Reflections on the effectiveness and value of Erasmus students’ learning experience during their placement abroadDr Barend Schutte, Margaret Jenness, Lilian Winkvist-Noble, Imane Laasri and Anita Gonzalez

Overall EU context

The European Union is again going through a very difficult period.

The Irish have just voted ‘No’ in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Last week at the European Council, leaders agreed that another “period of reflection” was necessary.

The European Commission has been trying to promote “Active European Citizenship”.

Documents produced by the Commission talks about “how ERASMUS has enhanced [students] perceptions of being European citizens.” (European Commission, 2007: 1)

The EU does not have a competence in the field of education, that is the responsibility of member states.

The EU hasn’t been having a very easy time in the last few years.

Nevertheless, in 2007 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. During the celebrations the EU institutions produced publicity material highlighting what the EU has done for us as citizens and the European Commission describes the Erasmus programme as follows:

“The ERASMUS programme stands out as one of the most concrete and popular examples of the progress achieved during fifty years of European integration” (European Commission, 2007: 1)

The European Commission also talks about the Erasmus programme as a “driver for modernising Europe’s higher education systems” (European Commission, 2007) and the Commission is looking to further reinforce this role and the importance of the scheme.

“Erasmus has been and remains a key factor in the internationalisation and “Europeanisation” of higher education” (European Commission, 2007: 1)

“The European Commission’s vision is that participation in the Erasmus programme should be the general rule, rather than the exception, for both students and teachers” (European Commission, 2008: 1)

The Lifelong Learning Programme2007 - 2013

The aim of the new programme is to contribute through lifelong learning to the development of the Community as an advanced knowledge society, with sustainable economic development, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It aims to foster interaction, cooperation and mobility between education and training systems within the Community, so that they become a world quality reference.

Background of LLP

There are two major processes currently affecting higher education across Europe:

The Lisbon Strategy 2000, a pillar of European Union policy, relaunched in 2005

The Bologna Process, in which the European Commission is a key stakeholder and provider of policy expertise and funding, but not the main driver

The Lisbon Strategy

The Lisbon Strategy aimed to deal with the low productivity and stagnation of economic growth in the EU, through the formulation of various policy initiatives to be taken by all EU Member States.

In particular, this included modernising the social model, investing in people and combating social exclusion. The goal of the Strategy is to make the EU "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy in the world… capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion by 2010”

(March, 2000, EU Heads of States and Governments)

The Bologna Process

There are forty-six countries signed up to the so-called Bologna Declaration of 1999 looking for

convergence (not harmonisation) of European higher education through common structures and tools

creation of a European Higher Education Area by 2010

Areas where the Bologna Process affect higher education systems include

enhancing quality in HE across Europe removing barriers to student and teacher mobility promoting lifelong learning and guidance encouraging language learning

Knowledge Triangle

Research, education and innovation is a core factor in European efforts to meet the ambitious Lisbon goals. Numerous programmes, initiatives and support measures have been implemented in support of the development of the knowledge economy and society in Europe.

Structure of The Lifelong Learning Programme

The LLP is made up of several different programmes offering a variety of opportunities:

Comenius Erasmus Leonardo Grundtvig Transversal Study Visits Jean Monnet Youth in Action

The Erasmus Programme

Launched in 1987, Erasmus is the European Commission's flagship educational programme for Higher Education students, teachers and institutions. The Programme encourages student and staff mobility for work and study, and promotes trans-national cooperation projects among universities across Europe.

With a budget of €450 million per annum there are 31 participating countries

the 27 Member States of the European Union the 3 European Economic Area countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and

Norway) the candidate country (Turkey)

Aims

To achieve a significant increase in student and staff mobility between European Higher Education Institutions

To increase the quality of the Higher Education in Europe, and strengthen the European Dimension in the Higher Education in Europe

•  To promote broad and lasting inter-institutional cooperation•  To contribute to the concept of a people's Europe •  To contribute to the economic and social development of Europe through the creation of a significant number of higher education graduates with direct experience of intra-European cooperation

Mobility

Mobility is seen as key within both the Bologna Process and the Lisbon Strategy

The London Communiqué issued after the Bologna Process summit in May 2007 reaffirmed that “Mobility of staff, students and graduates is one of the core elements of the Bologna Process, creating opportunities for personal growth, developing international cooperation between individuals and institutions, enhancing the quality of higher education and research, and giving substance to the European dimension”

Greater mobility brings increased career opportunities for students and teachers in the European employment market

Ambitious targets have been set against all mobility programmes including a three million target set against the Erasmus Programme

The UK must increase student mobility to 38,280 by 2011. Currently fewer than 7000 UK students go on Erasmus.

Participation Rates

1987 - 1988 3244 participants

2006 - 2007 c160,000 p.a.c2600 teachers

2012 target - 3 million mobile students

(figures from Rapid Press Releases – Europa 21 May 2008)

Facts & Figures

9 out of 10 universities in Europe participate in the Programme

Business studies is still the most popular subject area for Erasmus students. Languages/philological sciences and social sciences occupy the second and third spots.

Efforts are made to increase the average grant that students get from the Erasmus budget. The UK average monthly grant amounted to €440/month in 2007/8, and is expected to further increase in the current year

Why go?

Global job market & employability

“The value of a student’s international experience goes beyond purely the acquisition of language – it lies in the ability to see business and personal issues from other than your own cultural perspective.”

(Charles Macleod, Head of UK Resourcing, Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Source; British Council Website, 2008)

International perspective Non discrimination objectives

gender equality integration of disabled students and staff enhancement of social and economic cohesion combating of xenophobia and racism

UK Perspective

“More institutions should recognise the value of the period of study abroad and when the national credit system for England is developed following the recommendation from the Burgess Review, it needs to be geared towards learning outcomes that offer the chance to recognise fully any periods of study abroad.” Bill Rammell emphasized that “all our efforts must concentrate on ensuring that by the end of their courses students are in the best position to get a job. And there is no doubt that more employment opportunities are open to those who have the skills which can only be enhanced by a period of study abroad when students are, often for the first time, in a position to have to negotiate their way in a foreign country, in a foreign language and have to adapt to completely different ways of working”

(Bill Rammell, The Higher Education Minister at “Erasmus and Graduate Employability: The Value of an International Dimension” Conference at Kings College, June 2007)

Going Forward

Ján Figel’, European Commissioner for education, training, culture and youth, stressed that “Europe needs more and better mobility at all levels, and Erasmus is an excellent way forward. Erasmus brings improved knowledge, better cooperation and intercultural skills for its participants, and through them ultimately benefits all Europeans. In particular, I welcome that students in the new member states are increasingly taking up what Erasmus offers them. The European Commission's vision is that participation in the Erasmus programme should be the general rule, rather than the exception, for both students and teachers.”

(13/05/2008, Rapid Release)

Data collected

Quantitative Data

By using an electronic questionnaire comprising 25 questions, we surveyed 3 cohorts of SSU students (65 students) who have been on a placement abroad between 2004 and 2008. The majority of these students were abroad as part of the Erasmus programme and they all spent one full academic year abroad.

Qualitative data

Students on placements abroad take a unit called International Placement Issues. As part of that unit they write an essay on their experiences, mainly in relation to culture shock. We have read through 64 of those reports and highlighted some of views that are emerging in relation to the students’ views on their year abroad.

We conducted focus groups with 5 students in May 2008.

We have 2 students with us today who have had first hand experience of the Erasmus scheme.

Main themes covered

The perceived effectiveness and value of an ERASMUS placement amongst SSU students

Was the option of an ERASMUS placement a deciding factor in informing student choice when deciding which course to enrol on

Examples of good practice which could be adopted from the ERASMUS host institutions

Should the ERASMUS programme be more actively encouraged in the UK

Does the ERASMUS programme contribute to the process of internationalising UK higher education?

The Tone of the Essays

Overwhelmingly positive No reason to focus on the positive unless genuine (impressing

lecturers?) Analysis of expressions used:

“lifetime experience”“milestone in my life”“a life-changing experience”“fully enjoyed”“best year in my life”“an unforgettable experience”“once in a lifetime opportunity”“a memorable experience”“made me a stronger person”

Overcoming Stereotypes / Prejudice

“stereotypes are not reliable conceptions”“broadened my horizons”“an excellent personal and academic way to discover and learn a new culture”“my experience helped me to discover not only new culture and people but also myself”“will open my eyes to the hundreds of different cultures and traditions around the world” “I […] acknowledged the differences in cultures on a greater scale than imagined”“opened my eyes to how differently people live and also how people adjust and change to suit the surrounding culture and lifestyle”

Overcoming Stereotypes / Prejudice

“I am more tolerant and flexible” “no society is perfect, all have something to learn from the others” “I am more ‘enriched’ culturally” “a great and eye-opening experience” “cross cultural adaptation” “greater tolerance of differences” “more critical toward one’s own country” “less ethnocentric” “less clichés about the host country”

This would greatly enhance cooperation at all levels within Europe

The Inclusion of a year abroad as a Deciding Factor

The vast majority of students indicated that they chose their course because it included a year abroad

A sample of comments:

“One of the main appeals to the International Business Management course […] was the prospect of studying abroad”

“For my second year of University (BA International Business Management) I was given the opportunity to study in another country for a whole year”

“When deciding to study for a degree in International Business Management one of the main reasons for my choice was the fact that I had the opportunity to study abroad for a year as part of the course”

Positive comments about the Erasmus programme

“The best thing is the people you meet, the friendships you make and the experiences that you share together – they will stay with you for life. If you have not done this then you will not understand how fantastic it really is.”

“The chance to travel and actually get financial help to do so.”

“Experience, learning to be more independent”.

“It gives you the chance to experience student life from another country’s perspective and helps with dealing with people from different countries.”

“Gaining a new perspective on every element of life: education, work, relationships.”

“While I struggled when I was there, was homesick and lonely, looking back in hindsight it was lovely and I would take the opportunity again and I think I would be better prepared in the future if I had to do the same sort of thing as part of my job.”

“It was an amazing year despite my experience at X university which was most awful and I felt truly unhappy and ill.”

Negative comments about the Erasmus programme

“Not easy fitting in and learning new system.”

“The organization.”

“The credit system that differs from one country to another.”

“Not receiving the grant on a monthly basis (or somehow other regular) basis.”

“Lack of places available to go to or the cost of going to some countries.”

“Boredom and expensive, homesickness.”

“Different system – difficult studying, needed high knowledge of the language.”

“Pressure to pass all classes in a different language.”

“Too much work.”

“They were rather unorganised – some teachers did not know much English and could not understand my writing.”

“There needs to be big improvements in the administration, eg by having a universal grading system for credits.”

“The needs to be more check up and liaison between the home university and the host university.”

“When students re-enter their home university, that’s when you experience the biggest culture shock of all. You need further support when re-entering, eg when credits are down. In the final year you are almost playing catch up for the rest of the year.”

“Tutors should go abroad and see how students are doing.”

Examples of good practice as identified by the students surveyed

“Create an association for exchange students and organise trips in the UK.”

“They arranged for us to work with Finnish companies while we were there, also visits to Nokia. This gave us experience of how to interact with professional people.”

“I had a mentor for the duration.”

“They arranged group outings so that people could get to know each other.”

“Put majority of exchange students in the same class so that they can meet lots of people from different countries.”

How long should the placement be?

1 One term

2 One academic year

How sufficient were your foreign language skills for your year abroad?

1 Sufficient

2 Could have been better

3 Insufficient

How much did your foreign language skills improve during your year abroad?

1 A lot

2 A little

3 Not enough

Do you think the ERASMUS scheme should be more actively promoted in the UK?

1 Yes

2 No

3 Not sure

Do you have any views on whether the ERASMUS scheme contributes to the internationalisation of higher education?

“I think it does. In Sweden we were working in groups with maybe 5 different nationalities at one time. From this everyone has a different opinion on how things work and it is good to hear multicultural views.”

“It certainly does! Due to the grant it encourages the youth to “internationalise” more than they would/could otherhow”

“Yes, and it’s a great thing. Globalisation is a reality and unless schemes like this are promoted to all students we could end up with graduates with little cultural intelligence and ultimately ethnocentrism as they know no other.”

“Of course it does, as it encourages and helps students to travel and take the opportunity to gain foreign experience.”

“It was a completely unique experience. No matter how hard it was at the time, it makes you a stronger, more mature, well-rounded, open-minded person. You almost become international.”

An Erasmus experience in the UK

The decisive factor that motivated me to undertake such an academic course: International Business with languages option

Possibility to spend a year abroad

Employability factor: showing qualities that employers look for

e.g. keen on taking on new challenges, adapting to new environments, mixing with people from different cultural backgrounds

The reason for coming to the UK: English, the language of business Perfect knowledge of Business is not sufficient: culture is a key

element to succeed in a business career

“We tend to have a human instinct that 'deep inside' all people are the same - but they are not. Therefore, if we go into another country and make decisions based on how we operate in our own home country - the chances are we'll make some very bad decisions.”

Dr Hostfede cultural dimensions http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

“In an increasingly competitive business world, those who understand different cultures will have the edge.” (Kahn-Panni et al., 4: 2003)

A symbolic and enriching year

The path to the independence leaving home and home country first working experience was in the UK

Enhancement of my personality increased self esteem/self confidence Auto analysis of strengths, weaknesses and limits

Meeting new people from all the continents, building new friendships

A new but efficient education system

The UK education system allows more autonomy to the students

Let the student gain a deeper understanding about a particular subject through research

Allow the student to explore different sorts of materials: journals, books, newspapers…

Significant choice of options

opportunity to learn a new language from scratch (stage 1 to 10), or studying a different subject e.g. marketing, European movies,

A close tutor student relationship:

Made me feel at ease rapidly

Made me forget the language barrier and contributed to a substantial improvement of my English

Erasmus experience: a philosophy of respect and tolerance Less stereotypes or assumptions about a particular country,

culture, people: more comprehension, empathy and tolerance

Going through the phases of culture shock has been beneficial:

Flexibility vs. fear of the unknown Open mindedness vs. ethnocentrism

None culture is better than another: they are just different. Each one has something to learn from the other

The negative aspects of the Erasmus programme

Foreign students tend to stay together in their own groups instead of mixing with local people: phenomenon of ghetto

E.g. French tend to stay with French, Spanish with Spanish and so on

But all in all Erasmus experience has been unforgettable.

Conclusions As we have shown at SSU, and this is probably reflected in

institutions across the EU, the Erasmus programme is generally seen as something very positive by the students who participate. Problems tend to relate to having to get used to a different system, a lack of finances, administration, loneliness and difficulty in working in another language.

Whether the goal of making participation in the Erasmus programme “the general rule rather than the exception”, is achievable, remains to be seen. In a press release in May 2008, the Commission notes that “the rate of growth [in mobility of students and teachers] has slowed” and that “to reach the EU target of 3 million students by 2012, an annual increase of about 9-10% would be needed” (European Commission, 2008: 2)

You could argue that the Erasmus programme can play a role in enhancing people’s perceptions of what it means to be a “European citizen”. Whether it will create “Active European Citizens” is another question.

ReferencesEuropean Commission. 2007. ERASMUS Success Stories – Europe Creates Opportunities. Luxembourg: Office for the Official Publications of the European Communities

Ferraro, G.P. 2006. The Cultural Dimension of International Business. Fifth Edition. London: Thomson Learning.

Khan- Panni, P., and D., Swallow 2003. Communicating across cultures. The key successful international business communication. Oxford: How to books.

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/736 (online)[accessed 20 June 2008]

Hostfede Cultural Dimensions http://www.geert-hofstede.com/ (online) [accessed 23 June 2008]