Corona changes benchmarking visits to Virtual visits
During 2020 it was impossible to continue Erasmus mobilities like we had done before. Samiedu Vocational College wanted to continue international cooperation anyway and created different options for internationalization. Virtual Visit for Erasmus partner college coordinators and teachers were one option.
Virtual visits to colleges and other destinations can be created on larger or smaller scale. Once the manuscript, the frame of the presentation, has been carefully made, and all the background material were ready, it’s rather easy to make changes in it, e.g. to present different study fields, or campus.
In autumn 2020 two virtual visits to Samiedu were created on Thinglink platform presenting Services (restaurant services and tourism) and Technology (logistics, forestry).
First a manuscript was planned and tasks were devided. Videos were filmed and Power Point presentations were made in advance and two teachers with the international coordinator were live in Teams meeting carrying out the visit. An invitation to participate in the visits on Teams was sent to partner colleges.
The length of each visit was about 1,5 hours and it included:
- Introduction for the virtual visit
- 360’ Guided tour in College
- Finnish education system presentation
- Visit to departments with teachers and students, teachers presentations about vocational education in the certain field of studies
- Many informative short videos tagged into 360’ pictures incl. interviews, drone videos, students working and demonstrating their skills…
- Discussion time
- Evening programme including visits to Olavinlinna Castle, summer cottage, sauna and lake swimming
- Target groups of these visits are for teachers, staff members and students of the partner colleges of Samiedu and they can be used for marketing in global network contacts.
- The greatest benefits are to continue internationalization without live student and staff exchange.
- A larger number of staff members and students in partner colleges can participate in these visits than in live visits. Because the visits are arranged on Teams there’s always a possibility for free discussion and feedback.
