Group of MIC B Ed International Students in Mälardalen University, Sweden.
A group of 4th Year B Ed International students recently completed a week long exchange to Mälardalen University, Sweden. The exchange gave students the opportunity to participate in lectures, complete collaborative projects and attend tutorials in Language pedagogy, Music and Drama. Funded by an Erasmus+ grant, the mobility focused on developing intercultural understanding, upskilling in English language pedagogy and developing students' awareness of international education approaches. According to Dr Sarah O'Brien, B Ed International Course Coordinator who initiated the collaboration; "This was a transformative and incredibly inspiring experience. We witnessed at first-hand how Swedish education embodies inclusiveness. It was also a joy to watch our students building relationships with their international peers".
The International Office works to expand study abroad opportunities under the Erasmus+ Programme and the number of MIC undergraduate students funded under Erasmus+ Programme has increased by 20% from 2022/23 to 2023/24 academic year. Students can spend a full year or a semester studying at an Erasmus+ partner university in EU and associated countries. In recent years, the Programme has expanded to offer new, short-term blended mobilities that allow students to engage in online activities with partner universities as well as travelling abroad for a shorter visit of 5 to 30 days.
The short-term blended mobility opens the international study experience to students who for various reasons cannot travel abroad for a full semester. The excellent programme designed by Dr Sarah O’Brien with colleagues from Sweden’s Mälardalen University is a prime example of how Erasmus+ funding can be used to embed the international experience into the study programme and offer our students a richer educational experience while helping them to develop a global perspective on their study and increase their intercultural competencies.
