Implementation of the projects of academic mobility should be based on ensuring its sustainability while simultaneously diversifying and preserving the highest academic quality. Appropriate use of the potential of academic mobility should include both students and employees in a way that ensures the complementary nature of the mobility of both types. This project has been accomplished in accordance with the above mentioned priorities and rules. Outgoing and incoming students mobilities for studies and academic staff mobilities for teaching were done on the basis of the properly prepared interinstitutional agreements. In the case of students mobilities for studies and staff mobilities for training, if the host institution was a university, the implementation of mobility was also based on previously concluded agreement of this type – interinstitutional agreement. For every type of mobility and all mobilities carried out within the project, the implementation of the mobility was also based on individual mobility program, signed in advance by all parties. The qualification procedure was based on the common rules and recruitment criteria, as well as the unified procedures, officially approved by the authorities of the university and published in advance. These rules were obligatory for the entire university, easily accessible, and with full transparency and independent appeal procedure. The distribution of the available students mobilities, both for studies and for traineeships, between the university didactic units was done in proportion to the number of students in these units. The procedure guaranteed the equal and common access to the programme offer. No additional formal criteria, discriminating or favouring candidates and potential, individual participants of the program, other than formal criteria explicitly formulated in the Erasmus+ program rules were implemented. In particular, no types of the favoured profile of potential individual participants have been determined in advance. The qualification criteria in the case of students were the academic achievements, condition of the access and participation in the exchange was the adequate knowledge of the lecture or working language. In the case of staff mobilities, all registered mobilities accepted by the host institutions were completed. The decisive criterion in this case was the quality of the proposed individual mobility program and its compliance with the university policy in the field of institutional development and individual development of employees. All registered mobilities met the quality requirements of the university and were accomplished. University put a special attention on the necessity to guarantee full academic recognition of credits obtained during studies at a foreign partner university, recognition of results obtained during the implementation of the internship and recognition of the effects of didactic and training mobilities. 679 individual mobilities were implemented within the project (637 planned), including 429 staff mobilities and 250 student mobilities. The very strong positive impact of the Erasmus+ educational exchange both on individual participants and on the university and its entire surroundings has been fully kept.

The development strategy of the University of Silesia includes the active participation of the university in international academic exchange programs for students and staff, especially Erasmus+ programme key action 1. Academic exchange cannot be limited to cooperation only among the countries participating in the Erasmus+ program as a programme country. The commitment of the university into educational exchange in the framework of the Erasmus + program must include both cooperation with Erasmus+ program countries and cooperation with Erasmus+ partner countries. The purpose of participation in the program and implementation of this project was to increase the educational and research potential of the university and the constant improvement of the way the university mission is implemented in all aspects, including the social ones, as well as active and responsible participation in the creation of European higher education.Proper implementation of academic mobility projects is based on ensuring its sustainable character while diversifying and maintaining the highest academic quality. It concerns both the reciprocal relations and proportion of the outgoing and incoming mobilities, as well as the profile of participants of the exchange Appropriate use of the potential of academic mobility should include both students and employees in a way that ensures the complementary nature of the mobility of both types.Within the project, a total of 77 mobilities were accomplished (in the 2016 project - 51 mobilities), including 24 student mobilities (in the 2016 project - 19 mobilities) and 53 employee mobilities (in the 2016 project - 32 mobilities). The level of implementation of plans was respectively: 86% for the entire project, 83% for student exchanges and 88% for employee exchanges. Philology remains the dominant academic field, both in terms of student and staff mobility, but the University of Silesia constantly promotes exchange with partner countries also for all other academic fields. The project was implemented on the basis of interinstitutional agreements and individual mobility programs concluded in advance. The implementation of educational exchange has been planned as a continuation of cooperation initiated under the 2015 and 2016 projects or based on existing international scientific and educational contacts of the university. The University of Silesia has also remained open to new cooperation proposals, including those from foreign universities. In the case of regions where interest in participation in the academic exchange, especially students mobilities, was lower than expected, special actions were taken to promote the above-mentioned directions during the implementation of next projects.The impact of the project, however, was not limited to the impact of individual student and staff mobilities. By promoting the idea of inter-university cooperation, with particular emphasis on cooperation with universities from partner countries, and also because of the University of Silesia's desire to facilitate the establishment of contacts and cooperation, the university organized for the second time an intensive International Week, with the participation of participants from both programme countries and partner countries. This event was highly rated by participants from foreign universities, and at the same time played an important role in both the University of Silesia and its surroundings. It should be emphasized that the two-years project implementation period, and in particular the inclusion, in contrast to the KA103HE projects, of the entire second semester of the second academic year of project implementation, greatly facilitates the prevention of administrative difficulties.During the 2015 project, the University of Silesia obtained 72% of the plans, in the 2016 project - 93%, however, with a significantly lower number of granted and implemented mobilities, in the 2017 project - 87%, with the largest number of implemented mobilities so far. Mobilities done as part of the KA107HE project in subsequent years: 2015 - 64 mobility, 2016 - 51 mobility (decrease of 20% in the number of mobilities, but with a significantly higher level of implementation of plans (93% compared to 72%), 2017 - 77 mobility (increase by 20% compared to the 2015 project, an increase of 51% compared to the 2016 project).

Projekt zakładał realizację 721 mobilności, w tym 308 mobilności studentów, w tym 240 mobilności w celu realizacji części studiów oraz 68 mobilności w celu realizacji praktyki oraz 413 mobilności pracowników, w tym 294 mobilności w celu realizacji zajęć dydaktycznych oraz 119 mobilności w celu uczestnictwa w szkoleniu. Zrealizowanych zostało 663 mobilności, w tym 271 mobilności studentów, w tym 197 mobilności w celu realizacji części studiów oraz 74 mobilności w celu realizacji praktyki oraz 392 mobilności pracowników, w tym 176 mobilności w celach dydaktycznych oraz 216 szkoleniowych. Poziom realizacji planów dla niniejszego projektu wyniósł więc 92% dla ogółu mobilności (w projekcie 2017: 106%). W odniesieniu do mobilności studentów łącznie, poziom realizacji planów dla projektu 2018 wyniósł 88% (projekt 2017: 90%), w tym dla wyjazdów w celu realizacji części studiów: 82% (projekt 2017: 97%), dla wyjazdów w celu odbycia praktyki: 109% (projekt 2017: 67%). W odniesieniu do mobilności pracowników łącznie, poziom realizacji planów dla projektu 2018 wyniósł 127% (projekt 2017: 120%), w tym dla wyjazdów dydaktycznych: 60% (projekt 2017: 103%), dla wyjazdów szkoleniowych: 181% (projekt 2017:162%). W projekcie 2018 zrealizowano łącznie 663 mobilności, to jest o 2% mniej, w porównaniu do projektu 2017 (679 mobilności łącznie). Nastąpił wzrost łącznej liczby wyjazdów studentów o 8% (271 wyjazdów w projekcie 2018 wobec 250 w projekcie 2017). Łączna liczba wyjazdów pracowników zmniejszyła się o 9% (392 wyjazdy w projekcie 2018 wobec 429 wyjazdów w projekcie 2017). Liczba wyjazdów w celu realizacji części studiów zmniejszyła się o 4% (197 wyjazdów w projekcie 2018 wobec 205 w projekcie 2017). Natomiast o 54% wzrosła liczba wyjazdów na praktyki (74 wyjazdy w projekcie 2018 wobec 44 w projekcie 2017). Liczba wyjazdów pracowników w celu prowadzenia zajęć dydaktycznych spadła o 34% (176 wyjazdów w projekcie 2018 wobec 267 w projekcie 2017). W przypadku wyjazdów szkoleniowych nastąpił wzrost o 33% (216 wyjazdów w projekcie 2018 wobec 162 mobilności w projekcie 2017).Wszystkie wyjazdy studentów w celu realizacji części studiów w ramach projektu 2018 zrealizowano w roku akademickim 2018/2019. Pomimo zakwalifikowania większej liczby kandydatów, niż w roku akademickim 2017/2018 (2018/2019 – 317 zakwalifikowanych kandydatów, 2017/2018 – 220 zakwalifikowanych kandydatów), ze względu na bardzo wysoką liczbę rezygnacji z uczestnictwa w mobilności nastąpił, po 2 latach stałego wzrostu liczby wyjazdów na poziomie około 3,5% rok do roku, spadek liczby zrealizowanych mobilności o około 4,5%. W procedurze kwalifikacji zachowano niezbędne wymagania jakościowe. Spadek liczby zrealizowanych wyjazdów prawdopodobnie stanowi przypadkowe odchylenie od trendu. Ponieważ wszystkie wyjazdy studentów w celu realizacji części studiów realizowane były wyłącznie w roku akademickim 2018/2019, pandemia covid-19 nie miała wpływu na realizację wyjazdów w tej kategorii.W roku akademickim 2018/2019 w odniesieniu do wymiany studentów w celu realizacji części studiów po raz pierwszy wystąpiła wyraźna dysproporcja pomiędzy liczbą wyjazdów i liczbą przyjazdów na rzecz przyjazdów. Stosunek wyjazdów (197) do przyjazdów (245) wyniósł 1 : 1,24. Liczba ankiet złożonych przez studentów przyjeżdżających wskazuje na to, że część przyjazdów w roku akademickim 2018/2019 (ok. 10%) zrealizowano w ramach 24-miesiecznych projektów 2017. Czyli w ramach projektów pozwalających na pobyt wyłącznie w pierwszym (zimowym) semestrze.W projekcie 2018 znacząco wzrosła liczba zrealizowanych wyjazdów studentów w celu realizacji praktyki (projekt 2018: 74, projekt 2017: 44). Liczba wyjazdów w tej kategorii zrealizowanych w ramach projektów 2015, 2016 i 2017 pozostawała na bardzo zbliżonym poziomie. Były to, odpowiednio: 42, 45 i 44 wyjazdy. Znaczący wzrost liczby wyjazdów w tej kategorii jest efektem przyjęcia rekrutacji ciągłej (akceptowane są wszystkie kandydatury spełniające wymagania formalne i jakościowe, w miarę ich zgłaszania). Wydłużenie okresu realizacji projektu nie wpłynęło istotnie na liczbę wyjazdów zrealizowanych w tej kategorii, ponieważ w roku akademickim 2020/2021 oraz w semestrze letnim 2020 zrealizowano bardzo małą liczbę praktyk (21 wyjazdów, z czego tylko 5 w ramach projektu 2018 – wszystkie w semestrze letnim 2020).Wydłużenie okresu realizacji projektu wywarło znaczący wpływ na realizację wyjazdów pracowników. Wprawdzie liczba wyjazdów pracowników w projekcie 2018 zmniejszyła się w stosunku do projektu 2017 o 9%, jednak w przypadku braku przedłużenia okresu realizacji projektu liczba ta byłaby mniejsza o kolejne 5%, pomimo ogromnych utrudnień w realizacji wyjazdów, zarówno w semestrze letnim 2020, jak i w całym roku akademickim 2020/2021. Utrudnienia te szczególnie mocno dotknęły wyjazdy dydaktyczne.W pełni utrzymano bardzo silny, pozytywny wpływ realizacji projektu, zarówno na uczestników indywidualnych, jak i na uczelnię oraz całe jej otoczenie.

The aim of the project was to support internationalization of the University of Silesia in Katowice, its comprehensive development and modernization, to improve the quality of teaching offer, to increase the potential of education and research , as well as to fulfill the Mission of University, including its social aspect .Proper implementation of the academic mobility project needs to ensure its sustainable character, both in terms of balance between outgoing and incoming mobilities, as well as the profile of participants. An adequate use of the potential of academic mobility requires participation of both, students and staff.The full benefits can only be achieved through the implementation of all the available types of activities in the project: outgoing and incoming mobilities to conduct study period abroad, student traineeships, outgoing and incoming mobilities of academic staff to conduct teaching or outgoing and incoming training mobilities. Exchanges realized in the latter category should be the most widely available and cover all categories of University employees. A very important issue is to ensure general access of the program for all students, including all study programmes and specializations. Taking into consideration the need to ensure sustainable character of mobilities, this concerns students interested to go abroad or to come to Poland. For successful implementation of the project itself as well as its parts designated for student mobility, it is necessary to ensure the broad exchange of staff. This allows - on the one hand to support proper preparation of students exchange, on the other hand to provide the opportunity to participate in the internationalization of higher education for non-mobile students. Thanks to mobility of staff they have the opportunity to participate in classes conducted by academics from other universities and countries.Relevance of the mobility project and full use of the opportunities offered by the project and its potential benefits, requires the implementation of training mobilities. Furthermore, the implementation of international student internships and the possibility of contact with trainees from foreign universities also positively affect the situation of students in the labor market.The University of Silesia succeeded in achieving the objectives of the project that have been described above. Positive and very significant impact of educational exchanges implemented throughout last twenty years clearly indicate the need to continue these activities.The priority of the University of Silesia is striving to provide opportunities to participate in the programme of greatest possible number of students and staff, outgoing and incoming, while maintaining the highest quality and the highest possible standards for the exchange and implementation of the project.Thus, the objective remains the mutual support of the internationalization of studies and research in Europe, Poland and the University of Silesia, as a prerequisite for further, accelerated and sustainable development.

This action supports physical and blended mobility of higher education students and staff from EU Member States and third countries associated to Erasmus+ to any country in the world. Students in all study fields and cycles can take part in a study period or traineeship abroad. Higher education teaching and administrative staff can take part in professional development activities abroad, as well as staff from the field of work in order to teach and train students or staff at higher education institutions.