Irena Melua, Vice President for Internationalization at the Caucasus University in Georgia
“First of all, we have a great partnership with Inholland. We exchange students for Erasmus+ programs and for faculties. We not only enjoy a partnership, I feel like I came here today to see my friends at Inholland. We are looking forward to networking with different colleagues, and to exploring new partnership options with universities we aren’t yet connected with. One of our goals is to attract more international students. Right now, we have more students going abroad than students coming in from other countries. 

We are trying to get more European students to come to our beautiful university, and to see our country. We have a wide range of programs in English, we offer a lot of great educational opportunities, and we have great facilities. Our campus is situated in the capital, in the historical old city. If students come here, they get a real taste of our unique Georgian culture with it’s with warm people and great hospitality.”

Madina Mamanova, KIB University in Kazakhstan
“It’s my first time in Rotterdam. I really like the city; it is very modern. I’m here at the Partner Day because we are partners with Inholland and because of the Erasmus+ training week (training opportunities for staff). I would like to spend some time with the international office of Inholland to see how they work and how they communicate with students and learn more about the selection process they use. I am responsible for the students that go abroad. We work with different European universities, and we have about 30 to 40 students who are eager to go study in other nations. However, at present we only receive 2 or maybe 3 students per year.”

Armend Berisha, Head of International Projects, Universum International College in Kosova
“I’m here at in Inholland for the second time. What brings me here are my connections with Inholland - and new ideas are already bubbling up. We have different things going on currently: from working on projects together to exchanging ideas for new projects. The Inholland colleagues can select students who would like to come for a project in Kosova to do a Blended Intensive Programme and work together on a topic within the domain of Tourism and Hospitality. It is only my second time here, but by the looks of it, I’ll be back many more times! 

I’m responsible for developing our projects and I’m always eager to explore new areas of collaboration and new projects. Fortunately, here at Inholland everyone is very openminded and excited about international collaboration, making it a pleasure to be here. I think Inholland’s Tourism Department is well developed and they have interesting ideas about the Tourism industry. One of the things I learned from them is how we can improve our students’ learning experiences, because at Inholland, they look at things both from a local and an international perspective.”

Sarah Marx, Project Coordinator at Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin in Germany
“We are already partnering with Inholland, but I’m here and also attending the EAIE because I want to meet new people. As a COIL coordinator, I’m always looking out for best practices to glean or learn from. Maybe we can start a COIL connection with Inholland in the future. [Coil stands for Collaborative Online International Learning.] 

That would be a great opportunity. I don’t have a specific topic in mind yet, since our university is diverse and offers a wide range of studies. It would be great to have a multi-disciplinary COIL. I’m openminded and I look forward to talking to different teachers from different fields. In America and South America, the COIL is a well-known concept. It was only introduced in Europa in the last 4-5 years, so it is quite new here. Maybe Covid has helped it to become more prominent.”

Photographer: Bart Stoutjesdijk, student Creative Business at Inholland

“It was really an intensive week," agrees one of the Inholland students, as he walks on the fortieth floor of the Municipality’s office De Rotterdam to the corridor where the group photo is taken. After this, the group will make a cruise on the Maas and will have a last dinner together. Talking with a beer and recovering from a week of hard work is what this student will be doing.

Municipality receives international inspiration
It was indeed hard work for the participating students from various disciplines: management, architecture and urban design.  Prior to the field week in Rotterdam, they received five weeks of online lessons in for instance design thinking.

The floating designs had to meet the needs of both residents and entrepreneurs. In this way, the municipality received international inspiration for new destinations of harbours that lost their original function. The concept 'Floating Vibes' won the first prize for the best combination of design and business plan.

Lisanne de Bever, third-year Business Studies Management Studies
"If you had told me a week ago that I would be presenting in English, I wouldn't have believed you. I like presenting in Dutch, but in English it's really different. It was new for me to work with foreign students and it was a fun group. We connected well and kept focus on the goal. It is nice that you do not know each other at all at the beginning of the week and that you end up as good colleagues at the end.

I think it's important to connect with other cultures, because you will have to deal with them in your future life. The sooner you are exposed to other cultures, the easier it will be. In other words, participating in a BIP is a very good exercise to enter the real world."

Silpa Kinnunen - International Business from Finland
"I'm amazed and proud of how well I got through this week. The main reason to participate was to improve my English. I think my English has really improved this week. Moreover, I wanted to work with people from other countries, from other cultures and from other disciplines. I enjoyed getting to know new people and a new country.

What I noticed is that the other students talked so much while working on the project. In Finland we always work in silence. That was sometimes difficult, because I'm used to working very differently."

Jonah van den Beukel – third-year student Business Studies Management Studies
It was a lot of fun. This BIP was all about making friends and having fun together while developing a concept. Never before have I done such a project. Being creative was difficult. Because we had a big brainstorm session together, we succeeded. It helps that you are all working towards the same goal. Being at school every day, working hard every day: I'm going to miss that fun now it's over….

I recommend students to participate in a BIP, because you quickly make new friends. You will meet people you normally never meet, such as management students or architecture students from abroad. In short, I see it as a very positive experience."

What is a Blended Intensive Programme?
A Blended Intensive Programme is a programme that combines online and offline learning. Before the students started working together in Rotterdam, they worked together online in international teams to get prepared for their field work in Rotterdam. The partners in this BIP were recruited from Inholland’s large network of  international partners.

Marlies Springorum, internationalisation coordinator at Inholland and lecturer in Marketing, initiated this international programme, which receives financial support from ERASMUS+ from the EU. Abdul Kara, co-initiator at the Rotterdam campus, secured the cooperation of the municipality of Rotterdam as commissioners.

Marlies: "This programme is for students who do not necessarily want to go abroad for six months, but who do enjoy working together in an international context. This cross-cultural cooperation - online and offline - is also important for the EU. I think it's a great concept”.

For the fourth year in a row, students’ satisfaction with their study programmes at Inholland University of Applied Sciences has increased. Notably, there has been a slight dip nationally; Inholland is actually the only broad-based university of applied sciences in the Randstad region to show an increase. Especially the Associate Degree Crossmedia Communication in Diemen and Construction Engineering in Haarlem experienced a sharp increase in satisfaction. Programmes in the field of social work received high marks as well. These are the results of the National Student Survey, the leading satisfaction survey among students in higher education, which is commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Over a quarter of a million students took part in the survey.

Personal and community-based
One notable aspect is the English-language proficiency of Inholland staff. International students also report higher satisfaction with the assistance and personal guidance being offered. Other important aspects are that students at Inholland particularly value the personal approach and the way in which the programmes promote individual involvement. Esmée Hendriks studies in Haarlem: 'My lecturers are highly involved. They know who each and every student is and can put faces to all the names. If I tell a lecturer I’m a little nervous about handing in an assignment, they will definitely check back with me later. That motivates me to keep going.' Roel Homan, studying in Diemen, adds: 'Lecturers challenge us, sure, but they also help us look for solutions when we are facing a problem. I really appreciate that kind of involvement.'

The Hague student Melissa Kortekaas, is also pleased with how her programme affords her opportunities for involvement. 'After each block, our programme organises a meeting between a class representative, a lecturer and a programme coordinator. They discuss what went well during the block, which aspects could use improvement and what people thought of the timetable. As students, we really appreciate this. It makes us feel our opinions are being taken seriously.'

‘Guide, rather than lead students’
'In everything I do, I find it vital to guide students, rather than lead them,' Marco Bijsterbosch explains. Bijsterbosch, a lecturer in Tourism Management in Diemen, was recently named Inholland Lecturer of the Year for reasons including his passion for teaching, his willingness to experiment and the sense of connection he fosters with the professional community, students and fellow lecturers. 'I am constantly talking to students about their motivation and the best way for them to approach their tasks and challenges. I try to tell them that it’s most important to choose something that motivates them, something they feel passionate about, so that they learn to follow their hearts.'

Inholland’s Chair of the Board Jet de Ranitz is pleased with the positive feedback. 'Student satisfaction has risen for the fourth year in a row. Not only are students, lecturers and researchers achieving fine results, but our students are also extremely satisfied with how we are doing it. I am pleased that the results of the National Student Survey confirm that we are on the right track, and proud of where Inholland is today. This feedback from students will help us sustain our forward momentum.'