Introduction Peer Learning Activity- Virtual Mobility by George Ubachs, EADTU

1. Peer Learning Activity
“Virtual Mobility”.
12-13 December 2018
Introduction
George Ubachs
EADTU

2. PLA
participants
Higher Education Institutions
• Maastricht University
• KU Leuven
• TU Delft
• Open Universiteit Nederland
• Open University UK
• Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin
• Sorbonne University
• Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno
• University of Jyväskylä/Open University
• University of Warsaw
• UOC Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
• KIT Royal Tropical Institute
University network organisations
• Coimbra Group
• Kiron Open Higher Education
• European Students Union
Public authorities
• European Commission
• Ministry of Education and Research, Norway
Agencies
• Academic Cooperation Association (ACA)
• DAAD
• Diku

3. Aim of this PLA
In this Peer Learning Activity we bring
together the stakeholders in international
education to reflect on the opportunities
offered by virtual mobility.
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4. Why this
PLA?
• Blended and virtual mobility is stimulated
in many Erasmus+ actions, in particular in
the “European universities” initiative,
“strategic partnerships”, “knowledge
alliances”, “sector skills” and “capacity
building”. The “eU.University hub” for
online learning will stimulate and empower
universities for online education and virtual
mobility.
• In the Erasmus+ 2019 call, virtual mobility
is defined as “a set of activities supported
by Information and Communication
Technologies, including e-learning, that
realise or facilitate international,
collaborative experiences in a context of
teaching, training or learning”.

5. PLA
Outcome
envisaged
The outcome of this PLA will be the
identification of the roles of the different
stakeholders and the collection of:
• Good practices of virtual mobility
• New developments in the field of
virtual mobility
• How virtual mobility can stimulate
European university networks
• Recommendations at Macro, Meso and
Micro level

6. Basic
principles
of VM
• The core goal of any mobility is providing an
international academic experience.
In physical mobility, immersion is an important aspect,
important for personal development, language learning
and living in different social and cultural context.
In virtual mobility, an international experience in a
blended and online mode, next to the academic
experience.
• Just like the Erasmus+ programme, this
international experience is organised in the
framework of a collaboration between two or
more universities. Such collaboration is defined in
an institutional agreement between two
universities (exchange) or within a network or
consortium (networked and joint learning activities
or curricula). At the individual level, a learning
agreement guarantees the rights of the student.
Should be the same for PM and VM

7. Virtual
Mobility
For more than ten years, EADTU and other
organisations have organized projects on
these issues. Recently, EADTU has
developed an international collaboration
and mobility matrix, defining different
types of collaboration and physical,
blended and online mobility in a
perspective of innovation and established
a Task Force VM

8. EADTU Mobility Matrix
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9. Task Force
Virtual
Mobility
The group of experts consists of EADTU member an non-
member university representatives with a specific field of
expertise or interest in virtual mobility
Members are;
• George Ubachs (EADTU; Chair)
• Esther Souto (UNED)
• Carme Anguera Iglesias (UOC)
• Katrien Vanelven (KU-Leuven)
• Susanne Koch (Norgesuniversitetet)
• Sabine Bottin (FIED-UPMC)
Non-member participants:
• Marinke Sussenbach (TU-Delft)
• Sarah Guth, Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange consortium
• Barbara Moser Mercer, InZone |Université de Genève
• LERU and COIMBRA are represented by some of the
TF-members

10. GOALS
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• Achieve a common understanding of virtual mobility
• Analyse positive and negative forces on further
exploring virtual mobility schemes and mainstreaming
• Identify ways forward and lower thresholds for virtual
mobility and by stimulating innovation in education
• Identify the expertise needed and ways of sharing at
European level
• Identify VM from university, teacher and student
perspectives
• Define recommendations at Macro, Meso and Micro
level
• Identify innovative projects related to VM
• Identify the different approaches represented by good
practices

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12. PLA-VM FOCUS
Good practices of virtual mobility
• making an inventory of current good practices concerning virtual mobility VM
models
• making an inventory of cooperation models for virtual exchange programs
New developments in the field of virtual mobility
• Sharing of current institutional and curriculum-level plans for the development
of VM
• Identifying opportunities and obstacles in VM at institutional and student level
How virtual mobility can stimulate European university networks
• exploring the potential of VM within European university networks
• generating (political) support for VM becoming a mainstream mobility scheme
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13. End result PLA-VM report
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• The report will be the result of presentations, cases and
workshop discussions that are part of this PLA (basic
principles, conceptualisation of approaches, good practices,
support, expertise, opportunities and barriers,..) In short,
mapping VM developments in Europe.
• The report offers recommendations, guidance and support
for the work of the stakeholders in VM (Micro, Meso and
Macro level)
The report will be presented at the EADTU-EU Summit;
30th April 2019 in Brussels, then widely shared amongst
stakeholders European wide

14. Outline of PLA Programme
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Outline of PLA Programme

16. ENJOY!
George Ubachs
george.ubachs@eadtu.eu
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