In the ever-evolving landscape of education, internationalisation is an important aspect of academic growth. Haaga-Helia´s goal is to provide all students with global competences. Engaging the students in internationalisation at home activities is one way of achieving this goal. Internationalisation at home is a concept that refers to the integration of international and intercultural dimensions into the curriculum for all students.

As the amount adult students, already in the working life, has increased at Haaga-Helia, they make a big group of students that cannot take part in traditional student exchange. This group still should have the opportunity to have a meaningful international experience, meaning internationalisation at home has gained more importance.

International teacher week at Haaga-Helia

Haaga-Helia has worked with internationalisation at home trough inviting international lectures and in October 2023 we piloted a new project, an international teacher week. The goal of the week was to invite lecturers from our international partners for networking and teaching.

We decided to host 20 lecturers from 15 different institutions and 10 different countries on all our 5 campuses. By selecting the participants based on their applications, we ensured that most od our competence areas received international visitors. This is an important aspect as internationals visits otherwise tend to focus at the bigger international programs. One of our main goals in the project was to reach the smaller specialisation areas, too.

A law lecturer at Haaga Helia, expresses delight in meeting law professors from other universities of applied sciences during the week. Given that legal studies are a relatively small part of Haaga-Helia’s curriculum, such exchanges are not common. The collaboration with two German exchange teachers during the week proved be particularly fruitful.

One of the German exchange teachers taught a session on copyright issues related to AI. The expertise shared, not only enriched the course but also enhanced the knowledge of the haagahelian teacher. Together with the other German teacher, our own teacher focused on creating instructional videos about European Union legislation. These videos, in the form of interviews, serve as valuable teaching material for both universities, fostering a long-term international benefit for the students of both institutions.

Preparing students for the complexities of a globalised world

The teachers’ experiences underscore the importance of internationalisation at home especially in smaller disciplines. By fostering collaborations and exchanges with educators from different international backgrounds, institutions can create a motivating international academic environment that prepares students for the complexities of a globalised world, while at the same time giving staff the opportunity for professional growth.

The fact that we were all not only from different countries, but also brought in different disciplines highly enriched the experience for me. I could see how law is taught in Finland, how a finance lecturer from the Netherlands copes with various settings in the lecture hall and hear how a journalism teacher lectures in Austria. I am not sure if I will ever have such a multifaceted opportunity again. – Henrike Weiden, Munich University of Applied Sciences

In conclusion, by deciding on a dedicated time for hosting international lecturers on our campuses, we can guarantee a global experience in all of our classrooms enriching the international educational experience for all staff and students.

Editing: Marianne Wegmüller

Picture: Haaga-Helia