Nice Network Meeting 2014 in Riga – a wonderful experience

House of Blackheads in Riga

In summer 2014 Pirkko Varis from Tampere University of Applied Sciences participated in the annual NICE network meeting, organized at the Faculty of Engineering Economics and Management, Riga Technical University. The organizational team consisted of Inga Lapina, Jolanta Jurēvica, Natalja Lāce and some other persons from RTU.  

Riga 2

 

Riga 3

The programme included plenary and workshop sessions on strategic partnerships within ERASMUS+, institutional accreditation and evaluation systems, student and staff mobility, blended learning, placements, internationalization of curricula and grade transfers. In addition, we did a lot of networking.

Pirkko, Thomas and Frantisek with other participants trying to recognize own bread

Some visits were made to old Riga,  Jūrmala,  the biggest seaside resort in the Baltic States and to a national park.  We also visited a bakery where we made our own bread. In the end of the visit we got our bread with us and after returning home the bread reminded us of the really nice stay in Riga.

Trip to Jūrmala

 

Trip to a national park

Thank you for organizing the fantastic meeting for all of us!  

Text : Pirkko Varis, TAMK

Photos:  Regina Parzer, IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria

             

What is NICE network?

The New Initiatives and Challenges in Europe, NICE network is a network for representatives of more than 35 business schools, faculties and departments of business and economics.  They work together in order to develop curricula, joint projects, intensive courses, exchanges, internships and other cooperation. Pirkko Varis from Tampere University of Applied Sciences has taken part for many years in the NICE network and in the projects initiated by the members of the network. For example the IICEE European module was developed by some partners and now it is part of the curriculum in several universities throughout Europe. An intensive programme was developed based upon the module, too. In annual meetings of the network study programmes and methods are compared, new initiatives are discussed and proposals are made for cooperation and development of the network.  The Quality Charter of the NICE network and other information is available on the website of the network www.nicenetwork.eu

A Nice Nice Network Meeting 2013 in León

Family photo of Nice Network members

In summer 2013 Pirkko Varis from Tampere University of Applied Sciences had the possibility to participate in the annual NICE network meeting, organised at Universidad de León in Spain. The coordinator of the meeting was Rafael de Paz Urueña from the international office of the university. The programme included plenary and workshop sessions on ERASMUS for All, international weeks, bottlenecks of internationalization, co-operation HEI-Enterprises, European Qualification Framework, cultural integration and future of the Nice Network. In addition, we did a lot of networking.

Banu, Thomas and Rafael with a new "old" member Alejandro

Pirkko was the facilitator of the workshop on co-operation HEI-Enterprises: other types of co-operation than placements. As introduction she gave a presentation on various types of co-operation between TAMK and enterprises, including SME co-operation, projects, business and product/service innovations, user-centered concepting, intensive courses and programmes etc. Thereafter participants told about their co-operation with enterprises and about their experiences. Finally we discussed about advantages, challenges and funding possibilities for this kind of co-operation. We could share many useful ideas for our work in this field.

 A historical procession in Astorga

Some visits to the region of León were organized by Rafael, too. First we visited the bimilenary city of Astorga. With over 2,000 years of history, Astorga has Renaissance cathedrals, ruins of Roman baths and the Episcopal Palace, designed by Gaudí, just to mention some of the attractions. After being conquered by the Romans, the town became an important strategic centre, mainly on account of the area's wealth in deposits of gold. We had a guided walking city tour and visited several Roman sites and ruins of Roman baths. In Astorga we also had a chance to follow a historical procession.

Castrillo de los Polvazares

After the visit to Astorga we made a very special visit to the pretty village of Castrillo de los Polvazares, which is an excellent example of perfectly preserved buildings and architecture since the 16th century. The red stone and clay of its house fronts are in contrast with the blue, green and white colours of the doors and windows. We visited the house of Rafael’s family, too. The village is a local heritage showpiece. Thank you Rafael for organizing this fantastic experience!

 Rafael in Castrillo de los Polvazares

Text : Pirkko Varis, TAMK
Photos: Ines Hammermüller-Sweeney, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden & Rafael de Paz, Universidad de León



What is NICE network?
The New Initiatives and Challenges in Europe, NICE network is a network for representatives of more than 35 business schools, faculties and departments of business and economics. They work together in order to develop curricula, joint projects, intensive programmes, exchanges, internships and other cooperation. Pirkko Varis from Tampere University of Applied Sciences has taken part for many years in the NICE network and in the projects initiated by the members of the network. For example the IICEE European module was developed by some partners and now it is part of the curriculum in several universities throughout Europe. An intensive programme (IP) was developed based upon the module, too. In annual meetings of the network study programmes and methods are compared, new initiatives are discussed and proposals are made for cooperation and development of the network. The Quality Charter of the NICE network and other information is available on the website of the network www.nicenetwork.eu