TOOLKIT Project

Project SummaryObjectivesActivitiesPartners
Project Title: Designing and Managing international relations, educational projects and mobility schemes in Asian Universities
Duration: 15th November 2018 – 14th November 2021-Extended to October 2022
Donor: Co-funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union
Coordinating Institution: University of Bologna, Italy
Website: https://site.unibo.it/toolkit/en

TOOLKIT is a three-year (2018-2021) international project co-funded by the European Union in the frame of Erasmus+ Capacity Building Key Action 2 the field of higher education. It is a multi-country project, which comprises Higher Education Institutions from Laos, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

TOOLKIT has been designed to combine a theoretical and practical approach for the enhancement of international relations in an Asian way. The project will work in direct synergy with other EU funded initiatives in Asia, to support them in improving the capability of Asian Universities to manage projects and other international actions. The project’s structure and goals are articulated according to five technical work packages.

  • WP1 aim is to consolidate a clear and detailed picture of the current internationalization strategies and practices in the three Asian countries, in order to identify their main needs and priorities in such field. The analysis focused on the current strategies, the existing EU funded projects, the established mobility flows for students and academics and the investigation of needs and priorities of the target groups.

  • The first training (WP2) was carried out at Vilnius University. It included first the writing/updating of the IR strategic plans in each Asian TOOLKIT partner, and second the organization of a national workshop at the Ministry of Education in the three involved Countries.

  • The main activities of WP3 were represented by the completion of an online training program of three modules on project writing and management hosted by UNIBO. The trainees carried out a workshop at their Home Universities, aimed at standardizing IRO’s practices in writing and managing projects.

  • The paramount purpose of WP4 is to enhance the capabilities of Asian Universities in strategizing, promoting and managing students’ mobility schemes. TOOOLKIT Asian partners participated to an online training held by Uppsala University aimed at designing a shared mobility management model, which has been described in a specific Handbook.

  • After having assisted Asian universities in drafting their own models of internationalization and in enhancing their know-how when dealing with international projects and mobility flows, WP5 is characterized by one overarching goal: placing such a newly consolidated expertise at the service of the local academic communities, as the ultimate beneficiaries of the TOOLKIT project’s legacy. In parallel, the project also seeks to raise the awareness of governmental bodies and agencies in the three Asian countries by means of a more efficient synergy among universities, ministries, and students in articulating the next steps forward towards an effective integration with the global academic community.

  • The additional four transversal WPs will be relevant for dissemination, exploitation and sustainability strategies realized through the preparation of various Virtual Tools and an Interactive Map, that will raise the attention of local policymakers on the needs of Asian HEIs. Moreover, TOOLKIT contemplates a vast range of efforts that are tailored to maximize the spread of its outcomes both on a national and international level, including the introduction of innovative promotional materials for Asian Universities, while entailing a constant improvement of their own websites, which often lack transparent information on IR outlook.

Each training (WP2,WP3,WP4) was followed by National Cascade trainings in Sri Lanka, Laos and Myanmar seeking to ignite a long-lasting spillover effect on a national and regional dimension. Moreover, great emphasis was accorded to the principles of fair access and inclusiveness, by involving the Universities located in peripheral areas.

 

Project coordinator

WP1 - Baseline Study on International Strategies in Asia and its Practices

The overarching aim of WP1 is to consolidate a clear and detailed picture regarding the state of current internationalization strategies, IRO structure (personal, budget, organisational charts), tools and actions pursued in the three Asian countries, in order to identify their main needs and priorities in such field. The outcomes of this WP guided the actions of the other WPs that aim at the creation of tailor made trainings and activities for the modernization of the international relations of Asian HEIs.

The activities of WP1 are:
1.1. Analysis of the existing policies and strategies and IRO status
1.2. Analysis of the existing EU funded project and their management difficulties
1.3. Analysis of the existing mobility flows and their management difficulties
1.4. Analysis of the needs and priorities expressed by target group
1.5. Final workshop on the needs and priorities of Asian HEIs
WP1 Report.pdf

WP2 - Modernization of Asian International Relations Strategies

This WP aims to support the Asian Universities in developing or updating their international relations strategies in order to better reflect modern HE Asian challenges, needs and strategies.

The activities of WP2 are:
2.1. Designing the WP on the basis of baseline study (WP1)
2.2. Train the trainers - International Relations Strategies
2.3. Writing/updating the outline of University international relations strategic plan
2.4. National workshop at the Ministry of Education (Please see conferences for further details about the event.)
The work done during WP2 has been included in the report "Developing strategic plans for internationalization"
WP2 Internationalization handbook.pdf

WP3- Effective Project writing and Management in Asian Universities

Work Package 3 has the main aim to enhance the ability of Asian Universities to write and manage international projects, crucial to foster the international dimension of Asian partners. This package is expected to build up a common expertise in project writing and management and to promote the spreading of the culture of good and effective project management in Asia thanks to Cascade Trainings involving other Universities and the Ministries of Education of the partner countries.

The followings are the activities of WP3:
3.1 Designing the WP activities rooted in the baseline study (WP1) and consistent with partners’ international relation strategies (WP2)
3.2 Train the trainers – Project writing
3.3 Train the trainers – Project management
WP3 Project Management handbook.pdf

WP4 - Effective Mobility Flows Management in Asian Universities

The overall WP aim is enhancing the capacity of Asian Universities in strategizing, promoting and managing students’ mobility schemes. This was accomplished by designing a shared mobility management model that was described and defined in a Handbook. After reaching this goal, cascade trainings and presentations of the Handbook were carried out at national level in the three partner countries involving regional Universities and the Ministry of Education as well.

4.1 Identification of three focus groups according to WP1 and WP2 outcomes
4.2 Train the trainers – Mobility flows
4.3 Workshops in each Asian University to institutionalize EU trainings outcomes
4.4 TOOLKIT handbook for the management of students mobility
WP4 Mobility handbook.pdf

WP5 - Promoting Engagement in International Relations

WP5 is characterized by one overarching goal: placing such a newly consolidated expertise at the service of the local academic communities, as the ultimate beneficiaries of the TOOLKIT project’s legacy. In parallel, the project also seeks to raise the awareness of governmental bodies and agencies in the three Asian countries by means of a more efficient synergy among universities, ministries, and students in articulating the next steps forward towards an effective integration with the global academic community.

The activities of WP 5 are:
5.1. Academic staff engagement towards international projects and mobility opportunities
5.2. Student engagement towards mobility opportunities
5.3. University governance engagement towards International Relations
5.4. National Governance engagement towards International Relations

Concerning the WP 5.1.,5.3.,5.4: Academic Staff, University and National Governance engagement towards internationalization, the Consortium decided to organize one single Roundtable involving the target groups and university stakeholders. Each Asian Partner University organized an Info Day for students sharing the international opportunities and stimulating discussion about their importance and value for the quality of higher education.


WP 7 - Dissemination of the Project's Results

WP 7 comprises more traditional instruments for the dissemination and foresees the implementation of online and offline deliverables. TOOLKIT’s website and social network feeds have been created to reach a wider audience and different target groups. In addition to the project’s website, the Consortium will work on the update or the development of web pages on participating Universities’ websites dedicated to international relations. After WP3 and WP4 activities, the IROs will design and produce promotional materials and feed their web pages with the information about the international opportunities for study and educational cooperation. These leaflets and brochures will also be distributed during INFO DAYS foreseen in WP5.

The followings are the activities of WP7:
7.1 Project’s website and social networks’ profiles
7.2 New Promotional Materials for Asian Universities to attract new international partners
7.3 Visibility actions for Asian IRO
7.4 Handbook on TOOLKIT methodology and best practices
WP7 DISSEMINATION PLAN FINAL.pdf

WP 8 - Quality Plan

According to the project proposal, quality assurance activities are defined by the TOOLKIT Quality Plan (QP) and carried out by the Quality Board (QB). The QP aims at monitoring and evaluating the quality of the project’s deliverables, cooperation mechanism, administrative management, and the participants and target groups' degree of satisfaction with reference to the project’s impact. At the Kick-Off Meeting, Uppsala University, Souphanouvong University and University of Peredaniya were chosen to form the Quality Board (QB).

WP2 Training on International strategies Vilnius University 7th – 11th October 2019

National Workshop: “A global outlook for Myanmar Universities” (University of Yangon Research Centre, 11th January 2020)

WP4 Training - Effective mobility flows management in Asian Universities (Online training, September 28th - October 1st 2020)

WP3- Training on Project Design and Management on March 10th 2021

Internal Cascade Training at Yangon University of Economics on 21st September 2021

National Cascade Training, Internationalization for Higher Education in Myanmar (16th December 2021, online meeting)

WP5 - University of Yangon, Yangon University of Economics and Yezin Agricultural University “Roundtable Discussion on Internationalization” on 30th August 2022

WP5 - Student Information Day at Yangon University of Economics on 15th September 2022)

NETWORKING WORKSHOP IN YANGON (Yangon, 11 January, 2020)

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION IN MYANMAR (Yangon, 30 August, 2022)

TOOLKIT - TRAINING ON INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIES (Vilnius, 7-11 October, 2019)

TOOLKIT KICK-OFF Meeting (Bologna, 8-10 April, 2019)

TOOLKIT NATIONAL WORKSHOP - A GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR LAOTIAN UNIVERSITIES (Vientiane, 14 January, 2020)

TOOLKIT NATIONAL WORKSHOP - A GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR MYANAMAR UNIVERSITIES (Yangon, 11 January, 2020)

YANGON UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, CASCADE TRAINING (21 September, 2021)

YANGON UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, STUDENT INFO DAY (Yangon, 15 September, 2022)

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