For a long time, more and more international students have been taking advantage of the opportunity to gain specific academic knowledge, intercultural skills and ECTS credits through academic short-term programs and to get to know Germany as a place for study and research. Within the framework of the internationalization of German universities, short-term programs are an important instrument for the recruitment of young academics as well as the visibility on the international education market.
The conference was attended by experts from the Free University of Berlin, the University of Kassel, the University of Cologne, the Phillips University of Marburg, the University of Stuttgart, the University of Tübingen as well as by a representative of the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD.
In various workshops participants discussed relevant topics such as objectives and target groups, formats and contents, organization and funding as well as marketing and recruitment.
Funding opportunities for summer schools have been presented by the Head of the Section “Mobility Programmes and Student Support Services” of the DAAD. The Head of the Department of Excellence Initiative at the University of Tübingen gave an insight into internationalization at the University of Tübingen within the framework of the Excellence Initiative as well as in concrete action measures.
The diversity of the programs, also due to different structural and personnel conditions as well as profile-specific prerequisites of the respective university, enriched the discussion with new suggestions, ideas and questions. Thus, topics relevant to the field of action such as, for example, the challenge of teaching in an intercultural learning environment were taken up.
The aim of the conference was to initiate an exchange of experience and to start the creation of a network in which (international) providers of short-term programs can exchange and discuss current developments. The initiative of the University of Tübingen was received very positively. It is planned to continue and consolidate the exchange on future meetings.
The conference was initiated and organized by the program "International & European Studies" (IES) at the University of Tübingen . The IES program offers English-language short-term programs throughout the year with focus on Europe and the European Union.
Contact
Franziska Krauße-Wang
Coordinator International & European Studies
University of Tübingen
Department I, Section 4 Excellence Initiative
Keplerstraße 2, 72074 Tübingen
Tel.: + 49 7071 29-72509
franziska.krausse(at)uni-tuebingen.de
www.uni-tuebingen.de/european-studies
