Educational framework: Virtual Mobility

Educational framework
Virtual Mobility
Peer Learning Activity
Virtual Mobility (VM)
Maastricht, 12 December 2018
George Ubachs
Piet Henderikx

THE CHANGING
PEDAGOGICAL
LANDSCAPE
Henderikx, P., & Jansen, D. (2018).
The Changing Pedagogical Landscape:
in search of patterns in policies and
practices of new modes of teaching
and learning. Retrieved from
https://tinyurl.com/CPLreport2018
12 December 2018 PLA Maastricht 7

Three areas of provision emerging
Degree education
Continuous
education /
CPD
Open
education
InternationalNational
PLA Maastricht 312 December 2018

The complex pedagogical landscape
Blended degree
education:
•Bachelor, Master, PhD
•Business model:
regulated, not-for-profit;
education as a public
good, not as a commodity
Blended and
online
continuous
education
•CPD, SLP’s and non-
accredited education
•Business model: non-
regulated, not-for-profit,
for profit
Open
Education
•MOOCs, OERs, open
media, open knowledge
•Business model: non-
regulated, not-for profit
InternationalNational

6
Open University UK
BA (honours) MA
Modules
Certificates of
Higher
Education
Diplomas of
Higher
Education
Openlearn Futurelearn
12 December 2018 PLA Maastricht

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
AND MOBILITY

Collaborative teaching and learning formats online
International
virtual classroom
Joint doctoral
space
Blended / online
seminars
Think tanks
Blended intensive
programmes
International
asynchronous
discussion groups
Blended project
groups
International
lecture series
Blended / online
apprenticeship
Networked
courses
/programs
Joint courses /
programs

European
developments
in mobility
10
European Universities: physical, blended and
online mobility
Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships, Knowledge
Alliances, Capacity Building
Erasmus Mundus Joint Degrees, embedded
mobility of staff and students
Networked programmes: mobility windows
Physical Erasmus Mobility, incl. Intensive
Programmes

Physical,
blended,
online
PLA Maastricht 12 December 2018 11
Components of a
curriculum can be taught
face to face, blended or
online, including related
mobility schemes,
all according principles of
educational design

Mobility:
the
student’s
perspective
Students follow a learning activity, a course or part of a
curriculum in another university in the framework of a
bilateral or a network/consortium agreement between
universities.
PLA Maastricht 12

Mobility:
the staff’s
perspective
Teaching staff is organising a learning activity or
teaching a course in the framework of a bilateral or
a network/consortium agreement
PLA Maastricht 13

The
university’s
perspective
Two or more universities organise and recognise study
periods followed by their students in an exchange
program or in a networked/joint program
PLA Maastricht 14

Types of
mobility
• Joint seminars/ projects/think
tanks/intensive programmes
Embedded mobility
Credits
• Exchange courses and curricula
Individual exchange mobility
Credits
• Networked curricula
Networked mobility
Credits, double degrees
• Joint courses and curricula
Embedded mobility
Joint degrees

Benefits of
physical
mobility as
experienced
by students
• Personal development
• Languages, intercultural experience
• Friends
• International academic experience
IMMERSION

Virtual
mobility:
opportunities
for students
• Flexibility, accessibility: all students in a
class have access to virtual mobility, also
students who prefer not to go abroad or
cannot go abroad, including those with
special needs or from a disadvantaged
socio-economic background.
• Individual portfolio development: more
opportunities for mobility and for
integrating an international learning
experience, a new field of study and new
ways of learning, virtual internships
• Competence building: intercultural
competences, linguistic skills, collaborative
learning, media and digital literacy skills,
open mindedness, team work, critical
thinking, networking11
• Improving employability

Virtual
Mobility
Competencies
Open VM
project
(in
development)
• Networked communication
• Media communication
• Intercultural skills
• Collaborative skills
• Autonomy-driven learning
• Self-regulated learning
• Open mindedness

Virtual
mobility:
opportunities
for staff
• Enhancement of the quality of the
course or a curriculum: content,
collaborative education
• Connecting educational networking
with research networking
• Continuous professional development,
learning from international colleagues
(sharing good practices, new
methods...)
• Recognition of teaching quality, career
opportunities

Virtual
mobility:
opportunities
for institutions
• To expand the university’s academic offer in an
international context (to home and guest students),
internationalisation of the curriculum, global
teaching, transnational education
• Innovative pedagogies creating an international
experience for students
• Enhancing the quality of courses and curricula
• Networking with other universities in education
and research, sharing teaching capacity
• Enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness
of the university
• New approaches concerning alumni activities,
continuous education and lifelong learning
• Reaching out to disadvantaged groups, e.g.
migrants, refugees

Barriers for
virtual
mobility
• In exchange schemes: the number of
online courses
• Digital maturity: lack of experience
and expertise
• Language
• Time zones and coursetables
• Administrative issues

THE QUALITY OF MOBILITY: DEPENDING
ENTIRELY FROM THE EDUCATIONAL
DESIGN

Physical,
blended,
online
Components of a curriculum
can be taught face to face,
blended or online, including
related mobility schemes,
all according principles of
educational design

(International) education is
a design science
International course and curriculum
design, making optimal use of digital
technologies and taking into account
different cultural, social and economic
contexts.

Design/development dimensions of
international curricula and courses
25
Courses, teaching and
learning activities
distributed over different
partner institutions
Or a joint design of a
course/curriculum,
teaching and learning by
staff of different
institutions
Flexibility,
synchronous/synchronous
International learning
communities and presence
Media selection and
international delivery
Assessment in internatonal
settings

• http://e-xcellencelabel.eadtu.eu/tools/manual
• https://embed.eadtu.eu

COST STRUCTURE

Different cost structure physical
and online mobility
• For both forms of mobility, the organisational costs,
the eventual “language and culture preparation” costs
and the educational cost are high.
• The cost of physical mobility is particularly high with
regard to travel, housing, insurance and other costs. In
most cases, it is covered by the Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility
or the Erasmus Mundus Program.
• The cost of virtual mobility is particularly high with
regard to the organization of examinations and in
cases where virtual exchange is combined with face to
face events (travel and subsistence costs, short
mobility cost).
PLA Maastricht 12 December 2018 28

INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGIES

Innovative International Pedagogies
• The Virtual Exchange Scheme:
https://www.tudelft.nl/studenten/onderwijs/virtual-exchange/
• European Virtual Seminar for Sustainable Development:
https://www.ou.nl/eCache/DEF/1/23/424.html
• The Lived Experience of Climate Change:
http://www.leche.open.ac.uk
https://www.ou.nl/web/the-lived-experience-of-climate-change
http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=1767
• Think tanks:
https://www.kuleuven.be/english/international/thinkthank/index
• Coriolanus Online:
http://telepresenceintheatre.coventry.domains/uncategorized/hell
o-world/
PLA Maastricht 30

• Global Health Education TropEd:
https://www.uib.no/en/cih/114159/virtual-
mobility
• Master in Social Security:
https://www.law.kuleuven.be/EMSS
• Joint Master's Programme in Comparative
Social Policy and Welfare:
• http://www.cosopo.lt

• European Distance Education in Law Network
https://blog.fernuni-hagen.de/edelnet/about-
us/

EADTU PROJECTS

What does international
networked education bring to HE?
3
4
• You can integrate resources, international research and innovation
on the internet in your course, e.g. open educational resources,
open access journals, virtual labs (enriched learning environments)
• You can organize collaborative learning in learning communities
• You can flexibilize your course in terms of place, time, pace of study
for part-time students or students at work
• You can teach in a multi-campus mode, synchronously or
asynchronously and mobility
• You can deliver international education (online masters, blended
(joint) doctorates) and mobility

NetCu Handbook
When involved in the design of a new networked
curriculum the following aspects need consideration and
agreement
Design of the contents Shared technological platform
Co-production of contents Language of the learning contents
Management aspects (division of roles) Language of the learning environment
Administrative aspects Accreditation procedure
Financial aspects Mobility of students and professors
Complementarity of content Use of interactive tools for students and profs.
Community QA process
Technological infrastructure Involvement of stakeholders
http://www.networkedcurricula.eu/
Pag. 36

EPICS
European Portal for International Courses and
Services (EPICS)
EADTU’s Virtual Erasmus Exchange programme
Essential elements :
• an institutional agreement
• a course catalogue, customized and restricted
to the partners in this institutional agreement,
with pre-assessed and recognized online
courses or learning activities
• a student application form
• a learning agreement
• transcript of records.

VE: building a new mobility scheme in line
with the current Erasmus Programma
In the current Erasmus Programme there
are four key documents that are
essential to any exchange:
1. The Course Catalogue
2. Student Application Form
3. Learning Agreement
4. Transcript of Records
5. Institutional agreement (VE
additional document)

Institutional agreement
The Institutional Agreement lists the courses the institutions have
agreed to accept from another institution as part of their Virtual
Exchange mobility scheme.
Specific terms and conditions referred to in the Virtual Exchange
institutional agreement are listed in 11 paragraphs:
§1 The modules are at least 5 ECTS credits.
§2 Full recognition of the module guaranteed
§3 International collaboration will be integral part
§4 Both institutions as well as the student will sign a Learning
Agreement.
§5 The examination of the module will take place in the country
In which the home institution of the Virtual Exchange student is
based.

VE: Terms and conditions
(continued)
§6 Virtual Exchange students who wish to
participate in
face-to face activities will have access.
§7 The examination will be done in the original
language
of the module or an alternative language
§8 Quality Assurance
§9 Maximum number of students per module
§10 Fee waiver to Virtual Erasmus students.
§11 Staff mobility as part of Virtual Erasmus will
include
A physical stay at the partner institution.

Towards mainstream
virtual mobility
• 10 years on virtual mobility (2 projects)
• EADTU Mobility Matrix
• EADTU TF VM; mapping VM in Europe
• EADTU Peer Learning Activity;
stakeholders
• EADTU-EU Summit 30th April 2019

Educational framework: Virtual Mobility

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