International Staff Training Week 2013 in Copenhagen at Metropolitan University College from 11th to 15th of November 2013

There were over 70 participants to the Staff Training Week organised in Copenhagen middle of November 2013. From Tampere University of Applied Sciences Markus Suutala from ICT Customer Services and Senior Lecturer and International Coordinator Gitte Taulo from School of Health Care participated to the event.

Eager participants

Gitte Taulo is giving a presentation about Tampere University of Applied Sciences

The program included a guided cruise on the ferry

Markus is enjoying the Danish November weather

During the week Tivoli Park opened Christmas theme with lights.Today, the 169 year old amusement garden is an oasis in the heart of Copenhagen – a rare mixture of new and old, amusements and culture.

Gitte loves the atmosphere of Tivoli

Markus is admiring the beautiful lights of Copenhagen from the Ferris wheel in Tivoli

Text: Gitte Taulo

Pictures: Gitte Taulo, Markus Suutala 

Kamilla got inspiration from Erasmus Staff Training at TAMK

TAMK Social Counselor Mirja Onduso and Kamilla Trubicki picking up new international degree students from the airport.

Hei!

My name is Kamilla and I’m from Austria. I work in the international area of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Wels Campus. Our university has approx. 5000 students in total, 1500 of them at Wels Campus, so it’s fairly small.

I had been thinking of going on an Erasmus Staff Training for some months, but somehow the timing of the proposed staff training weeks never seemed right. When I discovered that TAMK holds its Orientation Weeks for both Incomings exchange and international degree-seeking students in August, I knew it would be a great opportunity for me. Usually staff trainings are held during organized staff training weeks, but as TAMK was very flexibly with hosting me, in my case this was a spontaneous and individual week.

Exchange students getting to know each other

I stayed at TAMK from August 19-23 with the goal to attend both mentioned Orientation Weeks and also to meet the whole International Team at TAMK. As my tasks at my university contain taking care of international students of our English taught Master’s degree programme “Innovation and Product Management”, but also Incoming exchange students, I knew I would learn a lot during my time at TAMK.

My week started, as it did for more than 100 exchange students (amazing!), with welcoming words by Kaisa and Marika and interesting introduction sessions on Monday and Tuesday. And some korvapuusti of course. It took me three days to remember that word, but I still know it! :) On Tuesday there also was a trip to Viikinsaari Island which was organized by the international coordinators for all the exchange students, with various games, team building activities and grilling sausages. It was a great opportunity for the exchange students to get to know each other and also the finish sauna culture – which I enjoyed a lot, too. :)

Get-together activities for new exchange students during the orientation week

The rest of the week I followed the Orientation Weeks for international degree-seeking students. It was really amazing to see the excitement to welcome international degree-seeking students! All the department heads and staff members welcomed those students and made them feel really comfortable. Another great part of the week was meeting the social counselor of TAMK, Mirja Onduso. She takes care of mainly international degree-seeking, but also regular and exchange students’ social issues on a full-time basis. We got to pick up some students, show them their apartments and also organize furniture for some students together. It was really inspiring to see Mirja’s – and of course also TAMK’s – commitment towards international students.

Finally I also had the chance to meet many of the international coordinators that I only knew from exchanging e-mails. It’s always great to meet people you usually only deal with by e-mail in person!

Kamilla took part in the trip to Viikinsaari Island together with the new exchange students

What I brought back home from my week at TAMK? First of all a great intercultural experience and a lot of inspiration by the great work of the International Services at TAMK. A head full of new ideas to improve my own processes in working with international students, some of which I’m currently trying to implement. And a great recipe for korvapuusti (thanks Mirja! :), but that’s still on my to do list.

Kiitos to Mirja, Kaisa, Marika, Matti, Piri and Noora for a great week at TAMK!

Herzliche Grüße aus Österreich,

Kamilla

http://www-en.fh-ooe.at/

Tampere by night

Porto - the heart of Port wine, but also a lovely tourist trap

Ola!  I was privileged to take part into the international week of ISCAP - The Institute of Accounting and Administration of Porto in the end of May 2012. There were over 60 persons of different EU countries, both teachers and non-teaching staff attending this traditional international week.

Our programme was quite intensive and days were long, but it was a great experience. Someone would maybe think that it was a Southern European chaos with over 60 persons, but I was very surprised and happy to notice that Portuguese people in Porto and at ISCAP were organized, effective, lovely and quick in their actions.  We were happy to see and hear traditional Portuguese dances and songs performed by the students. Local people, personnel and students organized also an international gastronomic fair and tasting of lovely Portuguese products, such as wines, jams, ham, cheese, olive oil products. The reception, opening and welcome dinner were really warm and energetic occasions in Portuguese way to meet and learn each others. The local wine culture helps evidently to cross language and culture barriers.

It was interesting to meet so many people of different EU countries. Our programme was divided into two different ones: a programme for teachers and a programme for non-teaching staff. Teachers were teaching for the ISCAP students from the morning to night - really until 11.30 p.m. Non-teaching staff got the possibility for project brainstorming, learn about languages, translations and communication, learn about international relations and public relations and other activities at ISCAP. Non-teaching staff were for example people from international office, project office, projects and financial and administration staff. 

My goals of the international week were to activate and improve my English language skills, to meet project people, to discuss a mutual project idea together with people from different EU countries, to learn about Porto and Portugal and its culture, to get new ideas and energy for the near future and enjoy international and intercultural atmosphere.

I was really tired and happy after my international week at ISCAP in Porto, but I was able to fulfill my goals and tasks fully. Obrigada Porto, obrigada all lovely Europeans of different universities or institutes. Especially muito obrigada to the international office of ISCAP. Finally my 12 points go to Alexandra Albuquerque, Head of International Office J

We will meet again for sure! Adeus bela Porto!

Obrigada = thank you

belo, bela = beautiful

Adeus = goodbye

ola! = hallo!

Text & pictures: Ursula Helsky-Lehtola

Art&Media International Week attracted 70 guests

Tampere Art Factory International Week 2012 attracted a record of 70 international visitors: 30 academic and other staff members from 22 institutes of higher education, 25 students from three universities and five staff members of three enterprises. The International Week featured nine workshops lead by our guests, four seminars and one show of our student works & International Week workshop results, six exhibitions, one networking sauna event, visits to Demola and (Angry Bird) Rovio, one reception and one evening party, countless project and partnership meetings.

Group photo in front of Marttilan pirtti. Noora Järventaus from
TAMK International Services hosted the Networking Sauna evening

The guests came from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the UK. In addition many of our international degree and exchange students participated in the events, so over all 30+ countries were represented.

Workshops were a vital part of the week

The International week was quite well documented, here you have links to blog posts showing a rich collection of photographs from the International Week events:

• TAF Workshops and seminars - what, when, where?
• Our International Week kicked off
• TAF International Week Day 2
• Producing with the audience workshop (By Heidi Mäenpää)
• TAF International Week seminars, day 3
• TAF International Week seminars, day 4
• TAF International Week special programme 

On the seminars teachers and professionals exchanged fresh ideas.
Yuwei Lin (University of Salford) on right presenting

Also our guests reported frequently on blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Here links to posts about International Week on Yuwei Lin's (Salford University) blog:

• Erasmus exchange
• Researching the Openness
• Day 3 at the TAF International Week 2012
• Space and Creativity 
• Visit to Rovio’s Tampere Studio

The hosts, our degree programmes in Film&Television, Fine Arts and Media want to thank all international guests, who really made the International Week happen. Special thanks goes to the week coordinator Sohvi Sirkesalo and project assistant Emilija Vasiljeva, who organised everything.

International Week page at TAF home
On Facebook
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International Week for School of Vocational Teacher Education 17–21 April 2012

School of Vocational Teacher Education organised its first international week ever with a theme “The path to becoming a vocational teacher”. The week consisted of lectures and discussions of hosts and participants, visiting different kinds of learning environments, networking, project planning and some free time activities concerning Finnish culture. 

Active discussions began already during the first day and lasted until the end of the week.

School of Vocational Teacher Education hosted 18 participants from France, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, The Czech Republic, Slovakia and The Netherlands. As the theme of this international week was to become familiar with the path to becoming a vocational teacher in different countries, the lectures and presentations of participants (as well as hosts) were focused to this theme. The participants were quite interested in Finnish vocational teacher education system, which was introduced at the beginning of the week. The lectures and presentations of the participants dealt with interesting themes such as “Vocational teacher training in Hungary”, “Synchronous coaching of student teachers with WIME (Whisper In My Ear) device”, “Webb based evaluation support for vocational teachers”, “From novice to respected practitioner”, “Problems in mentor teacher training”, “Instructional use of ICT for vocational teacher”, “Students’ professional training in France” and “Education by project in French agricultural high school”. These themes and presentations gave an excellent insight to vocational teacher’s profession around Europe.

Two of the learning environments we visited during the week were ITSE Facilities (Facilities for independent living of elderly and disabled people at home) and the premises of aircraft technician training (Mänttä vocational secondary school)  

Sandra Landemaine is giving a presentation.

Some brave French guests went swimming in the lake Näsijärvi!

The participants had the opportunity to take part in informal free time activities in the evenings. Hopefully some unforgettable memories came from cooking and dining with TAMK degree programme students from hotel and restaurant management, swimming in the lake Näsijärvi and taking a sauna as well as dining with brilliant company.

The feedback we got from our guests was positive. The first international week for school of vocational teacher education was a success and TAOKK has the will to develop this to be a yearly event. TAOKK staff thanks all the guests and co-organisers for an unforgettable week. Hopefully we will see again!

Text: Maija Joensuu, TAOKK