What’s German about the Campus GATE – DAAD Conference in Bonn

At the end of November 2023, Dr. Monica Heitz and Carolin Gläser from the THWS Campus GATE Team and Professor Dr. Ralf Roßkopf as Academic Coordinator of the Hosted Programme Social Work Transnational participated in a conference organized by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Bonn. Representatives from different Transnational Education Projects (TNE) funded by DAAD met to share their experiences, successes and challenges over the last year. The conference was also a great opportunity to create networks between similar projects. 

During these two fruitful days, the THWS team represented the Campus GATE as a TNE-Project between the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) and the German Jordanian University (GJU), focusing on the strong German dimension of the project. Professor Roßkopf highlighted the special focus on German language learning for students in parallel with their subject-related courses and the German degree to be obtained, which opens the door to the German labour market. Participants of the conference were impressed by Campus GATE’s innovative framework with GJU as a host for THWS-Campus and the programmes Hydrogen Engineering and Social Work during the first semesters of the studies. The pre-year as an entering door into the German University System was also well received and might serve as a successful model for other projects. Since the bachelor courses are accompanied by German language courses, the discussion among the participants also highlighted the importance of preparing students in terms of language skills, intercultural sensitivity and organizational aspects for their arrival and stay in Germany.

Furthermore, some participants raised the important issue of proving that THWS, and in particular the Campus GATE team, serve as a safe environment to which students can refer to at any time. Thus, it is crucial to take the hurdles that international students face seriously and to provide an intensive support service.

Overall, the Campus GATE representatives were able to gather fruitful impulses, insights and feedback from other projects. In addition, the exchange and debate contributed to further reflection on the next steps for the project and possible extension of Hosted Programmes.