The EAIE is the perfect occasion to strengthen existing connections with partner institutions and to form new ones. “I think the EAIE in Rotterdam was enriching and a great success. It’s a fuller experience, because there’s the conference, the Partner Day ánd the Campus Experience. All in all, this caters for even more quality time with international colleagues”, says Wendy Raaphorst, teacher of Cultural Tourism and International Coordinator at Inholland.

During many of the conversations she had, it became evident that Inholland is a forerunner when it comes to the development of new forms of education. “It’s nice to know that we are ahead of the troops, but this also comes with its own set of challenges. We might not be so compatible with some of the partners in our network, because our educational systems are too different.”

Dedicated to internationalisation

Just like Wendy, Minke van Schelven of the International Office in Haarlem has been attending the EAIE for a few years now. “It gives me such a boost to see that people from all over the world and from different cultures are just as passionate about and dedicated to internationalisation as me.”

She visited several workshops, like the one about student selection. “It’s good to know that other institutions face the same challenges as Inholland; do you just select those with high scores, or do you look for their motivation? One institute had a practical tip for us; to have the students make a motivation video. I think this is a helpful tool to lower the threshold.”

New ideas

Astrid de Jong teaches Marketing and is the International Coordinator at Inholland in Alkmaar. She said the EAIE was ‘overwhelming and inspirational’. “Internationalisation is a wonderful phenomenon. It offers young people a broader perspective on the world. It has that effect on me too. Just by being at the EAIE, new ideas spontaneously come up to me.” During the conference, Astrid visited the stands of Brazil and Indonesia to see if she could get new partners from outside of Europe to join her COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning). She learned new things from them. “I heard of a BIP (Blendend Intensive Programme) on European law. This is interesting for my colleagues in the Business Studies department, since most of our projects often focus on economics. I immediately referred these new contacts to my colleagues.”

Internationalisation should not be a coordinators thing only, says Astrid. “After the EAIE, it is my job to get both colleagues and students excited about it, and show them all the possibilities.”

This day is all about the students. During the morning session, four of our students share the ins and outs about their studies. In the afternoon, the audience is captivated as yet more students present the Living labs.

The day starts off with Bart Combee, Chairman of the Board and Nahied Rezwani, Director of the faculty Business, Finance and Law addressing the visitors. “Internationalization fits in with our vision because our students will go on to work in international situations”, he says.

Researcher and lecturer Linda Snippe gives the audience a little taster of our practice-based research strategy. Dina, who has almost finished her studies at the conservatory, performs a calming jazzy song on the piano. Student Bart takes a short break from shooting these photos to show his already famous pictures, which were published in different international papers.

Klara gives the audience some insights in the workings of the Student Buddy Program for exchange students; a way to ensure every student always has someone to rely on during their time abroad.

Communications student Renske shares about working on projects with students from different studies and locations using our portfolio-based study method. “I’m learning by doing. Not by reading a book, making it through an exam and then… poof - everything I’ve learned is gone. We put what we learn into our portfolio, so it’s not about the grades.”

Tasha Welch from the Royal Roads University in Canada is inspired by the Renske’s story. “Working with portfolios is very innovative, and it is similar to how we work at our university in Canada. We are also looking for more innovative ways of education. This week gives us the opportunity to find out what different universities have in common, so that they can collaborate for future projects.”

After a tour of the building, it is time to lift off to Delft or to go visit a Living Lab at Zuidplein.

Living labs, the new way to go
At Zuidplein Rotterdam awaits a Living lab market with 7 Living Lab topics. From Sustainable Fashion to Sustainable Tourism. Visitors are invited to talk to the students and lecturers to get an idea of how a Living lab works.

Asad Ullah Sheikh from Pakistan visits to almost all the Living labs. “I think it is extremely valuable that the students are involved today, because they are our main stakeholders. I find the interaction between the industry and the students interesting, that’s a bridge I want to build.”

At the Living lab Lombardijen, student Gianni Staal together with his fellow student give a presentation about how they intend to solve social problems in this district. The crime rate is high, and poverty is prevalent. “In this Living lab, we work together with the government of the city Rotterdam. We do research on topics that are relevant for this district and share our recommendations with the bodies and institutions that are responsible for this neighborhood”, explains Gianni.

A visitor from Spain asks how the students they will implement all they’ve learned in this Living lab later in their careers. Gianni: “Well, I found a job as a ‘Leefbaarheidsregisseur’ (livability director) because of this Living Lab, so I am actually going to work in this district to help people with these issues.”

Javier Gil Rojo from Spain and Nadine Hachimann from Germany discuss the Living labs. Nadine Hachimann: “I think Living labs are very innovative concepts. It’s unique and it really fosters flexible thinking. However, I do think the maybe students might need more guidance.” Javier Gil Rojo: “But tmaybe that is only our point of view. I do think this is the new way to go.”

Photographer: Bart Stoutjesdijk, student Creative Business at Inholland

Some guests are here only for the first or second time, others know Inholland like the back of their hand. One of the latter is Marcus Kjellberg. Only a few years ago he himself was an exchange student at Inholland Diemen. Now he works as an International Coordinator at the Mälardalen University in Sweden, making other students just as enthusiastic about gaining international experience.

Nahied Rezwani and Bart Combee warmly welcome the attendees as they introduce them to Rotterdam and Inholland. “Let's strengthen our relationships, build new ones and learn from each other”, said Bart Combee. Coach, teacher, and international speaker Bas van den Beld is hosting the Partner Day.

Linda Snippe treats the attendees to a sneak peek of the European strategy for practice-based research at Inholland. “We work with ‘Trias Academia’, in which we collaborate with educational, research and the professional institutions. We believe this is how we can be most impactful.”

Dina, a conservatory student, writes and records her own music. She performs in cafés and bars every month, and now she’s singing at the Partner Day. “I’m learning about the importance of the business side of music. My conservatory teachers help me with my branding and to position myself as an artist.”

The audience has many questions for our students. They want to know what the students think should change at Inholland, whether they feel they can combine their personal work with school projects and if they think teachers are in fact real humans.

The answer is yes to all of these. Inholland gives students a lot of freedom to combine their personal work with their studies. One of the students’ recommendations is that all Inholland students should work portfolio-based, instead of writing exams. And yes, they do think our teachers are real humans. Moreover, Inholland’s teachers are also coaches. ‘I feel that we are equal.’

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”.