Vrije Universiteit Brussel Filip Callewaert Management of the Partnership

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Vrije Universiteit BrusselFilip
CallewaertManagement of the Partnership
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Overall objective

• Management of the partnership and decision making
  boards
• Promotion and visibility of the programme
• Methodology for the management of mobility and
  student selection

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1. Management of the partnership and decision
making boards
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The formation of the consortium

• Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Territories (West-Bank
  and Gaza)
• Palestinian U. principles (Birzeit)
• But a lot of candidates (TG1 TG2)
• Egyptian U. problems with involvement of Israel
• Few candidates
• April 07 visit to Egyptian partners discussion
  of proposal

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Needs analysis

• Egypt Palestinian T. starting-point needs
• Capacity building (faculty development
  programmes)
• Introduction of new programmes
• More focused educational portfolio
• Israel // Erasmus LLP partner any discipline
• mobility

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EU partners

• Existing relationships with 3rd country partners
• Focus on traditional partners
• UNICA network, EuropeAid partners etc.
• Answer to needs of 3rd country partners

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gt Erasmus Mundus University II
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Decision taking Action

• proposal
• eg. Institutions Mobility Flow

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Institutions Mobility Flow
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Worries Mid June surprise concern

• Time schedule
• General
• Degree-seeking students 1-year programme Credit
  Transfer students needed to start in Sept/Oct
  2007
• Call/Application/Selection/Admission 6 months gt
  1.5 months
• Visa Application 2 months
• Particularities
• Strikes in IL
• No electricity in Gaza
• Holidays everywhere (also embassies)

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Worries Mid June surprise concern

• Experimental character
• Credit transfer programmes
• Curriculum (in)compatibilities
• Quality

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Decision taking Action

• start call preselection
• protocols to be discussed
• steering committee (but holidays)
• e-mail / phone calls / fax
• intranet
• Pull / Push
• importance of LIVE meetings
• absence of Palestinians (in all cases Gaza)

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Meetings

• April 07 visit to Egyptian partners (TG1 and
  TG2)
• July Rome meeting representatives from IL, EG,
  EU
• August visit to selection of IL, PA partners
• September Brussels meeting with all partners
• September Lille meeting with TG2 EG
• September Paris meeting with PA (P.E.A.C.E.
  meeting)
• November visit to selection of EG partners (also
  TG2)
• December 07 visit to selection of EU partners
• January 08 Steering Committee meeting
• March 08 visit to selection of EU partners
• April 08 EG meeting (or Turkey)

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Meetings
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Decision taking Action

• importance of having the EMECW implementation
  situated in a clear institutional structure
• International office or other central academic
  office
• Clear mandate towards executives
• Visible responsibility
• Support of institutional governors

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Decision taking Lessons learned

• Do not overestimate Pull-technology
• Do not overestimate Electronic communication
• Have live meetings
• Institutional mandate for executives

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2. Promotion and visibility of the programme
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Promotion

• As 75 of mobility flow is TG 1 major
  responsibility at TG1 institutions
• TG2 preferential TG2-partners
• TG3 associate partners GUPS, PEACE,
• ? No open national calls, but open institutional
  calls

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Websites

• Central www.erasmusmundus2.eu

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Websites central
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Websites local eg. www.ccast.edu.ps/emu2
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Ad Valvas
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Magazines
E.g. Local American University CairoAUC Weekly
VUB electronic newsletter
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Promotion visibility

• Towards local programmes
• Importance of ECTS information package!
• Educational portfolio
• Mainly in case of credit transfer!

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Promotion visibility

• Timing

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3. Methodology for the management of mobility and
student selection
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Management software

• The planned use of MoveOn / MoveIn failed
• - MoveOn for the management of mobility
• - MoveIn for the management of the
  application/selection process
• Main reason software not intended for consortia
  but only for one single institution and
  Unisolution could not manage to alter it in time

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Management software

• Registration/application module in our CMS
  website (Joomla based) www.erasmusmundus2.eu
• Before 10 July, 148 people applied online for the
  first call (Ba/Ma level).

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Management of mobility

• an exchange server and ftp server was set up for
  mail and internal document management (eg.
  application workflow)
• central databases were set up to manage, update
  and communicate scholarship availability and
  granting
• E-banking software was introduced

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Selection BA/MA

• Preselection by partners
• Impartial selection committee procedure
  report!
• Ranking sent to HQ HQs dispatch
• Final admission by hosting academics
• Limited exceptional PRIORITY scheme allowed in
  framework of faculty building programmes

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Selection BA/MA TG1, 1st call BA/MA
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Selection BA/MA transparancy equal treatment

• Reporting
• Number of candidates 3x scholarships available

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Selection BA/MA CCAST

• For instance, the Community College of Applied
  Science and Technology (CCAST, Gaza) appealed to
  the following criteria and weighting
• Qualification General Grade (Excellent 9 points
  / Very Good 6 / Good 4)
• Language (Qualification with the required level
  7 / Qualification below the required level 4 /
  Without qualification but with excellent CCAST
  English test 3 / Without qualification but with
  very good CCAST English test 2 / Without
  qualification but with good CCAST English test
  1)
• Academic experience (1 point per year, maximally
  9)
• Motivation (maximally 5)

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Selection group mobility

• Selection done at home university

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Selection PhD

• Strategic use of scholarships faculty
  development programmes (instructors as
  candidates)
• Recommendation letters
• Final acceptance by hosting academic

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Selection postdocs academic staff

• strategically they have a mission in the future
  of EMECW project, supported by institutional
  governors
• Faculty development programmes

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Selection TG2

• Cfr. TG1, with limited number of TG2 partners

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Selection TG3

• Palestinian refugees
• Reside in EU
• Recommended by home university

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Conclusions specific

• Management of partnership
• Specific problems due to regional compostion
• Meet
• EMECW in organisational structure of institution

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Conclusions specific

• Promotion
• Start in time
• Programme still unknown profit in future from
  built up resonance now

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Conclusions specific

• Selection management of mobility
• Software?!

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Conclusions General

• Learning process hope to be able to use the
  lessons learnt in the future
• - Of mice and men schemes do not always turn
  out as planned, in this case mainly due to tight
  time schedule