The "IDEAS – Experience Interculturality and Diversity By Studying Abroad" project at Friedrich Schiller University Jena is being funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for a further five years. The University of Jena will receive funding of almost 625,000 euros from the "Lehramt.欧洲杯投注地址_明升体育-竞彩足球比分推荐" programme until 2029, the DAAD announced. The aim of the programme, which has been running since 2019, is to support both students and teaching staff in dealing with various dimensions of diversity in a pedagogically effective and sensitive way through a variety of intercultural learning opportunities.

Tried-and-tested offers will be further developed

"Study periods abroad are the ideal way to achieve intercultural competence. However, our students not only report insights into other countries that broaden their horizons, but also personally formative experiences, such as meeting new international friends," says Prof. Dr Lukas Eibensteiner, who heads the IDEAS project. He and project staff Sophie Elly Ewers and Philipp Kramer work closely with the Centre for Teacher Training and Educational Research at the University of Jena. The Université de Strasbourg (France), the University of Turku (Finland), the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), the Université de Montréal (Canada), Tbilisi State University (Georgia) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have been recruited as international partner institutions.

Over 600 participants have taken part in various IDEAS events to date, and 20 student teachers have received a scholarship for a semester abroad. The established formats include the "Talks for IDEAS" event series, whose 21 events were attended by over 400 interested people.

Project team member Philipp Kramer emphasizes that the offers will be further developed and adapted even more to the needs of the students in the second funding phase that is now beginning. In addition to renewed scholarships for the stay at the University of Turku, a major innovation is the integration of practical components at schools at the place of study in order to enable more professional practice.

"Another new format is one-week study trips for entire seminar groups to the universities of Strasbourg and Barcelona," says Kramer. The joint visits by students and teaching staff serve to exchange information on subject-specific content as well as everyday school life and teacher training in both countries. According to project coordinator Sophie Elly Ewers, the programme is rounded off with digital modules such as simulation games, in which international students work on tasks together as a group, as well as international seminar collaborations across all subjects.