Presentation of the VMCOLAB project by Ilse Op de Beeck (KU Leuven) Presented at the Italian VMCOLAB Awareness Seminar “European Co-Laboratory for the Integration of Virtual Mobility in Higher Education Innovation and Modernization Strategies” on 27 March 2014 in Padova.

1. vmcolab.eu
Presenter Name Event Name
vmcolab.eu
VMCOLAB
Ilse Op de Beeck, KU Leuven
Seminar “European Co-Laboratory for the Integration of Virtual Mobility in Higher
Education Innovation and Modernization Strategies”
27 March 2014, Padova

2. vmcolab.eu
VMCOLAB
‘European Co-Laboratory for the Integration of Virtual
Mobility in Higher Education Innovation and Modernisation
Strategies’
Duration: 1 October 2012 – 30 September 2014
Partners:
• KU Leuven (BE)
• EFQUEL (BE)
• Coimbra Group (BE)
• University of Padova (IT)
• University of Porto (PT)
Vytautas Magnus University (LT)
University of Granada (ES)
United Nations University (DE)
University Politehnica of Bucharest (RO)
Funded by the European Commission
under the Lifelong Learning Programme

3. vmcolab.eu
Virtual Mobility
“set of information and communications
technology supported activities, organized
at institutional level, that realize or
facilitate international, collaborative
experiences in a context of teaching
and/or learning”

4. vmcolab.eu
Virtual mobility
- to facilitate or realise an international
exchange
- to facilitate or realise international
internships
- as a scenario to internationalise a (part
of a) course, programme, …
scale from blended to fully virtual
student and teacher virtual mobility
Types of virtual mobility

5. vmcolab.eu
VMCOLAB – the project
“contribute to the innovation and
internationalisation of European Higher
Education Institutions by exploiting the full
potential of ICT and Virtual Mobility and
broadening the access to an international
learning experience for all European students”
“develop support materials and services for
those wanting to engage in virtual mobility
experiences”

6. vmcolab.eu
VMCOLAB – the objectives
• Develop a Quality Assurance approach for VM
• Develop institutional awareness of VM potential
• Develop students‟ awareness on opportunities to
use ICT for intercultural study
• Develop mutual support services for HEIs willing
to pilot VM programmes
• Test a set of mutual support services for HEIs
• Integrate VM in institutional academic contexts

7. vmcolab.eu
VMCOLAB – the results
For higher education institutions
• A Quality Assurance handbook for Virtual Mobility
• A Virtual Mobility Integration Kit
• Institutional Awareness Seminars
For students
• A Students‟ Guide to Virtual Mobility
• „Virtual4Me‟ website: http://virtual4me.vmcolab.eu
For policy makers
• Policy recommendations &
• Policy event

8. vmcolab.eu
VMCOLAB – the pilot courses
• Pilot on Open Educational Resources, led by Vytautas
Magnus University
• Pilot on Water Management, led by KU Leuven
• Pilot on Career Service Staff Training, led by University
of Padova
--> Support, training and guidelines for setting up
virtual mobility pilots
-- --> VMCOLAB Co-Laboratory

9. vmcolab.eu
More information?
VMCOLAB project website
www.vmcolab.eu
Virtual4Me website (for students)
virtual4me.vmcolab.eu