Building international projects, some tips & tricks. The presentation is about how to build international practical projects for students, for relatively low costs and as much as possible international experience in order to prepare students better for the international labour market. Presentation held at the conference "Grenze(n)loos opleiden" of the "Vereniging Hogescholen" in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 21 April 2016

1. Kom verder. Saxion.
Internationalisering in de praktijk:
(Kortdurende) internationale studentprojecten
Irina Petrova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Jacques Bazen, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, NL

2. Kom verder. Saxion.
Outline
• Internationalization of higher education
• International projects, a solution?
• How to build international projects
• Questions and answers

3. Kom verder. Saxion.
About us (1)
Irina Petrova PhD, Director of academic programs at
the Business School of Lomonosov Moscow State
University

4. Kom verder. Saxion.
About us (2)
Jacques Bazen, lecturer International Economic
Relations and Entrepreneurship. Researcher
Regional Economic Development and Policy
Advisor for International Affairs at Saxion
University of Applied Sciences.

5. Kom verder. Saxion.
Internationalization of Higher Education
Strategic plan of my university (Saxion):

6. Kom verder. Saxion.
But then there is the reality:

7. Research
Why is the percentage of students of Saxion going abroad for
study mobility or an internship so low (10 – 12%)?
Alisa Davydova
Vasilis Papazoglou
March 2013

8. Kom verder. Saxion.
Internationalization of Higher Education
Strategic plan of my university (Saxion):
Thorough preparation
for the international
labour market…
How…?
“International
dimension”
What is that actually?

9. Kom verder. Saxion.
Why don’t more students go abroad?
Too expensive is
possible to solve, at
least partly…
(ERASMUS+)
The social reasons of
not wanting to go
abroad are much
harder to solve…

10. Kom verder. Saxion.
What companies tell us
How well are Dutch students prepared
for the international (Dutch – German) labor market?
Very poor
Poor
Reasonable
Good
0% mentions
Very good…
Still work to do!
Less than 50%
satisfied
Source: Factsheet 2013 DNHK.org

11. Kom verder. Saxion.
Internationalization at home a solution?
The answer of Saxion to this problem, according to
the Strategic Plan, is to focus on
Internationalization at Home… In other words,
bring the world outside in the university.
Question is how to do that… How to build such an
environment that students are still able to
experience intercultural differences.

12. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 1: International week
The first solution which we discussed and
implemented (since 2010) was an international
week in which we invited guest lecturers from our
partners abroad.
Was it enough…? Was it effective..?
What are critical success factors?

13. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 1: International week
How to make sure colleagues will come to (with all
respects) a “backwater” like Enschede or Deventer:
We are not a booming metropolis like Moscow or
Amsterdam…
1. Personal relations of lecturers with foreign
lecturers
2. The offer of getting something out of this visit
instead of only bringing their knowledge and
experience to our students.

14. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 1: International week
How to offer something useful?
Our idea: Development of a
conference for researchers on
entrepreneurship, innovation and
regional development.
“How to make our own
backwater a little bit
less of a backwater” 

15. Kom verder. Saxion.

16. Kom verder. Saxion.
Data international week
During the international week, students get around
eight hours of real experience by foreign lecturers.
Not enough…at least not enough to get:
for those students not going abroad
for studying.
Thorough preparation
for the international
labour market…

17. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
If students don’t want to study abroad for a
semester because of social reasons, maybe we can
give them options to go abroad for shorter term
exchanges.
What options are there: Study trips? International
Projects? Intensive weeks at partner universities?

18. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
International study trips… Possible. Relatively easy
to organize and easy to fit in the schedule.
Problem: Students mainly interact with their
classmates… except for ordering a beer…

19. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
ERASMUS Intensive weeks (or similar things with
ERASMUS+), with a consortium of partners.
- Potentially very useful, but
- Difficult to organize (multi-country) and
- Dependent on funding rules (limiting flexibility)
and only limited availability
- NOBODY desires a coordinating role

20. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
International student projects. Harder to organize,
harder to integrate in the curriculum, but
potentially much greater results in terms of
intercultural learning.
How we tried to organize it at Saxion:

21. Kom verder. Saxion.
Ideas behind international projects
Most important characteristic:
Making students from different countries
dependent on each other.
No group should be able to finish without
contributions of either countries.

22. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
• Example 1: Culture and business “Dutch –
Flemish project for entrepreneurship”, Saxion +
Hogeschool Gent.

23. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
• Example 2: Upgrading the city-centre. Cluj-
Napoca as Cultural Capital of Europe 2021. A
multidisciplinary project ranging from
Archaeology to Entrepreneurship, Tourism and
Construction Management. Together with Babes-
Bolyai University.

24. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
• Multidisciplinary
projects create
extra
challenges…
• Necessary to
have very clear
guidelines and
instructions

25. Kom verder. Saxion.
Narva, Estonia
redevelopment of
Kreenholm area:
Watermanagement
& Area Development
Saxion, Enschede (NL)
cooperating
with
Narva College,
University of Tartu (EE)
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges

26. Kom verder. Saxion.
Solution 2: More short term study exchanges
• Example 3: Autumn Business School with Russia.
• Idea developed during the Dutch – Russian bilateral
year of 2013
• In partnership with WTC Twente
• Helping Dutch companies to become active in
Russia
• Helping Russian companies to become active in
Western Europe

27. Kom verder. Saxion.
Dutch Russian Autumn School
On the right, our vision
of the project at first:

28. Kom verder. Saxion.
Cooperation with our partners

29. How to cooperate with Russia effectively?

30. 30
Some cross-cultural stereotypes
about Russia!

31. 31
What do Russians look like?

32. 32
Differences in approach of doing business…

33. Moscow is the capital city

34. Some facts about Russia
Russia never sleeps

35. Some facts about Moscow
Moscow has terrible traffic jams

36. Some facts about Moscow
Moscow has the most beautiful
and largest metro system

37. Some facts about Moscow
Moscow is the economic and
political center of Russia

38. Some facts about Moscow
Moscow is the main Business Center of Russia

39. About Moscow State University

40. Lomonosov MSU (est. 1755)
 over 40,000 students in
undergraduate and graduate
programmes;
 about 11,000 faculty members
 about 4 000 international students
from all over the world every year
 Campus is an extremely complex
system, with its 1 000 000 m2 floor
area in 1 000 buildings and structures
 11 Nobel Laureate among the
MSU professors and graduates

41. Background of the culture
41

42. «Cultural Iceberg theory»

44. Showing the difference in practice

45. mission миссия
Our aims to do everything possible for you
to know and be able to do more than others.
We can only achieve this aim with you! We
invite you not only to study but exchange
the experience and to establish business
links!
Наша миссия - сделать все возможное,
чтобы Вы знали и умели больше других.
Достичь этой цели мы можем только с
Вами. Мы приглашаем Вас не только
учиться, но и обмениваться опытом,
налаживать деловые связи.
International Autumn School
"Entrepreneurship and business engineering"
Международная осенняя школа
«Предпринимательства и бизнес инжиниринга»
www.autumnbusinessschool.org

46. Kom verder. Saxion.
2016: 4th edition of the Autumn School
Saxion & Lomonosov Moscow State university, but
involvement of several partners for organizational
support:
WTC Twente, Russian Venture Capitalist Union,
Nuffic Neso Moscow, Generation S Business
Incubator

47. Kom verder. Saxion.
2016: 4th edition of the Autumn School
• Partners are crucial: Not for funding, but for
helping with contacts, building content for the
program, offering visits and helping with judging
the results of the students.
• Students are always more motivated to perform
in front of an external jury with specialists

48. Kom verder. Saxion.
How this project is organized
1. Preparation phase:
- Common kick-off meeting via Skype. Russian and
Dutch students meet each other and are divided in
teams
- Project work with contact on distance (Mail,
WhatsApp, Skype etc.)
- Visiting the company (by the “home” team)
- Researching the market (by the “away” team)

49. Kom verder. Saxion.
Kick off meeting: Skype session in Moscow,
with the client and Enschede

50. Kom verder. Saxion.
Autumn Business School 2014
Product: Lightweight Fiberglass shipping containers

51. Kom verder. Saxion.
Company 4Silence, Kennispark, Enschede

52. Kom verder. Saxion.
Company SolarNanoPrint, Krasnodar, Russia

53. Kom verder. Saxion.
How this project is organized
2. Exchange phase
- Students travel to each other: A project week in
Enschede and Moscow
- During the week, some lectures about
intercultural communication, visit of institutions,
bit of tourism and working on developing the final
presentation
- End of the week: Presentation for the
entrepreneur/client.

54. Kom verder. Saxion.
The finals in Moscow (November 2015)

55. Kom verder. Saxion.
How this project is organized
2. Exchange phase
Final presentation
for the company.
4 teams, 4 reports

56. Kom verder. Saxion.

57. Kom verder. Saxion.
Award of the certificate for the winning team

58. Kom verder. Saxion.
Practicalities of this project
• Strategic plans have big words, with great plans, but
unfortunately often little budget.
• Often a lot of money ends up at supporting services,
unfortunately that seems inevitable in large organizations
• So: apart from some money for the trip of the lecturers, no
further direct financial contribution of the university. Self-
funding for students
• Necessity of having an attractive offer for students, both in
content and social sphere.

59. Kom verder. Saxion.
How to make it work?
• Some hours for lecturers for guidance of the
project can be obtained by incorporating the
project in the curriculum.
• In Saxion: in the module Project Management
(SBRM) and International Trade (TBK)
• In Moscow: within the module International
Business
• For lecturers: Investing in this type of projects in
their free time during the start.

60. Kom verder. Saxion.
Is it worth the effort?

61. Kom verder. Saxion.
International student projects
Benefits:
• It is good for companies because of the possibilities to scout
new talent and develop their business (limited costs: just
time from staff for guidance)
• It is good for universities because of getting relevant input
from the working field and good PR & “Internationalisation at
home”
• It is good for the students because of the application of what
they have learned in practice: Better competences for their
CV.

62. Kom verder. Saxion.
International student projects
• Problem: Time… & Reliable partners…
• Necessary: Strong decision from the management
of universities to invest in organizing such
projects
• Necessary for companies: Willingness to invest
time to help young people.

63. Kom verder. Saxion.
International student projects
• Problem for universities: How to make good
appointments with university partners?
• Necessary: Agreement about Intended Learning
Outcomes. Crucial!
(Many other issues can be organized differently
according to culture / rules of the partners
involved).
• Other issues are mostly flexible. Requirements
from curriculum committees can fit in there.

64. Kom verder. Saxion.
International student projects
More challenging for lecturers…unpredictable
results in reality…the project seldom follows the
book.

65. Kom verder. Saxion.
“Koudwatervrees?”
Motivating lecturers to go
abroad and participate as well:
- Create sort of
“ambassadorships” for each
partner
- Experienced colleagues:
“ambassadors” take
unexperienced colleagues with
them

66. Kom verder. Saxion.
Evaluation

67. Kom verder. Saxion.
International student projects
Example of research: Cluj 2021 Cultural capital
Research still in progress… interesting preliminary
finding: Dutch students report usually a DECREASE
in their perceived abilities to solve an international
problem… They reported to have overestimated
their abilities in the beginning.

68. Kom verder. Saxion.
• Some research results into the effects on
students
• Research summarized in the article:
“Opening the Russian Market: Effect of Short
Term Echange Programs”
(entire article can be obtained from author if
desired, or downloaded from ResearchGate)
Research into student learning &
participation in projects

69. Kom verder. Saxion.
Research into student learning &
participation in projects
• Some conclusions of this research:
Students were happy to make the aquaintance
with the students from abroad.
• Students reported that this activity was very
useful
• Students reported that they felt they really
learned something.

70. Kom verder. Saxion.
Increasing Knowledge / Stereotypes
Quote:
I expected the Dutch to be very cold blooded,
sober and efficient. That turned out to be different.
Most of us thought in advance they were some
extreme type of Germans. In fact, they can enjoy a
beer too…

71. Kom verder. Saxion.
Skills
Pre-test
Post-test

72. Kom verder. Saxion.
Attitude
Pre-test
Post-test

73. Kom verder. Saxion.
Conclusion
The model works when there is:
- Interdependency among the students
- Clear agreement on learning outcomes
- Willingness of lecturers & companies to invest
time
- Find partners who can contribute with supplying
rooms, lectures, contacts etc.