Proposals for Learning Mobility Programmes
PROPOSALS FOR LEARNING MOBILITY PROGRAMMES
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Psychological problems may develop since all students do not seem to be apt to cope with the new cultural and environmental experiences they are to encounter. There are cases where students face a dramatic change in their social and cultural setting.
A cultural orientation session should be organized at the sending organization to provide information about the most important characteristics of living conditions in the host country. Additionally, a staff member should be assigned as special consultant and be easily accessible in case of need.
The host University should assign the tutor of the student or some other official with the task to provide information to Erasmus students on what to avoid, say, areas that are not consider safe, and be ready to support students psychologically in case of need
Financial problems are very probable that will be encountered as in most cases the total amount of grant awarded by the Erasmus project is ot enough to cover normal expenses for one year. A cost analysis of needs beyond the project grant is necessary, as in some cases the required amount exceeds the pounds sterling 10.000, say in UK. The difference in cost of living between EU countries creates serious problems and the principle of equal rights to education , confirmed in the Green Paper of the EU is overlooked. Indeed it is a different thing a British student to move to Romania and a Romanian student to move to UK.
If we consider that the huge number of three million Erasmus students is anticipated for 2012 it is reasonable that financial issues will be a problem requiring emergency measures and allocation of grants based on specific conditions of each host country.
Educational problems Universities in all countries keeping the principle of autonomy do not agree to establish mechanisms and curricula to some extent similar. The fact that Erasmus students are admitted to the second or third year of their studies to a host University, they find it difficult to adapt themselves to new practices since their background is different. From my long experience I have noticed that quite often Erasmus students are required to attend courses based on prerequisites, whereas those were not included in the curriculum of the sending University. I have noticed cases when the curriculum of the host University includes Principles of Management II but the students have not taken Principles of Management I in their home University.
Sending organizations should provide their students with adequate information related to the educational methodology of the host organization well before their departure. Additionally, they should be aware of the curriculum of the host University and decide about the content of the courses of their students in close co-operation with students.
I strongly believe that Erasmus learning mobility is not a social event. It is an educational experience of the highest standard. If the goals of the project are not attained, there is a waste of money and time with no reason.
Sociological problems represent a combination of issues encountered by Erasmus students. They refer to real living conditions, such as the quality of accommodation, medical insurance, specific customs and habits.
Sending institutions before departure, or host institutions upon arrival should provide students with information about accommodation at safe areas and reasonable cost, transportation facilities, food supplies and entertainment performances. In my college at Technological Educational Institution (TEI) of Athens I organized courses of Greek language, just of a simple but most important content of everyday communicative needs and the results had been very successful.
Linguistic problems In a multilingual Europe, there is a problem of communication. Though UK Universities require IELTS band between 6 and 8 where 8 stands for very good user, 7 for good user, and 6 competent user for admittance or TOEFL maximum score 120 the linguistic problems exist. Not all countries are English speaking countries, which means that the linguistic environment is not English even if University courses are delivered in English.
Therefore, a minimum communicative knowledge of the language of the host country is necessary.