Erasmus+ Programme

European Policy Statement (EPS) of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences for the Erasmus programme generation 2021-2027

What does HSN want to achieve by participating in the Erasmus+ programme?
How relevant is participation in the Erasmus programme in the context of the institutional modernisation and internationalisation strategy?

The European orientation of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is an important and constitutive feature. It is based on the conviction that higher education in a Europe that is growing together and against the background of the globalisation of the world of work must be internationally oriented if it is to live up to its claim of providing a future-oriented education. The internationalisation of the university as such is of particular importance in Nordhausen.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences aims to sensitise all members of the university to international and intercultural issues so that internationality can be convincingly communicated to the outside world by all members as part of the mission statement of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences.

The Erasmus+ programme is the most important part of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences' international strategy. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences currently works with 93 partner universities, 74 of which are part of the Erasmus+ programme. Mobility measures for students, teaching staff and all other employees have top priority in the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme. The main aim is for all members of the university to acquire international and intercultural skills. As many students at the university as possible should gain international experience so that they can acquire key skills that are important for their employability on the European labour market. All students should be given the opportunity to complete study visits, combined study and practical placements or purely practical semesters in Europe. This also includes the group of part-time students who, due to their professional and family obligations, have to overcome higher hurdles with regard to international study visits. HS Nordhausen endeavours to support this target group in particular. The aim is also to steadily increase the proportion of university staff taking part in mobility programmes so that the majority of employees have the linguistic and intercultural skills necessary for an internationally open campus.

At Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, students who are unable to take part in mobility programmes are also given the opportunity to acquire international skills. For this reason, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences has anchored "Internationalisation at Home" (I@H) in its strategy and incorporated the "International Project Week" (IPW) into the curricula of the degree programmes. During one week in the summer semester, no regular courses take place. During this week, students from all degree programmes have the opportunity to work on interdisciplinary and subject-related foreign-language projects with guest lecturers from all over Europe and several other countries around the world. These projects are offered by Erasmus+ guest lecturers, some of whom come from partner universities and others from professional practice.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is connected to the majority of its Erasmus+ partners in the "Nice Network", in which 38 universities have been working together for over 25 years to improve the quality of mobility programmes and module and curriculum development. The exchange of examples of good practice is an essential part of the work of this network. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences plays a key role in coordinating the "Nice Network". It is a real and living network of European universities. Appropriate recognition within the Erasmus+ programme is being considered.

In the next programme generation, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is also planning to actively participate in innovative projects under Key Action 2. The emphasis will be placed on projects that aim to integrate digital elements into face-to-face teaching formats ("blended learning") and which focus in particular on employability in the European labour market.

The basis of internationalisation is European university cooperation. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences strives to cooperate with universities in as many countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme as possible in order to complement these with institutions in other countries. For the individual economic regions of the EU Priority countries have been defined with which particularly intensive cooperation takes place:

• Northern Europe: Finland
• English-speaking Europe: Ireland
• Southern Europe: France and Spain
• Benelux: Netherlands
• Central and Eastern Europe: Poland and Lithuania

Partners are selected by examining the comparability of strategic objectives and study programmes.

Which Erasmus actions would HSN like to participate in and how are these implemented in practice at the higher education institution?
To what extent does HSN's participation in these actions contribute to achieving the objectives of the institutional strategy?

The promotion of all possible mobility measures within the framework of Erasmus+ is fundamental. These mobilities should enable university members of all status groups to immerse themselves in another culture, gain intercultural and linguistic experience and develop international expertise.

In order to increase student mobility, the International Office is heavily promoting participation in the Erasmus+ programme. To this end, information evenings are organised on a weekly basis at which Erasmus+ alumni report on their experiences. In future, these events will be digitally supported in order to make them more inclusive and open them up to other potential groups of interested parties. In each degree programme, students can study at a partner university in another European country for a period of study, usually one semester, with full recognition of examination and study credits in accordance with the ECTS. Study visits outside Europe are also possible, whereby the ECTS is applied accordingly. In addition, students who wish to complete either an internship phase provided for in the curriculum or a voluntary internship abroad are supported. Each mobility phase is followed by an evaluation in the form of individual counselling sessions.

In addition to student mobility, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences also intensively promotes teacher and staff mobility. The aim of these mobility measures is not only to Europeanise the courses on offer, but also to raise cultural awareness throughout the university. For example, lecturers have the opportunity to hold one-week compact seminars at European partner universities within the framework of cooperation agreements, whereby the courses can be credited to their teaching load. In return, lecturers from the respective partner universities teach at the HS Nordhausen, primarily as part of the International Project Week, so that they make an active contribution to the "Internationalisation@Home" of the HS Nordhausen.

These measures to increase the internationalisation of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences are integrated into the internationalisation strategy, the implementation of which is coordinated by the International Office. Furthermore, the various forms of staff mobility are part of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences' staff development concept.

What are the planned effects on the HSN resulting from participation in the Erasmus programme?

Effects of participation in the programme:

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences attaches particular importance to teacher and staff mobility and regards these measures as part of staff development. Suggestions received in other European countries are systematically incorporated into local activities and contribute to the further development of the teaching programme in terms of content and didactics. In this way, mobility leads to an increase in the quality of teaching. Such a transfer of knowledge not only takes place in the area of teaching, but also administrative and technical staff as well as managers benefit from staff mobility by experiencing new methods and different ways of working. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences has achieved a top score in Germany in the "small universities of applied sciences" peer group in terms of teacher and staff mobility. However, a sharp decline is expected in the 2019 project year due to the current entry restrictions, which is likely to have a lasting effect. The quantitative goal for the next programme period is to gradually reach the mobility figures of the 2017 and 2018 projects again, with the mobility being upgraded in terms of quality by favouring concepts of "embedded mobility" that combine phases of virtual and physical mobility.

The goals in the area of student mobility are similar; the aim is to recover from the crisis-related trough and exceed the previous mobility figures, while at the same time favouring opportunities to combine virtual and physical mobility.

Quality of implementation/support for participants during mobility:

All European and international mobility activities are coordinated centrally by the International Office, which reports directly to the President's Office. The International Affairs Officer is the ERASMUS University Coordinator The bilateral agreements with the ERASMUS partner universities are signed personally by the President.

Each degree programme has a coordinator for international student mobility who also signs the LA as ECTS programme coordinator. This task is usually carried out by the respective examination board chairperson or dean of studies in order to ensure that the signature is legally binding.

Most curricula include compulsory practical phases, which vary in duration depending on the degree programme (at least 3 months). With the exception of the first internship on the Public Management degree programme, which prepares students for work in public (German) administration, these internships can be completed anywhere in the world. In addition, final theses in all degree programmes can be carried out in an institution of professional practice (in Germany or abroad). In the interest of a complete year-round European experience, Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences places the emphasis in the ERASMUS programme on combined study and practical placements in the same country. To this end, co-operation with selected university partners is to be extended to include the mutual placement of internships. Each internship is reviewed and approved by the internship officer responsible for the degree programme before it begins on the basis of the content description. The objectives, supervisor (at the company and at the university), ECTS credits, duration and funding are defined in the trilateral internship agreement. The internship contract establishes a mentoring system that ensures continuous support and the achievement of internship goals. Students receive linguistic and intercultural preparation and counselling from the university, similar to study visits. Within thirty days of completing the internship, students must prepare an internship report in the respective working language and, if applicable, in German, which is the subject of an oral defence before the internship supervisor at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. This is followed by academic recognition.

Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences is the only university in the state of Thuringia that has decided to organise and promote ERASMUS internships itself in order to provide students with direct advice and service quality in this area.

In Key Action 2, cooperation and the exchange of examples of good practice are to be expanded within the Nice Network and, following coordination with the European university partners, an application is to be submitted as a network of European universities before the end of the programme period. The coordination process for this will take place at a network conference at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences in 2022.