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Given the cross-border nature of science and the globalization of the labor market, universities and universities of applied sciences (hbo) have been very active in the field of internationalization for several decades. International collaboration on the international mobility of students has been ongoing since 1999. The international objective is for at least 20% of all students to spend a period of their education abroad.
At the same time, this internationalization is under pressure. It is increasingly being viewed as a cost for Dutch higher education. Moreover, the (large) numbers of international students at Dutch institutions lead to various adverse developments, such as housing problems for (international) students, student discomfort due to intercultural misunderstandings, and a widening gap between rich and poor students. Also, due to the current pandemic, international exchanges seem less appealing to students.
To meet the ambitions and challenges of internationalization, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science will implement a programme for Virtual International Collaboration Projects (VIS projects) in the coming years. In these projects, students in the Netherlands will collaborate with students at institutions abroad to jointly carry out a project. Within this programme, a total of 700 projects will be funded between 2021 and 2024 to support the design and development of the project. For more information on the subsidy scheme, see the announcement here.
The ministry has commissioned Dialogic to conduct an evaluative study of the program. We will investigate the experiences of teachers and educational experts in the development of VIS projects. Additionally, we will examine the learning outcomes of students, using the Nuffic Model for International Competences. This research will run until October 2027. We will collaborate with Dr. Robert O’Dowd, Associate Professor at the University of Léon (Spain) and international expert in the field of development and learning outcomes of virtual exchange projects.
Want to learn more? Ask Max Kemman.