The NICE Programme: A new approach to student mobility
How can students have an international experience without necessarily travelling abroad? Since 2017, the Network for Intercultural Competence to facilitate Entrepreneurship (NICE) brings together students from eight universities within Europe to work together virtually. The aim of the Erasmus+ key action project is to foster students’ key competencies for the 21st century and to enhance their employability. Within the NICE consortium the University of Göttingen is represented by the Centre for Intercultural Competence.
Over the course of the past two years, 48 students from Göttingen University took part in the NICE programme. They worked virtually in intercultural teams with students from several NICE partner universities first defining a problem to a global challenge such as climate action, future of food or inclusive societies, and then coming up with a sketch for a solution. “My biggest surprise within the NICE programme was the experience I got working with my team. Even though I was overwhelmed and challenged working only in a virtual environment at first, we found a good way to work together. We were a very diverse team and I was surprised how interested everyone was in each other and how respectful we were with one another”, says participant Anna-Farah. Their work was supported through facilitated online learning modules which equipped students with the necessary entrepreneurial tools and intercultural communication skills to support effective international teamwork addressing their challenge.
This year, due to the effects of COVID-19, all students were invited to attend a unique three-day virtual student conference, hosted by the University of Salamanca. There, students were able to connect with experts from the field of intercultural competence and entrepreneurship to deepen their knowledge and to work on their pitch to present their innovative ideas. We are very happy to announce that Merle Roza from University of Göttingen together with Ruhiyya Isayeva from University of Lund entered the pitch competition with their project SOSPITO, an app that verifies volunteer projects, and finished 2nd best pitch of the student conference. Congratulations to Merle and the team, we are looking forward to the development of the project!
To learn more about opportunities for virtual exchange and intercultural learning in the upcoming winter term please visit the Centre for Intercultural Competence, www.uni-goettingen.de/interkulturell
Contact:
Alexandra Schreiber, MA
Center for Intercultural Competence
Phone: +49 (0)551-39-21192
Email: alexandra.schreiber@phil.uni-goettingen.de