Internationalization at Home
Photo: busracavus/Ex/GettyImages
Many aspects of studying at the FernUniversität are already international. Internationalization at Home provides students whose life situations restrict their mobility with a range of options to add virtual international experiences to their studies as an alternative to a physical stay abroad. These can include, for example, summer schools and internationally oriented collaborative modules or virtual mobility.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of digital internationalization has increased dramatically throughout the higher education sector. Digital internationalization offers valuable opportunities for acquiring the kind of international experience and perspectives that are increasingly sought-after in today’s globalized society, while doing so in a way that conserves resources.
Concept: Internationalization at Home at the FernUniversität (PDF 214 KB – German)
With this in mind, in October 2020, the University Board put together a set of recommendations on the integration of digital international modules and courses into degree programs. They recommended that faculties offer at least one internationally oriented module as an elective in their bachelor’s programs and make such a module mandatory in every master’s program.
- Recommendations on internationalization in teaching (PDF 118 KB – German)
Models of digital internationalization
Sooner or later, anyone involved in digital internationalization will come across the terms virtual mobility or virtual exchange. Our pages provide you with an overview of the support services and funding opportunities, as well as advice on planning and implementing new projects.
Virtual mobility
means that students of one university participate virtually in a course offered by a partner university. This takes place in much the same way as if they were actually on-site. As part of the cooperation, it is sometimes possible to credit completed courses to your home study program.
Virtual exchange
focuses on student interaction in internationally mixed learning situations. These teaching formats are usually developed collaboratively with the partner universities involved. Entire modules or just parts of a course can be created and used together.
Students at the FernUniversität can choose from a wide range of internationally oriented courses and seminars that are offered as part of either curricular or extracurricular programs by the FernUniversität.
What is virtual exchange?
An example of one model of VE, class-to-class exchanges, is explained in this video:
