T. Tavanxhiu, AL

During my Erasmus+ Teaching Mobility program at the RheinAhrCampus, Hochschule Koblenz, from May to July 2023, I experienced an intense program of internationalization and interaction with students and academic staff from all around the world.

I was invited to co-teach the classes B25.03 Project Management with Professor Borgmann at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences and the subject Basics of Software Engineering with Professor Fiedler at the Faculty of Mathematics and Technology. The applied methodology of teaching and the involvement of the students in hands-on exercises and case studies are some of the most important assets of this teaching experience. They have shaped my professional perspective and approach to teaching at my home university as well as in other teaching mobilities. The international contribution in the class from German students and students in their exchange semester at RAC from Portugal, USA, Ukraine, India, Turkey, Georgia, Australia, and Azerbaijan provided a very wide range of insights and cultures from their respective countries.

It frequently happens that I associate a country with the exchange students I have met and collaborated with during the teaching mobility programs. For me, Ashlin, Haritha, Lisha, Abhiram, Ankur, Krishna, Hema, Preeti, and Lakshman are India, and in my mind, I have this picture of India painted from their stories, life events, points of view, and actions and reactions. This is a unique, valuable, and life-changing experience.

During this mobility, I attended the Cultural Nights events at Jugendbahnhof in Remagen, featuring Ukrainian and Albanian culture. Students presented interesting and unknown facts and curiosities about their cultures, food, language, traditions, songs, and dances.

The culmination of my two months at RAC was the international week, which included numerous engaging events, discussions, and collaboration sessions. On Monday, June 10th, I had the pleasure of holding an interactive lecture about Innovation and an info session about Studying in Albania. The same day, I attended lectures and info sessions by guest lecturers from Bhutan and Ukraine. On Tuesday, June 11th, I participated in a Meet and Greet event with the president of Hochschule Koblenz, Professor Stoffel, and in the afternoon, a trip to the city of Linz and a social dinner with guest lecturers and students.

On Thursday, June 12th, the International Day featured a boom of info booths, info sessions, and students from both faculties of RAC asking for information and deciding about their next internationalization experience at one of the partner universities of Hochschule Koblenz. The networking and information sharing continued in the barbecue area of the campus in the afternoon of the same day. On Wednesday, June 13th, together with Professor Chencho Lhamu from Bhutan, Professor Marianna Kichurchake, and Nika Kimeridze, internal staff of Hochschule Koblenz, we visited the RheinMoselCampus of Hochschule Koblenz. We were invited by the International Office to a round table event where internationalization stories and experience sharing were at the center of the discussions.

On Friday, June 14th, the whole team of international students and lecturers participated in a wine walk organized by Sprachen/Internationales, RAC. Sebastian Berg, the German intern of Sprachen/Internationales, took us through some historical sites and explained the very old tradition of AhrValley wine production. On Saturday, June 15th, I was invited to hold a lecture with the Master Students of Research and Innovation Management on “Startups and the Power of Innovation – A Review of the Albanian Framework, Legislation, and Facilitators.”

A very special but important experience of my mobility was enrolling in the German Language class for the A1 level, where, together with international students, we went through the challenges and joys of learning the German language in an intensive course. Language is the encapsulation of the culture, history, traditions, mindset, and vision of a country, and as such, I believe that this language course has provided me with a deep and important understanding of German culture.

The Sprachen/Internationales Department is doing an amazing job at uniting cultures, people, and visions, showing us that we are all part of the same world and that our differences provide valuable perspectives on how we live our lives, contribute to society, and create a better future for everyone. Such an experience not only helps you grow professionally by experimenting with and combining new teaching paradigms, but it also enriches everyone, both lecturers and students, on a personal level by offering new perspectives and life paths. 

Hochschule Koblenz is able to offer teaching staff mobility with partner countries in the framework of ERASMUS+ KA 171. The national agency in charge of this programme is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).