- Depending on the group, this session can be held in German just as well, this can be decided ahead of time or on the day of the barcamp -
How long have we known of the importance of international higher education is? And how long have we been talking about how important it is to build international experience into everyone’s studies, prepare everyone for a future of working with and in international teams? Depending on the subject area, this internationality has always taken place, and of course important progress has been made in recent decades: there is more international cooperation, more mobility opportunities, and more international degree programs.
Nevertheless, we know that still only a fraction of our universities’ members goes abroad, wants to go abroad or can actually go abroad. At the same time, of course, we also know that physical mobility does not meet our climate goals. So less student mobility, less international experience after all? Fewer conference and partner visits instead of more good collaboration with our partners abroad? All of this has been discussed for a long time, but it wasn't until Corona that anything really happened. Suddenly, everything was digital, and while that applied to teaching in particular, it also lead to changes in international collaboration and partnership work. In just two years, we have learned great deal: About internationalization and internationality. About participation and democratization. About intercultural differences and the opportunities digital collaboration offers for shaping projects constructively and at eye level, bridging cultural differences and hierarchies of status groups.
Based on these experiences and the presentation of a few good practices, we want to collect and examine in this workshop how digital international education and cooperation can succeed, how it can bridge borders, but perhaps also where its limitations lie. So that in the future, internationality can take place in a successful balance of digital and presence for more university members and with an increased degree of participation. There will be time to explore some of the tools in question in session 2, right after this session. (Katharina Schmitt)
Katharina Schmitt has been active in the internationalization of universities for more than fifteen years. Before coming to Dresden, she headed the International Office at the University of Greifswald, worked for the College of Global Studies at Arcadia University (Philadelphia) and the International Affairs Department at the University of Bonn. For TU Dresden, she established the Staff Unit Internationalisation and is now pursuing the development of a truly international campus with a committed community. Her focus is on issues of social responsibility in internationalization such as academic freedom, academics at risk and (international) collaboration at eye level.