Abstract
Since 2012 there is an exchange network of six European Departments of Educational Sciences that offer an English taught third year minor (30 ECT S) in the autumn semester.
Annually about twenty students from the University of Groningen choose to go for exchange to one of the five departments. So far, little is known about the experiences of the teachers and students who participated in the
Ed-Xchange program. In this explorative qualitative research a semi-
structured interview was conducted with teachers and students who
participated in the Ed- Xchange program in 2012-2014. The teacher interviews (n=4) focused on teacher attributes and teaching styles.
The student interviews (n=9) focused on the main reasons for going to the Ed-Xchange, exchange course experiences, including the difficulty level and the contents of the curriculum.
The results from the teachers suggested that three attributes were the most
important: teacherinterest and explaining students, care for the students learning process and the possibility of learning from the students. The teachers used a combination of teacher-and student-oriented teaching styles.
The students stated going abroad (78%) as themain reason for participating in the Ed-Xchange program. The results from the students suggest that
compared to the home university, the Ed-Xchange courses were more interactive (89%) and the types of examinations were different (78%). In addition,
the students found that the content fit to the home university curriculum
was debatable (44%).
In conclusion, the teachers as well as the students experienced the Ed
-Xchange mainly positively. In the words of many students and teachers:
“The Ed-Xchange isn’t only for education but also for making life experiences”.
Annually about twenty students from the University of Groningen choose to go for exchange to one of the five departments. So far, little is known about the experiences of the teachers and students who participated in the
Ed-Xchange program. In this explorative qualitative research a semi-
structured interview was conducted with teachers and students who
participated in the Ed- Xchange program in 2012-2014. The teacher interviews (n=4) focused on teacher attributes and teaching styles.
The student interviews (n=9) focused on the main reasons for going to the Ed-Xchange, exchange course experiences, including the difficulty level and the contents of the curriculum.
The results from the teachers suggested that three attributes were the most
important: teacherinterest and explaining students, care for the students learning process and the possibility of learning from the students. The teachers used a combination of teacher-and student-oriented teaching styles.
The students stated going abroad (78%) as themain reason for participating in the Ed-Xchange program. The results from the students suggest that
compared to the home university, the Ed-Xchange courses were more interactive (89%) and the types of examinations were different (78%). In addition,
the students found that the content fit to the home university curriculum
was debatable (44%).
In conclusion, the teachers as well as the students experienced the Ed
-Xchange mainly positively. In the words of many students and teachers:
“The Ed-Xchange isn’t only for education but also for making life experiences”.
| Translated title of the contribution | The Ed-Xchange is not only for education but also for making life experiences |
|---|---|
| Original language | Dutch |
| Publication status | Unpublished - 2014 |