Report on Outgoing Student International Mobility Feedback

Transkriptio

1 Report on Outgoing Student International Mobility Feedback University of Helsinki Academic Years: By Saana Kallioinen, International Services November 2014

2 Note: for the most part this report is written in English, with the exception of student quotations which appear in their original languages (Finnish, Swedish or English). Contents Report Starting Point... 3 Common Reasons for Immobility of Students... 3 Survey Findings:... 3 General Summary of and Outgoing Student Mobility Feedback... 4 APPLYING:... 5 Students International Mobility Participation Reasons... 5 Noteworthy Comments... 6 International Exchange Opportunity Information Sources... 7 Noteworthy Comments... 7 TARGETS AND OBJECTIVES:... 9 Students Targets and Objectives for their International Mobility Period... 9 Noteworthy Comments Achievement of Targets and Objectives Selection of the Host University Why students choose a specific host university Noteworthy Comments Was it easy or difficult to obtain information? Noteworthy Comments STUDIES & LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Credit Transfer Will credits completed abroad be directly transferred to your UH degree? Noteworthy Comments: Language Proficiency Possible problems with language(s) of instruction at host universities FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS: International Exchange Services Areas that are Working Well Areas for Improvement Noteworthy Comments Department/Faculty Areas that are Working Well Areas for Improvement... 18

3 Noteworthy Comments NEXT STEPS: Report Starting Point The idea for this report originated in the LiVe-network meeting in autumn 2013, as such a summary comprising the student mobility feedback data at a university level was not compiled in the past few years. The student mobility feedback has been collected via the Mobility Online system since 2011, as a part of students obligatory returning back home actions. The feedback has been regularly utilized by International Exchange Services (programmes coordinated by IES) and contact persons of units coordinating Erasmus and Nordplus mobilities. Feedback has been used for developing processes, services and information distribution and e.g. when evaluating past cooperation and making decisions on continuation of expiring mobility agreements. Part of the feedback has been directed to the Mobility Online application portal for potential outgoing students to read. The notion of students not going abroad is well known, however there has not been any previous studies conducted on the reasons for immobility of University of Helsinki students. This report attempts to clarify these reasons and seeks to ascertain possible means or actions to overcome these barriers at a university level. Common Reasons for Immobility of Students Previous studies conducted in the Nordic and EU countries have found that there are many common reasons why students may choose not to go on an international mobility period. These are some common reasons for international immobility, according to results from national and international surveys. National Survey Findings: Financial Concerns Family Reasons Misgivings about relevance of student exchange Mobility takes a lot of red tape and effort Uncertainty and lack of information Other reasons Source: Faktaa. Facts & Figures: Internationality as part of higher education studies. 1B/2012, p 23. URL: facts_and_figures_1b_2012_internationalit y_as_part_of_higher_education_studies International (Nordic) Survey Findings: Personal relations Academic concerns Financial concerns

4 Concerns related to self confidence Lack of guidance and information from home institution Work related barriers Negative influence from others No interest in going abroad Already have other kinds of international experience Flat/apartment in home country Source: CIMO. Living and Learning Exchange Studies Abroad. A Study of motives, barriers and experiences of Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish Student, 2013, p URL: Noteworthy Findings on Reasons for International Immobility according to CIMO study (above). Male students go abroad less often than female students Biggest proportions of non-mobile students in fields of education and teacher training, also in hard science fields;; medical sciences, mathematics and informatics, communication and information sciences and agricultural sciences Students in soft sciences e.g. humanities, social sciences and business are on average more mobile Academic relations also relatively important barrier to mobility (e.g. in fields leading to a regulated profession or hard sciences medicine, law, engineering, natural sciences or education Non-mobile students come from slightly lower educational background & have less experience in moving to another place to study in their home country Encouragement/discouragement from other people plays a role in students decisions to go abroad, those students who have never planned to go abroad or been abroad report significantly less encouragement than mobile students do Teachers, student counsellors and international coordinators are important when aiming to overcome academic barriers to mobility, low level encouragement from these sources emphasize academic reasons for not going General Summary of and Outgoing Student Mobility Feedback Data examined in this report consists of responses to set questions, by University of Helsinki students who completed an international mobility period (studies) abroad during the academic years: and (feedback received to date). Data is from the Erasmus, YKV bilateral agreements and Nordplus (including Nordlys) international exchange programmes. The data was collected via the Mobility Online System. All data related to host universities (except host university selection) has been omitted from this report as it is not possible to draw conclusions from it at the university level. The issues mentioned in this report were recurrent throughout the data, which is why they were included. In addition to what is included in this report, there were many instances of unique responses which we have not included.

5 The Academic year data set consists of responses from: 262 students who participated in the Erasmus programme, 69 students who participated in YKV bilateral agreements and 53 students who participated in the Nordplus programme (including Nordlys). The Academic year data set (responses received to date) consists of responses from: 192 students who participated in the Erasmus programme, 36 students who participated in YKV bilateral agreements and 63 students who participated in the Nordplus programme (including Nordlys). Overall the data sets from the two academic years examined, do not differ vastly. In most questions, the responses given by students who participated in the different exchange programmes, are mostly similar across the different questions and the different academic years. Obviously in some particular aspects differentiation occurred, for example comments relating to programme, country, city and university specific issues such as stipends and bursaries, course specifics, bureaucracy. The students responses to the reasons for going abroad, the selection of their host university and also for their objectives and goals for the mobility period, were similar across all the programmes and data sets. In the first section, you will find a summary of the main reasons given for going abroad, which have been taken from all data sets included in this report. The answers from these three questions: Why did you participate in the exchange programme, Why did you choose that specific host university, and What were your targets and objectives for your exchange period all deal with similar issues regarding motivation. The question Were your targets and objectives achieved gives us a brief look at how valuable or worthwhile, students found their international mobility period in regards to achieving their own stated goals and objectives. Also, the question relating to whether students had any problems in relation to language of instruction may offer relevant information for students The responses relating to feedback and recommendations for improvement directed to the International Exchange Service and Departments and Faculties will be especially useful when developing services in the future. In addition to giving feedback via the Mobility Online system, some students also wrote blogs during their study abroad periods (mainly in Finnish, some also in English) and some students also wrote about their Study Abroad Experiences (also in Swedish), which can both be viewed in Flamma, by destination country: APPLYING: Students International Mobility Participation Reasons The most common reasons (motivation) for students to do a study abroad period can be classified as either academic or personal. The motivators mentioned in the feedback from the two academic years were very similar. Academic To study a subject not offered at their home university

6 A semester abroad in target language speaking area or country compulsory part of studies Beneficial for future academic and professional life To study in a particular language, e.g. English, Spanish, Swedish, Japanese, Italian Gather data for thesis Going abroad by exchange programs seen as easier than other options (e.g. free mover students) To take advantage of the chance to have Erasmus stipend Only positive feedback from other students about their mobility experiences Develop or improve language skills, Networking for future To experience life in another country with a view to working or studying overseas in the future Personal To spread their wings, gain independence, grow as a person, mature as a person, become/experience life in a different culture, different linguistic community, brighten view of world life Become more international, be part of an international environment (university, city, country), Visit new places, travel, see world outside Finland and Europe, live overseas Curiosity, adventure Heard student mobility experience, is a one in a lifetime experience, attended KV evening in first year of studies and caught the spark from past exchange students To get more practical language experience Gain international friends Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) NORDPLUS and Erasmus returned-students mentioned that they selected their host university or exchange programme because it offered the opportunity to go abroad to a similar, close by country but not too exotic. I chose the University of Ljubljana because I wanted to go somewhere more exotic but not too far away. - Erasmus student I wanted to experience living abroad, brush up my language skills, broaden my social network and get some time for rethinking my studies, career and life plans. Also, I found interesting courses from my host university. - Nordplus student Dessutom är man som utbytesstuderande en av många som är i samma situation, vilket gör situationen mycket lättare än om man som arbetstagare kommer ensam och helt ny till en främmande stad. - Nordplus student Halusin opiskella asioita toisesta näkökulmasta ja olin kiinnostunut kohdemaasta. - YKV bilateral agreement student Eniten hakemisen taustalla painoi se, ettei kukaan vaihdossa ollut tuttuni ollut koskaan puhunut omasta vaihtoajastaan muuten kuin positiivisesti. Halusin myös todistaa

7 itselleni, että pärjäisin ulkomailla ja tulisin toimeen myös muualla kuin Suomessa. Halusin lisäksi vahvistaa kielitaitoani. Erasmus student International Exchange Opportunity Information Sources Students found information relating to international mobility opportunities from a range of different sources, the most frequent being: Flamma /Alma intranet pages, study abroad information sessions and home departments/faculties, as well as students who had already studied abroad. Home university (in order of frequency) Alma/Flamma Intranet Information session/ Erasmus cafe Home department/faculty exchange coordinator or amanuensis Friends or other students who had already studied abroad IES/Department/Faculty/subject organisation lists University of Helsinki International Exchange Services Mobility online Teachers, university lecturers University noticeboards Info about student exchange common knowledge Host university Host university s website International Student Office or exchange coordinator Teachers, amanuensis, university lecturers, study advisors Internet searches Other students at host university Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) Past exchange students international mobility periods should be utilised more, as many students were influences by friends and acquaintances experiences and opinions about their own international mobility periods: Vaihtoon meneminen on aika olennainen osa opiskeluamme, joten siitä oli kuullut paljon vanhemmilta opiskelijoilta. YKV bilateral agreement student Friends mainly told me the most important facts I needed to know about studying abroad. - YKV bilateral agreement student Especially interesting were the stories of former exchanges students! Erasmus student Experiences of my friends and other acquaintances were also important source. Erasmus student Aluksi olin kuullut siitä (vaihto) yliopiston käytävillä Nordplus student

8 Student suggestions for things to emphasize relating to applying for an international mobility period: I think that the fact that you can leave with your minor subject could be more emphasized Erasmus student Olin vaihdossa Ruotsissa Norplus-ohjelman alaisella Nordlys-ohjelmalla, joka on hieman harvinaisempi ohjelma. Nordplus student Pitää itse olla aktiivinen, jotta tietää milloin pitää hakea ja mihin. Mutta se on toisaalta hyvä, koska joutuu itse panostamaan hakuprosessiin ja niin jää pois opiskelijat, jotka eivät ole kovin motivoituneita. - YKV bilateral agreement student Some students felt that Information about exchange possibilities should be more visible and accessible: Minusta tuntuu etteivät monet tiedä vaihtoon lähdön mahdollisuuksista. Tiedon tulisi olla paremmin esillä. Erasmus student I guess there is information everywhere - but I just never could find the information that I needed. Most of the useful information I got was from friends and from talking to the exchange coordinators. Erasmus student While others felt that there is currently enough information readily available: Tietoa eri vaihto-ohjelmista ja käytännön toteutuksesta on saatavilla kattavasti. Vaihtokoordinaattorit sai helposti kiinni sähköpostitse ja vastaukset mieltä askarruttaviin kysymyksiin saapuivat kiitettävän nopeasti. Erasmus student Perustiedot vaihtomahdollisuuksista tuntuivat olevan suhteellisen hyvin esillä. Erasmus student Tietoa oli helppo löytää ja se oli hyvin jäsennelty Helsingin yliopiston netti sivuilla. Nordplus student Olen koko opiskeluaikani saanut jatkuvasti kaikkialta tietoa opiskelijavaihdoista. Nordplus student Others also stated that while information was available, it was not in one convenient place: Tavallaan tietoa oli kyllä saatavilla, mutta se oli aika hajallaan: laitosten nettisivuilla, tiedekunnan nettisivulla, Almassa, jne... Varmaan hakuprosessia voisi helpottaakin niin, että olisi yksi vaihtoon lähtemistä suunnittelevien nettisivu. Erasmus student Information was quite easily available, but sometimes it had bit too much irrelevant information that was confusing. It would be easier if the information could be organized so that you could find the correct information for steps in the process, so that the information had the same hierarchy as the application procedure. Nordplus student Yet again, some students pointed out information was also often available only in Finnish or other language pages (Swedish and English) weren t kept up to date: Det lättaste sättet att få information om utbyte var att gå och fråga utbyteskoordinatorn direkt. Internetsidorna gav information, men det var många sidor

9 på svenska som var dåligt uppdaterade och gav gammal information som inte längre gäller. Det var ändå ganska lätt för mig att hitta mina olika valmöjligheter eftersom jag verkligen ville åka till ett universitet som hade ett samarbete med ämnet som jag studerar här hemma. Erasmus student När jag ansökte om att få åka på utbyte fanns det så gott som ingen information på svenska och när man frågade de som skulle ge information så förstod de inte vad man frågade och gav därför felaktiga svar. Speciellt Alma-sidorna var urusla för svenskspråkiga studeranden. -Nordplus student However some important information at the University of Helsinki is written in Finnish, it is difficult for international students to read. Erasmus student The exchange application process was viewed by many as unnecessarily difficult and complicated: The application via mobility online was sometimes a bit difficult, the instructions were not that simple. Erasmus student Itse hakuprosessi taas tuntui välillä kovin monimutkaiselta, oli kyse sitten koti- tai vaihtoyliopiston päästä. Erasmus student I had attended an Erasmus Café where they also gave information regarding Nordplus. Then I had to exchange several times with the faculty coordinators, as the Nordplus, Noodles, nor... system is very unclear! Nordplus student TARGETS AND OBJECTIVES: Students Targets and Objectives for their International Mobility Period The students who participated in different mobility programmes gave very similar targets and objectives for their study abroad period. These reasons are very similar and or connected to the motivating factors students gave in answer to the questions concerning motivation to do an international mobility period and their choices of host-university and country. Also, students motivation, as well as the targets and objectives they tend to set themselves for their international mobility period, are multifaceted rather than being one dimensional. Targets and objectives stated by respondents can be summarised into these sub-categories: Academic reasons such as studying specific courses, studying a minor subject not offered at UH, networking for future opportunities Personal reasons such as internationalisation, making new friends, personal challenge/growth Academic Reasons To gain a new perspective about my future working life, get ideas for a future career, networking, Build connections with researchers in my own field, discover work opportunities in the host country To learn new and alternative ways of scientific thinking, to learn a new way of studying a subject area, to learn new ways of doing and thinking To gain practical work experience

10 To learn more about my area of expertise and rediscover my passion for it To study a particular subject not offered at UH / to study a particular subject in a particular language not offered at UH / for the chance to study something other than my major, to complete a minor To experience a different kind of university life, to experience a different kind of teaching, study at a foreign university, To make progress in my studies, complete my degree To gather data for my Master s thesis Learn to produce academic speech and text in English Get good grades in all courses Personal Reasons To challenge myself in different ways, get out of my comfort zone To gain new experiences, learn new things, to gain life experience To gain a wider world view To use the exchange period to do things I had no time or space at home to do To meet new people, make new friends both international and locals in the host country To have fun To live abroad and experience daily life in a foreign country To create good memories To become more independent by travelling alone, see if I can live in a foreign country away from family and friends Cultural exchange To increase my self-confidence, To become more international/gain international experience Improve my social skills For cultural and linguistic immersion To understand different ways of life To get to know the country s culture, society, economy better To learn more about specifics of the country To get everything I can out of the experience and bring back many experiences to Finland Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) Tavoitteenani oli saada uusia kokemuksia, erilaisia näkökulmia pääaineeseeni ja maailmaan sekä oppia kieltä. Erasmus student Ajattelin, että lähtökohtaisesti saisin ammatillisesti paljon irti vaihtovuodestani, mutta kokemus osoitti, että suurin ilo on sosiaalinen elämä, joka rikastuu runsaasti. Erasmus student Halusin innostua uudestaan opiskelusta! Erasmus student Tavoitteena oli opiskella minua erityisesti kiinnostavia kursseja, joita ei omassa yliopistossani ole tarjolla. Tavoitteena oli myös luoda kontakteja ja tutustua opiskeluun vieraalla kielellä ja kansainvälisessä ilmapiirissä. YKV bilateral agreement student Halusin opiskella alaa, jota en voinut kotiyliopistossani opiskella. Nordplus student

11 Get more experience in fieldwork. Enjoy life in the high Arctic. Get new international friends. Learn skills I would never learn in Finland. Experience the Arctic nature. Nordplus student Jag ville få bättre grepp om mitt huvudämne på svenska för att kunna fortsätta skriva på svenska vid HU fastän alla mina kurser går på finska eller engelska. Därtill såg jag framemot att lära känna nya människor och se vad som skiljer sig mellan Sverige och Finland. Nordplus student To be taught by the best in their fields, study hard and learn even more. Find a Master's thesis topic and get a glimpse of what a PHD student s life is like. YKV bilateral agreement student Achievement of Targets and Objectives Most students felt that they achieved the targets and objectives that they set for themselves. Some also felt that their study abroad period exceeded their expectations. Koen, että vaihtoni oli hyvin onnistunut ja saavutin monia tavoitteitani. Nordplus student Kaikki tavoitteeni täyttyivät ja odotukseni vaihdosta ylittyivät. Pidän vaihtoa erinomaisena kokemuksena ja suosittelenkin sitä lämpimästi. Erasmus student Koen että vaihtojakso antoi paljon enemmänkin kuin mitä odotin. Nordplus student Vaihto ylitti odotukseni. Olen akateemisesti kunnianhimoisempi ja uteliaampi kuin ennen Unkariin lähtöä. Huomaan olevani nykyisessä työssäni itsevarmempi, kiitos vaihdon! Erasmus student Ja, jag uppnådde allt det jag ville! Erasmus student Some students mentioned that even though the courses and their contents weren t up to UH standards or couldn t be included directly in their major, that they still learnt a lot and value their study abroad experiences: Enemmän tai vähemmän. Kurssit olivat hieman liian perustasolla, jotta uusia alueita olisi tullut haltuun, mutta näkökulma oli uusi ja erilainen joten homma pysyi mielekkäänä. Erasmus student Some students felt that they would have benefitted more from a longer international mobility period: Osittain. Olisin ehkä hyötynyt enemmän pitemmästä vaihtoajasta. Erasmus student Other students felt that their language skills did not improve as much as they had hoped: Well I didn't learn the language but with everything else I'm satisfied. Erasmus student Opinnot veivät niin paljon aikaa, etten ehtinyt panostaa espanjan oppimiseen lainkaan. Espanjan taitonikin toki paranivat, mutteivät niin paljon kuin olisi halunnut. Erasmus student

12 Alla mina mål uppfylldes och jag var väldigt nöjd med utbytet, dock hade jag hoppasts på att lära mig språket lite bättre. Erasmus student Kyllä, vaikka kielitaito ei aivan sujuvalle tasolle noussutkaan. Erasmus student Kyllä, kieltä opin tosin vähemmän kuin olin suunnitellut. Erasmus student Learning the language turned out to be more difficult than I anticipated. Erasmus student Some students felt that they didn t get to know any local people as they mainly interacted with other exchange students: I find it a pity that I didn't get to know any local people as well as I got to know other exchange students. Erasmus student Selection of the Host University Most common reasons for choosing a host university were related to: Specific host country/city; language, culture Specific university; course selection, active student life, free language courses Availability of destinations and using the opportunity offered including scholarship On recommendation Many miscellaneous personal reasons too Why students choose a specific host university Interest in Host University s, their reputation, courses/subject offered, research conducted there Language of country Interest in Host country/host city specifically Recommendation by friends and previous students, Wish to work or study in city or country in future Best available choice, only choice in subject area Now or never chance to go overseas by exchange programme Choice of two universities in target country, chose one that offered free language courses More likely to be accepted as less applicants Wide variety and active student organisations Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) Valitsin ensin maan kielen perusteella ja sitten tutkin kyseistä maasta mikä oli paras yliopisto ja hain sinne. Nordplus student Yliopisto on yksi maailma huippuyliopistoista siinä aiheessa, mitä halusin mennä opiskelemaan. Nordplus student Due to my language skills, I had two choices: an English speaking or a French speaking university. YKV bilateral agreement student Halusin osallistua kursseille, joita ei ole mahdollista suorittaa Helsingin yliopistossa. Lisäksi halusin hakea lisäpontta jatko-opintoihin. Hyvä puoli oli myös se, että

13 vaihtoyliopistossani näitä kursseja luennoivat alan johtavat professorit. YKV bilateral agreement student I was also able to utilize my current language skills to the maximum and study in foreign language other than English. YKV bilateral agreement student Maan valinta oli pääaineen vuoksi itsestäänselvyys. (Italy) - Erasmus student Ystäväni oli ollut aiemmin kyseisessä vaihtokohteessa ja antanut ainoastaan positiivista palautetta, joten tämän palautteen tukemana hain omaan kohteeseeni. Erasmus student Laitoksellani on sopimus vaihtokohteeni yliopiston kanssa, joten valinta oli helppo. - Erasmus student Jag ville också studera där för att det är ett av de bästa universiteten i England och jag ville ta del av den undervisningen. - Erasmus student Was it easy or difficult to obtain information? Overall some students found it moderately difficult to find the correct, up to date information easily, while others found it relatively easy. Comments were made in particular about Mobility Online and Alma/Flamma, not being particularly easy to use, about a lack of information relating to particular programmes or lack of information in languages other than Finnish. Some students mentioned that they received information and help easily from their exchange programme coordinators, also from IES coordinators and from the websites (including both host and home university s websites). Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) Many students mentioned that information was plentiful and available: Helsingin yliopisto tarjosi riittävästi tietoa. Mobility Oline ei kyllä ollut suosikki ohjelmani. Koin sen sekavaksi ja raskaaksi. Muutoin vaihtoon liittyvissä epäselvissä asioissa kv-vaihdon henkilökunta antoi hyvin tukea. Nordplus student Aika helppoa, koska entiset vaihtarit olivat kirjoittaneet hyvin perusteelliset vaihtopalautteet. Taisin myös Youtubesta katsoa jotain videoita. YKV bilateral agreement student The staff was very helpful in both universities. The info online was at times a bit overwhelming. Erasmus student Suggestions for improvement: The most important information would have been deadlines (and importance of those) in one combined page. I think that as the information is now presented it is bit fragmented, but nothing too difficult. So in short, good information, but unstructured. Nordplus student Tiedonhakuun meni yllättävän paljon aikaa, koska monien yliopistojen internetsivut eivät olleet helpoimmasta päästä. Asioiden selvittäminen vaati kärsivällisyyttä, mutta ei se mahdotonta ollut. Ja tulihan sitä samalla virkistettyä kielitaitoa. Erasmus student

14 Tietoa löytyy etsiessä, mutta ennen kaikkea kaverien kokemuksen ja hyvä vertaistukiverkosto lähtiessä auttovat. Usein tarvittavat tiedot on ripoteltuna iloisesti pitkin Flammaa, Weboodia, HY:n nettisivuja, kohdeyliopiston nettisivuja jne. Se tuotti eniten päänvaivaa. Erasmus student STUDIES & LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Credit Transfer The difficulty or uncertainty of being able to get credits for courses completed during their international mobility period was mentioned by the majority of students. Many students also mentioned that credits points (ECTS) do not transfer to their degrees efficiently and that most likely they were unable to include the courses in their major or minor subjects, but that they credits earned abroad be included in their other studies. Will credits completed abroad be directly transferred to your UH degree? Responses mainly fall into these categories: Yes-> credits included in my major subject, exchange a compulsory degree requirement Yes-> credits are included in minor subject or other studies Most Likely/Think so/hopefully Don t Know yet No, I don t plan to apply for transfer of credits Noteworthy Comments: (Direct quotations appear in original language) Difficulty in getting credits transferred: Toivottavasti. Oppiaineessani ollaan muuten joustavia, mutta on pari professoria, jotka ovat sitä mieltä, etteivät he halua kurssejaan korvattavan millään muilla edes vastaavilla opinnoilla. Nordplus student Opiskelen xx, mutta vaihdossa en opiskellut sitä (koska hyväksilukeminen ei silloinkaan yleensä onnistu). Saan siis vaihto-opinnoista vain osan tutkintooni vapaavalintaisina opintoin YKV bilateral agreement student Suurin osa onnistunee, mutta koska en saanut haluamiani kursseja olli otettava joitain kursseja jotka eivät varmasti tule hyväksiluetuiksi. YKV bilateral agreement student Well none of them directly. Doing Erasmus in xx is really hard, because I need to do exams to prove that I have learned the right things and I have to do some extra practical work. Erasmus student I will get little over half of my credits approved in my home university and they will be integrated into my minor subject. However, I got many credits I cannot transfer to my degree. Erasmus student Hyväksilukuprosessi Helsingin päässä voisi olla yksinkertaisempaa ja tapahtua esim. Internetin välityksellä. Erasmus student

15 Credit points often don t transfer efficiently: (Direct quotations appear in original languages) Yes, but it's not so easy to fill in in my Hops because a course in Sweden is 7, 5 ECTS. Nordplus student Yes, but since the 4MC courses translate to something like 6 ECTS, I will only get 5 ECT per course (because we only have 5 ECT courses back home). YKV bilateral agreement student Some of them, yes, but as combining 3+3 ECTS courses to correspond 5 ECTS courses of Uni of Helsinki some credits will be "lost". Erasmus student Osittain. Mutta tässä todettakoon, että opintopisteiden kanssa säätäminen oli vaihtoon liittyvistä asioista kaikista hankalin ja raivostuttavin. Parannettavaa on paljon! Erasmus student Incorporating credits earned from a yearlong international mobility period into a Master s degree (only 40 credits can be transferred into your Master s degree. I will not be able to transfer all of the credits to my degree sine I think in master s degree you can only include 40 credits from other university. But hopefully I can include those 40 credits. Erasmus student As a doctoral student credits are less interesting. I will integrate the credits (corresponding to one article) in form of my thesis in the end of my PhD-project. Erasmus student Language Proficiency Possible problems with language(s) of instruction at host universities While some students may have initially experienced some problems with the language often related to accents, dialects or vocabulary they felt their skills developed sufficiently and quickly through studying in that particular foreign language, enough to cope and get enough out of their studies. Many students also stated that they did not feel that they experienced any particular problems with the language of instruction. Most students felt that their international mobility period aided them in developing their language skills or attaining fluency in the language of the country or their studies. However multiple respondents, who went to Sweden with express purpose of improving/developing their Swedish language skills, felt that they did not achieve their goals. Some of them stated that they studies in English-medium courses (which may account for this) while others stated that they used English in most social situation whilst on their study abroad period, as they often associate mostly with other exchange students rather than Swedish students. Those students, who mentioned they participated in courses aimed at Swedish degree students more often than not, felt that they developed or improved their Swedish skills the most. FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS: International Exchange Services Areas that are Working Well (Most commonly mentioned)

16 Information in Flamma pages is accessible and more up to date than when Alma was in use IES staff and coordinators are usually helpful and knowledgeable Areas for Improvement Timing of Learning Agreement creation, availability of course information at time of application, credit transfer, longer opening hours for IES, responding to s in a timely manner, answering questions with specific information One area for improvement that many students commented on was the necessity to create Learning Agreements at the time of application often using previous years study guides (which are mostly inaccurate and outdated) in order to do their course selection as the following year s study guides were not available in time. The fact that course selection is done so early on is problematic, given that course choice (including particular minors and subject areas) is almost the top reason that students chose a particular university and the fact that in order to get their credits transferred to their degree (Major or Minor subjects) they need to choose courses that are similar to ones offered at UH and they must be accepted as substitute courses *before* their learning agreements can be approved. Often students have to redo their Learning Agreements on arrival, which means they have to do double work in getting the courses accepted by the major or minor subject departments in order for them to be included in their degree, otherwise the courses will end up in the Other or Elective section of their degree which can lead to a delay in graduating. Other recommendations for improvement for the International Exchange Services from students, included longer opening hours for meeting the exchange coordinators, responding to s in more a timely manner, answering questions and providing assistance in finding answers more helpfully than just read the Flamma pages, Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) Many students were satisfied with the assistance they received from IES: The service at the Main Building International Exchange Services was really great! They would answer all the questions I had and showed a real concern on every issue I presented. Erasmus student Jag är nöjd med hur allt har fungerat. Särskilt glad är jag över att det ordnades ett infotillfälle där man hade möjlighet att träffa studeranden från Finland som varit på utbyte på samma studieort som man själv skulle åka till! Erasmus student The Finnish Exchange Services are infallible and have always been. I've nothing to complain about, very professional and helpful! Nordplus student Flamma intranet pages clearer than Alma: Applying for the University of Edinburgh felt complicated initially. The Alma website was confusing at times which caused frustration. The new Flamma website seems much clearer. YKV bilateral agreement student

17 Hyvin menee. Flamman uudet sivut ovat hyvät ja selkeät. Siitä huolimatta vaihtoonlähtevät (ja varmaan palaavatkin) ovat aika sekaisin, mutta mielestäni se kuuluu prosessiin, teidän täytyy vain kestää :) - Nordplus Service development suggestions: The Facebook page is excellent, because it reminded me to get the End of Stay document on time - the page should be mentioned in the meeting for outgoing students! Also the photograph competition was nice, but I did not know about it on time. Many students abroad also write blogs, these could be recommended in the Facebook-page for the new outgoing students that might be interested. Erasmus student Clearer guidelines needed for credit transfer, which courses meet the Erasmus stipend requirements and required level of language skills for various countries: Vaihtoon lähteville voisi antaa tarkemmin tietoa esimerkiksi vaihdossa suoritettujen kielikurssien hyväksilukemisesta ja siitä, mitkä opinnot täyttävät Erasmus-stipendin vaatimukset. Erasmus student I wish you could give more info about the language skill level student needs in their exchange country Erasmus student Kieliopintojen mahdollisuus vaihtokohteessa tehtävä opiskelijalle selväksi jo lähtövaiheessa. - Nordplus student Timing of Exchange orientations for outgoing students could be changed: I am thankful for the help I received. Oftentimes, however, I had to search for exact information elsewhere. The exchange orientations on August should, if possible, be held earlier. Also, giving contacts of the people who have studied in the same university/city abroad would be practical and helpful, if possible. Erasmus student More cooperation between IES and Departments/Faculties could be useful: Yhteistyö kansainvälisen toimiston ja tiedekunnan koordinaattorin välillä oli osittain puutteellista. Kysymyksiin vastaamisessa kesti välillä kovin kauan ja koin itse hakuprosessin loppujen lopuksi monimutkaisemmaksi kuin se ensisilmäykseltä oli vaikuttanut. Erasmus student Nordplus students mentioned some confusion over the amount and how their stipends are paid: Nordplus-stipendin määräytymisen eri pääaineittain voisi ilmaista selkeämmin, ei vain sanoa mitä HY maksaa. Nordplus student The whole payment system seems very complicated. Nordplus student There could be more info about the scholarship (I didn't get the money for my trips back and forth even though it was said from the International Exchange Services it was included). Nordplus student

18 Department/Faculty Areas that are Working Well Commonly feedback was department or Faculty specific, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions at a university level. Students were often quite satisfied with the assistance they received from their Department & /or Faculty: Tiedotus hausta sekä tukea hakuaikana tarjottiin erittäin hyvin. Missään vaiheessa ei ollut sellainen olo että olisin ollut yksin vaihtoprosessini kanssa! Erasmus student Tiedekunnan vaihtokoordinaattori on ollut hyvin ystävällinen ja ymmärtäväinen ja auttanut minua monessa asiassa ja kysymyksessä. Hänen luokseen on helppo mennä ja pyytää apua. Toivoinkin, että saisimme uudet opiskelijat innostumaan entistä enemmän vaihtomahdollisuuksista! - Erasmus student Areas for Improvement More information about the possibility to study a minor subject on exchange and then necessity to take a certain % of credits in that minor area More information about different programme options More information about possibility to do cross-faculty exchange Coordinator should be able to provide advice as to whether an English language test (TOEFL, IELTS) is required for host university, so test dates can booked in time Exchange Coordinator unavailable during their stated office hours, missed prearranged meetings, didn t reply to s Student would like more flexibility in exchange period e.g. to extend their exchange period Student would have liked more information about the university, city and culture. Noteworthy Comments (Direct quotations appear in original language) More encouragement perhaps needed from Departments and Faculties for students to utilize study abroad possibilities: Ehkä olisi ihan ensimmäisenä vuotena hyvä konkreettisesti ilmaista opiskelijoille, mitä vaihtojaksolta odotetaan; toisaalta vaikeaa, koska eri opiskelijat menevät vaihtoon niin eri vaiheissa opintojaan... Mahdollisesti HOP-keskustelu 2. vuoden jälkeen voisi olla ainakin osalle hyödyllinen. Erasmus student Vapaaehtoiset infotilaisuudet eivät mielestäni riitä, vaan ne voisivat olla osa opintoohjausta ja opintojen suunnittelua. - Erasmus student More encouragement to go, getting done in 2 years (Master s degree) shouldn't always be the goal. Going on exchange is great for the academic development. Nordplus student Promote the possibility of studying a minor subject abroad:

19 There could be more information about the possibilities to get a minor subject's Erasmus place. In the case of choosing an Erasmus place of a minor subject, it should be mentioned that then a certain amount of studies in the host university will have to be of this subject. Erasmus student Promote the possibility for going abroad more visibly: Pitäisi mainostaa enemmän että on mahdollisuus vaihtoon, sillä aika paljon piti itse kaivaa informaatiota netistä/yliopistolta vaihdosta vastaavalta henkilöltä joka ei ollut oikein itsekään perillä mistään. Erasmus student Utilize students who have already completed a study abroad period more, to promote the possibility to study abroad and arrange opportunities for them to meet students interested in going abroad: Edelliset vaihtokohteessa opiskelleet opiskelijat voisi saattaa jollain lailla (epävirallisesti) yhteen uusien opiskelijoiden kanssa. Ymmärrän että henkilötietoja ei välttämättä saa antaa suoraan eteenpäin, mutta esimerkiksi vaihdossa aiemmin olleelta voisi kysyä, suostuuko hän tapaamaan seuraavaksi lähtijöitä jos nämä haluavat. Tällaisesta järjestelystä voisi olla tuleville lähtijöille iso hyöty: heidän ei tarvitsisi keksiä pyörää uudestaan. Erasmus student The application process for study abroad periods should be much clearer: Itse en tajunnut alussa systeemiä millä vaihto-opiskelijaksi haetaan. Eli voisi tehdä vieläkin selkeämmäksi hakijoille hakuprosessi, eli aluksi haetaan lupaa ja stipendiä lähteä vaihtoon "Suomesta", ja kun lupa on saatu, haetaan lopullisesti paikkaa itsenäisesti hakukohteesta ulkomailta. Erasmus student Emphasis should be placed on the fact that often it may not be possible to study the course(s) students choose to include in their Learning Agreements and that changes may be needed: Opintosuunnitelmien tekoa ajatellen voisi enemmän korostaa, etteivät etukäteen valitut kurssit välttämättä toteudu sellaisenaan vaan niihin voi tulla paljonkin muutoksia. Erasmus student Coordinator should be able to provide advice as to whether an English language test (TOEFL, IELTS) is required for the host university, so test dates can be booked in time: Kysyin ennen vaihtoonlähtöäni pitääkö minun käydä TOEFL yms. testeissä, uskontotieteen vaihtokoordinaattori ei tiennyt, eikä saanut asiasta oikein selvää. Mielestäni kyseinen asia on hyvin oleellinen ja pitäisi olla selkeämmin ilmoitettu, varsinkin koska keväällä kyseisiin testeihin on jonoa. Erasmus student Coordinators could be more available: Vaihtokoordinaattorin vastaanottoaikoja on lisättävä. Erasmus student Some students would have liked more assistance on how to apply for credit transfer and with the credit transfer process:

20 Kurssien vastaavuuksista en juurikaan saanut kuitenkaan etukäteen tietoa, ja kurssit vaihtoyliopistossa suhteessa niiden vastaavuuteen Helsingin yliopistossa tuli valita oman arvion mukaan. Tiedekunta voisi valita yhden henkilön, joka auttaisi kurssivalinnoissa ja keskittyisi kurssien vastaavuuksien arviointiin. Erasmus student Ehkä enemmän tukea ulkomailla suoritettujen kurssien hyväksilukemiseen. Erasmus student Opintokokonaisuuksista vastaaville ja niitä rekisteröiville tulisi selittää, miksi vaihdossa suoritetut opintopisteet olisi tärkeää saada rekisteriin täysmääräisinä, vaikka kaikkia pisteitä ei saisikaan sisällytettyä johonkin opintokokonaisuuteen. Osa elää vielä siinä käsityksessä, että Kelaan voi vain soittaa, ja kertoa tehneensä tarpeeksi opintoja vaihtoaikana, ettei tukia tarvitse palauttaa. Erasmus student Suggestion for Department to have more in-depth information about host universities: It would be good though if my department could know more about the exchange universities, for example about the quality of the courses and what's special in their programs. Erasmus student Oli epäselvää, mitä paikkoja on mahdollista hakea. Missään ei ilmaistu suoraan, että opiskelija voi hakea oikeastaan minkä tahansa oppiaineen vaihtopaikkoja, joskin pääaineopiskelijat ja sivuaineopiskelijat ovat etusijalla. Nordplus student Voisitteko tehdä kartoituksen, minkä tyyppisistä opinnoista haaveilevan (journalismi, julkishallinto, organisaatiot yms.) kannattaa mennä minnekin opiskelemaan? Tuntuu, että nyt valinnat tehdään lähinnä kielitaidon perusteella, mikä on hyvä peruste, mutta saisi jäädä ainoaksi. Tuntui, että vaihtovastaavilla ei ole kovin paljon tietoa eri yliopistojen ohjelmien painotuksista, mikä on tietysti ymmärrettävää. Vaihdosta palanneilla opiskelijoilla sitä vastoin on, joten kartoitusta ei luulisi olevan kovin vaikea tehdä. Omalla kohdallani kaikki sujui kuitenkin oikein hyvin, kiitos! Nordplus student NEXT STEPS: It would be interesting and useful to examine the reasons why some of the barriers to international mobility (mentioned in this report) occur and what could be done at a university/faculty/department level to overcome these. In addition, further study could be conducted on CIMO s noteworthy findings on the reasons for International Immobility study and to see whether these occur and whether they are relevant to University of Helsinki students. Also, it would be important to take into account the student feedback summarised in this report when developing services in the future. From onwards Erasmus feedback will be fully collected by European Commission directly to EC s Mobility Tool reporting system. Due to this, Erasmus feedback will no longer be stored in Mobility Online. As a whole the feedback of outgoing students will become differentiated in the near future; on the one hand feedback is collected for contact persons and coordinators via Mobility Tool and Mobility Online and on the other hand for potential mobile students more in the form of blogs, stories and video clips by utilizing social media more as well.