Beyond Exchange: reaching more students through alternative mobility models

With students facing more financial pressures than ever before, many of them experience multiple barriers to studying abroad. It is crucial that we innovate and provide a variety of opportunities for students to engage with international experiences.

Supported by funding from the Scottish Government’s Scottish Education Exchange Programme, the ‘Beyond Exchange’ 5-days event brings together colleagues from partner institutions to discuss alternatives to traditional student exchange, and to share best practice and innovative ideas.

Main topics addressed

We have an institutional commitment to design high-quality virtual options in line with our green policy and ambition to reduce our carbon footprint. Our event will address these issues through presentations, discussions and workshops between professionals, academics, and students, with an interest in mobility, sustainability, and curriculum design.

In addition, the event will focus on those groups who face additional barriers to international mobility, such as students from widening participation backgrounds or those with disabilities. 

Activities will include sessions on:

• summer schools,
• internships,
• virtual programmes,
• collaborative online international learning (COIL),

 with a focus on themes of accessibility, sustainability, recognition, and embedding into the curriculum.

The event will also feature an afternoon session which will invite guests from other Scottish universities and from the Scottish Government, for a sector-wide discussion of these important topics.

Please check the provisional programme for more details.