disseminate at national level the sudents’ mobility management model developed by TOOLKIT consortium and defined in the TOOLKIT Handbook and the knowledge acquired during WP2 and WP3 about internationalization strategies and project design and management.
For this purpose, cascade trainings were organized in each partner country (Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka) by the Asian Project Partners.
These cascade trainings were structured in plenary sessions through the presentation of the general method and the set of principles in the management of mobility schemes, internationalization strategies and international projects.
Please check out the work done during WP4 in the box below:
