Hanze is increasingly committed to short international exchanges

Internationalisation is a top priority at Hanze. All Hanze study programmes cover global citizenship and prepare students for an international and intercultural professional practice. 2.3 million in Erasmus+ funds have been allocated to Hanze by the European Union, which puts Hanze in the top 3 of the Netherlands. What is all that money spent on?

Lydia Altenburg, Erasmus+ coordinator for the Hanze, explains: "About half of all Hanze exchanges are the traditional Erasmus+ exchange whereby a student studies or does an internship abroad for a semester. However, what you see more and more are the Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs). These are short exchange programmes that includes a solid online preparation for the exchange week which takes place on location."  

BIPs have just about doubled at Hanze every year from 20-21. There is a total of 32 BIPs during this academic year and 57 are planned for next year. There are BIPs for which a group of students goes abroad, but there are also BIPs in which Hanze plays the guest role, i.e. groups of foreign students come to Groningen to take part.

Marit Spaans is a first-year Nursing student who took part in a BIP in Trollhättan, Sweden: 
"The topic was 'norm consciousness', about what falls within and outside the norm and how you can normalise something that falls outside the norm. We were divided into mixed groups, with students from different countries and with people who were doing other studies, such as Social Work and Design. The online sessions allowed us to prepare well, and we got to know our group a bit. Together we had to make an end product about something that was outside the norm. My group has written a children's book about skin conditions. About a boy who encounters this at school and asks questions about it in an innocent way, in order to show that skin conditions are, in fact, very normal. I really enjoyed the group work. Through the BIP you also really learn something about other cultures, for example that in Portugal they have quiet zones in shopping centres for people with autism. Very cool. “Why don't we have that in the Netherlands?”, I thought."

Lydia: "A BIP is a very accessible way for students to gain international experience. It is often already woven into the core curriculum of a study programme as part of a study block. Students only need to apply for a scholarship and then just go with the flow. Because they travel as a group and the teacher also comes along, the administration is well supervised."

Lucia Marthas

Lydia: "There is a lot of enthusiasm for BIPs within Hanze. That is very nice to see because it demands a lot from teachers in terms of preparation. The application must be received at least one year in advance and the content of the programme must then be coordinated internationally. I have a lot of admiration for how they create these programmes. For example, I recently saw a BIP of Lucia Marthas Institute of Performing Arts with a Spanish, Irish and Austrian partner. Online, the students and teachers brainstormed and did preparatory exercises. Then they put together a dance performance with a complete choreography and songs here in Groningen within a week. Really awesome."

Lydia: "A BIP is a very good instrument to give a bit more body to the internationalisation of shortage sectors, such as technology and health. The study programmes in these domains are often less easily interchangeable internationally. We would like every Hanze student to develop into a world citizen. A BIP allows you to offer students the necessary international experience. BIPs are also an important tool for STARS EU, the European partnership between nine European universities of which the Hanze is coordinator. The intention is that joint educational projects will emerge from this and eventually also bachelor's and master's programmes."

Splinter Verdoes Kleijn participated in a BIP of Industrial Engineering and Management which was organised here in Groningen: 
"Our BIP was about Sustainable Business. Five different companies took part, all of which had a sustainability problem. We were divided into groups with different nationalities, Spanish, Finnish and Dutch. Our group was asked to come up with a solution for Avebe, a cooperative of potato growers, for how they deal with wastewater. I had never been to such a mega company before and was flabbergasted about its size, the money that goes into it but also the massive amounts of water that is used in the process. Currently, this involves about 50,000 litres of wastewater per hour, to which they pour in at least three times as much water from the sea to stay below a legal limit of harmful waste. But as of next year, that will no longer be allowed, so how do you deal with it then? Our solution was to use electrochemistry and biochemistry at the beginning of the treatment. If that was not enough, there was the possibility of using reverse osmosis to filter the water, but that turned out to be too expensive. What did I learn from it? English, patience and cooperation. This BIP was a lot of fun socially, we were able to really build friendships, outside of the programme. I am still in contact with the Spaniards and some of the Finns. Everyone who took part looks back on it with a smile."

For staff as well

Lydia: "Internationalisation in the context of Erasmus+ does not end with students, Hanze staff can also gain experience abroad and take a look at the daily practice of their European colleagues, so that they are able to design even better educational programmes. This is also reflected in the BIPs, where teachers from different countries work together to create an exchange programme and supervise the students.