SprInt to Rome
Sina Tegeler is a member of staff at TU Dresden’s Media Centre. She visited the Sapienza University in Rome in June 2014, as part of the SprInt Programme.
In the following account, she describes what preparations were necessary, how the procedures worked at the University in Rome and she also provides a short summary of her stay.
If you have any questions regarding the organisation of the SprInt Programme‘s stay abroad, you can find information on these web pages.
Personal account of the Staff Mobility Week at the Sapienza University in Rome
I am currently working as online editor in the Department of Media and Information Technology at the Media Centre of TU Dresden. As part of the “Webrelaunch” project, my team and I are revising TUD’s internet presence, giving it a new design and structure.
Dresden: Preparation
I heard about the SprInt Programme at TU Dresden from the staff newsletter. Members of staff reported on their participation in a Staff Mobility Week at an information session. It sounded great – a short time later, I registered. On the SprInt website, I found out about the Staff Mobility Weeks being offered. Most universities organise Staff Weeks on the topics of internationalisation, student exchanges or advisory services for studying – areas that I have hardly any contact with in my day-to-day work. I quickly realised that I wanted to apply for a training session at La Sapienza University of Rome: along with the topics of internationalisation and librarianship, this week would also be dealing with media and information technologies, and with communication. I applied directly to the university via an online form and was one of the roughly 300 applicants who managed to get hold of one of the 50 sought-after places. It was certainly to my advantage that there is a partnership between TUD and La Sapienza University, and that preference is generally given to members of partner universities.
I was able to settle questions to do with organisation easily via e-mail with the team in Rome or here in Dresden with Ms Dagmar Krause from the International Office. I booked my flight and accommodation with the travel agency that works together with TUD. The working language during the Staff Week was English. Knowledge of Italian was not necessary. So, off I went!
The host university: La Sapienza University of Rome
With approximately 123,000 students and about 9,000 members of staff, La Sapienza is both one of the largest and one of the oldest universities in Europe. 11 faculties, 63 institutes, 24 research centres, 59 libraries, 21 museums and 2 hospitals are spread out across the Eternal City. The modern campus is situated in the centre of Rome, and the old city with its historic sites is within walking distance.
Staff Mobility Week: Programme and Organisation
The events took place in the main building of the University’s largest campus. In addition to a lecture theatre, there is also a large lecture hall which can be used for receptions and larger events. Here, we were welcomed by the organisation team and other representatives of the host university, including the Director General of La Sapienza. After some words of introduction and a concert by a university music group, there was a buffet for us as part of the welcome, which made it possible to get to know the other participants for the first time. From Tuesday to Friday morning, we exchanged ideas on a wide range of topics. During the mornings there was always a plenary discussion on a central topic, attended by all 50 participants, while the afternoons were spent going into more depth on individual topics in smaller workshop groups.
The plenary discussions dealt with the following main points:
- Organisation of student mobility with ERASMUS+
- Communication and events
- IMOTION and staff mobility management
- Internationalisation
These discussions were not directly related to my work in Dresden – but it was still fascinating to gain insights and to compare the work practices of different universities. Also, the discussions were chaired by the different members of staff of the host university, which meant that over the course of the week, we were able to meet many contacts and partners at the university. On account of the large number of participants, the discussion element of the event often fell by the wayside. Instead, the host university used the opportunity to present their own work practices in detail and then to conduct an exchange of experiences afterwards. At the end of the plenary discussions, a cold buffet with snacks and drinks was provided – here it was possible to talk during the lunch break and get to know each other better.
During the afternoons, there were workshops in small groups on the following four topic areas:
- Librarianship
- Internationalisation
- Communication
- IT
On account of the fact that my area of work is associated with two of the topics, I chose workshops both on communication and on IT. Here, too, the events were led by university staff from the relevant areas of work. Mostly, the host university presented its work practices and afterwards there was the opportunity for discussions. After the workshops, there was enough time left to explore Rome in summer weather. On Tuesday and Thursday, the organisation team provided an exciting cultural programme. On one of the days, we could choose to go on a tour of the numerous university museums. On the other day, we could either go to one of the magnificent libraries or to the botanical gardens. The other evenings were left free to spend however we wanted – in view of the impressive city and the numerous sights, this approach was met with general approval.
The week ended with a joint lunch. It was very obvious that during the week, a feeling of community had grown among the group so that almost everyone was happy to take the opportunity to exchange views one more time and to say goodbye warmly.
Summary
In retrospect, what I particularly liked about the Staff Mobility Week was the way we were given valuable insights into the organisational structures and work practices of another university. The topics presented there were only partly relevant to my area of work, but I was nevertheless able to pick up a few ideas.
With 50 participants, the group was very large. But right from the beginning, I was fortunate to meet colleagues with whom I could spend time outside “work”. I am still in touch with some of them today via a Facebook group, and one of the participants even showed me her university in Lisbon during my holiday. For this reason, the Staff Mobility Week was also a positive experience for me personally and I was able to brush up and improve my English, too.
Altogether, I can say that the team at La Sapienza really went to a great deal of trouble with the organisation. Regarding problems and questions, the staff were always ready to listen and tried to make our stay as pleasant as possible.
Finally, I would like to recommend unreservedly to all our colleagues that they take part in such staff mobility. Both professionally and personally, staff mobility offers a pleasant opportunity, without the need for a lot of organisation, for continuing international education and for collecting and sharing valuable experiences.
TU Dresden's Institutional Strategy is funded by the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments.
Photo credits:
Flags Globe © piai - Fotolia.com
Rom © Sina Tegeler