VM-BASE pilots & cases

Before > Orientation Guidelines Buddy System KHLeuven  A ‘matchmaking service’ to link incoming students (before their arrival) with local students from KHLeuven,  to support the process of getting information about the cultural, educational and practical aspects of the exchange.  Advantages not exclusive to incoming students  2 Pilots: first time from November 2006 until February 2007 ( , website), second time from October to December 2007 (website, skype, MSN)

Before > Orientation Guidelines Buddy System KHLeuven

 Promoting the idea of buddies to students Testimonials, feedback from incoming students on the website Credits for support  Organising the e-support/e-coaching Brief instructions to prepare the buddies Continues to depend on individual engagement Before > Orientation Guidelines Buddy System KHLeuven

Before > Pre-selection Tools Master in Physiotherapy KULeuven  Online Testing and Learning Platform for International Students enrolling for the Master in Physiotherapy  To equalise the initial level of the knowledge of the (international) students for the Master Successful pre-tests allow full participation Unsuccessful pre-tests give access to online learning modules from the K.U.Leuven Bachelor degree, followed by new pre-tests  Some modules (pediatric revalidation) contain streaming video in a ‘videojukebox’ (video with comments and text)  Expectations are now more transparent

Before > Pre-selection Tools Master in Physiotherapy KULeuven

Before > Orientation Guidelines Multimedia presentation & student interviews  Offer general information about TKK through visual means (MM presentation)  Offer potential exchange students the possibility to hear other student’s experiences on student exchange at TKK (student interviews)  Helsinki University of Technology (TKK) - International Relations Office - PR & Communication Office - Lifelong Learning Institute Dipoli

Before > Orientation Guidelines Multimedia presentation & student interviews Challenges  Costs - infrastructure  From PR perspective - high quality only  Organisational ”slow downs”, barriers  Rapidly changing environments

Before > Orientation Guidelines Multimedia presentation & student interviews TKK multimedia presentation Student interviews More marketing material Good general information about TKK Visually impressive Personal Relevant cultural information (experiences that the students go through during the first days) should not replace other sources of information, e.g. guide for international students students’ need to share their own experiences already during the exchange

Before > Preparatory courses Multilingual survival kit GIS  Course in a virtual learning environment for exchange students  Preparation for technology used during practical and field work  Main language: English  Description of special technical terms used in GIS provided in English, German and Hungarian

Before > Preparatory courses Multilingual survival kit GIS Course structure

Before > Preparatory courses Multilingual survival kit GIS Sample WIKI article

Before > Preparatory courses Multilingual survival kit GIS WIKI editing

Before > Preparatory courses Multilingual survival kit GIS Challenges  Different level in knowledge of languages. Hard to write articles if begin to learn a language.  Students tend to choose facility (the language they know best, their favorite topic).  No lively virtual community, because number of participants was low

Before > Preparatory courses Go Abroad!  Laurea's existing prep-course for outgoing exchange students did not meet the current needs  Need for more interactiveness and more support during the exchange Added: an interactive online discussion forum for students before, during and after exchange the possibility for eTutoring and eSupport during the exchange.

Before > Preparatory courses Go Abroad! Contents of the course: before the exchange  Meeting with the other students and International Coordinators: Information on practical arrangements (info provided online as well)  Personal meetings with the International Coordinator: information on studies abroad (host institution and study offer, accommodation, location (country, area, city), Learning agreement  Meeting with the other students and International Coordinators - Final information about the Go Abroad -course - Cultural encounters (culture shock) - Orientation for the exchange/placement  Assignments to be completed online

Before > Preparatory courses Go Abroad! Contents of the course: during the exchange  Assignments to be completed online: Writing the Go Abroad diary regularly Participation in discussions during different phases of the exchange/placement with the International Coordinators and other students abroad Photography contest (voluntary)

Before > Preparatory courses Go Abroad! Contents of the course: after the exchange  Go Abroad assignments  Meeting with the International Coordinator  Filling out a feedback form  Sharing the experiences in the classroom and / or at the International info Days

Before > Preparatory courses Go Abroad! conclusions Steps of the process  In the beginning of the preparation a need for face to face meetings  In the beginning of the exchange a need for discussions  Students were rather passive in the middle of the exchange  At the end the discussion started again  After arrival no need for the virtual workspace Important to support not just the exchange, but students’ learning process as a whole Has deepened the learning experience of some students

 Master European Social Security (Faculty of Law) one-year international study programme in English Blends regular with distance learning  This pilot: : need for oral examination at a distance Set-up of e-assessment through webconferencing After > E-assessment E-assessment K.U.Leuven

 What did we need? Webconferencing through FlashMeeting Laptop and webcam on both sides Support staff  What did we do? Booking of meeting + manual for students Students receive link to meeting through Online examination + recording After > E-assessment E-assessment K.U.Leuven

 Some reactions… Quality similar to F2F Recordings are added value F2F meeting for authentication The technology should disappear Time consuming Connectivity, crucial for timing After > E-assessment E-assessment K.U.Leuven

 To be continued… Sequel in June 2008: oral defense master paper Adobe Connect, more sophisticated For small groups Webconferencing as a second-line instrument After > E-assessment E-assessment K.U.Leuven

 Already exists in Finland  Web-based examination system Camera-guarded and computer- equipped room Special software  This pilot: how can we use this system for incoming and outgoing exchange students at TKK? After > Exam Aquarium Exam Aquarium, TKK Pictures: TietäNet 2/2007

After > Exam Aquarium Exam Aquarium, TKK StrengthsWeaknesses More flexibility Time savings for everyone Self-assessment & feedback Time-consuming No direct contact between teacher and students Challenges in the technical field – how to solve mathematical problems? Threat to equal grading

Challenges  Sustainability (technology, support, scalability, costs, individual data protection)  Teachers see this as a service for students, not mainstream type of activity – motivation? After > Exam Aquarium Exam Aquarium, TKK

After > Virtual Alumni Virtual Alumni “Big gap in information about Erasmus Students after graduation” … “Former Erasmus Students are the greatest resources of the Erasmus programme” (UK Socrates Erasmus Council on Experience Erasmus) “Most student loose their connection to their ‘host’ institutions after they had returned home” (Victorious Project)

4DIFFERENT CONCEPTS 4.1Commission driven 4.1.1Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association (EMA) 4.1.2Alumni for Europe (AfE) 4.1.3Other Commission driven networks 4.2Institution driven 4.2.1The OU Alumni 4.2.2PoliAlumni 4.2.3DAAD Alumni 4.3User driven 4.3.1Facebook and MySpace 4.3.2LinkedIn 4.4Student organization driven 4.4.1Erasmus Student Network Alumni Society 4.4.2BEST AlumniNet 5RECOMMENDATIONS: SETTING UP A NETWORK After > Virtual Alumni Virtual Alumni (Feasibility Study)

After > Virtual Alumni Virtual Alumni: examples Erasmus Student Network Alumni Society Erasmus Mundus Alumni Association

After > Virtual Alumni Virtual Alumni Facebook KHLeuven

 General Growth  * More than 60 million active users  * An average of 250,000 new registrations per day since Jan  * An average of 3% weekly growth since Jan  * Active users doubling every 6 months  User Demographics  * Over 55,000 regional, work-related, collegiate, and high school networks  * More than half of Facebook users are outside of college  * The fastest growing demographic is those 25 years old and older After > Virtual Alumni Virtual Alumni Facebook KHLeuven

After > Virtual Alumni Virtual Alumni