This project called EURECA (“The European Union’s Outermost Regions in the Caribbean and their Sovereign Neighbours – Between Regional Integration and External Alignments”) is based on cross-disciplinary EU studies which will allow a new approach to relevant topics. The EU’s outermost regions in the Caribbean maintain a special relationship with their regional Caribbean neighbours, with their Latin American neighbours, with Europe and global players like the U.S.A. and China. They are challenged to question their identity and ways of development. It will be analysed whether EU policies constitute constraints or challenges. EURECA involves key partners (among them several Jean Monnet Chairs or module holders) from different disciplines (history, political science, sociology, law and economics) which will allow a cross-disciplinary approach. All of the key staff members are directors and/or teachers in relevant MA programmes in European Studies or International Relations or in related fields in e.g. Law, Economics, and Cultural Studies. Actually, more than 400 MA students from European Studies / International Relations from the universities Antilles, Azores, Bologna-Forli, Piraeus and Siegen will be directly involved in the project. This newly established teaching and research network of academic specialists will test, evaluate and implement the gained results in the respective MA programmes in the different participating universities. They will use innovative teaching methods (e.g. virtual classroom, blended learning, and self-learning tools). In a second phase the material will be made accessible as open access resources to further institutions and the general public. The participants of EURECA and further users will gain an innovative insight on the importance of the outermost regions of the EU and its policies, on the EU integration process in general and on the actual political , economic, legal and cultural framework of the EU.

"TaLMID (“Teaching and Learning: Migration - Integration - Democracy"") responds to special needs. The current refugee immigration to Europe and the high number of school-aged refugee children demand well-tailored new approaches and methodologies for the quick integration of the children of refugees in the educational systems of the host countries. It is necessary to educate them on democratic principles of civil society. The aim of TaLMID is the production of innovative open education material and its implementation in primary and secondary schools. The main goal is to stress the importance of these specific topics (migration, integration, democracy) in the field of EU studies for the curricula of primary and secondary schools. Most of the participating pilot schools do not use blended learning and virtual class-rooms on a regular basis as teaching methods and need special training by TaLMID.Experts from different fields, national backgrounds and cultures participate (Armenia, Belgium, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey). This teaching and research network of university and school teachers and MA students will test, evaluate and implement the gained results in the participating universities and in class-rooms (virtual and non-virtual) of involved schools in each country.Conferences and webinars will be a forum for discussion and offer an opportunity to share, refine and combine current research topics on the question of school teaching in the EU with special consideration of migration, integration and democracy. Teacher training seminars will further enhance the knowledge of working teachers about those topics and will teach them concrete didactic methods to be used in heterogenous “welcome classes” with special needs. Especially trained specifically chosen MA students with diverse cultural backgrounds will use innovative methods and conduct role-plays in partner pilot schools and test the material in practice."

The University of Siegen is a medium-size higher education institution. The overall goal of the University of Siegen is to contribute to a humane future and to take responsibility for people and society. This is reflected in the guiding principle of the University of Siegen: creating a common future. It is in the self-concept of the University of Siegen to link regional responsibility for education, training and societal issues with the internationally customary claims on teaching, study, research and transfer of knowledge, and to pursue their evolution as a permanent task. This includes among others: the targeted promotion of students and young academics, the promotion of the idea of the European Higher Education Area, internationality and mobility, interdisciplinary research and teaching, professionalisation of teacher training, and the commitment to diversity and equal opportunities.The Erasmus+ programme contributes substantially to the University’s guiding principle. By participating in the programme, the University of Siegen is able to promote and support international exchange, establish new links in research, and maintain long-lasting partnerships. The relatively new Key Action 107, mobilities with partner countries, opened new ways for collaboration and exchange. The University of Siegen is actively promoting also these possibilities inside and outside the university. Stakeholders in Siegen are encouraged to apply for funding, no matter there already exists a long-lasting cooperation between the HEI or not. All applications are reviewed by the Erasmus Institutional Coordinator.The very positive overall assessment of the mobilities by the participanting students and staff clearly shows how much the participants as well as the HEI are benefitting from the study, teaching or training experiences abroad. More than eight out of ten students said they were very satisfied with their Erasmus+ mobility experience in general. The remaining 14 per cent answered they were rather satisfied. 77 per cent feel more European after having participated in Erasmus+ (of which two thirds “strongly agree” and 11 per cent “rather agree” to the statement). Only 7 per cent of the students disagree with the statement; 16 per cent neither agree nor disagree.The numbers for staff mobilities contribute to this positive feedback: 93 per cent of the participants were very satisfied and the remaining 7 per cent were rather satisfied with their mobility experience in general. All of them would recommend this experience to a colleague.The participants’ responses are key indicators for the successful, coherent, and compliant implementation of the Erasmus+ programme at the University of Siegen.Nonetheless, the University of Siegen continued to further optimise the Erasmus+ related procedures and will continue to do so as e.g. the outgoing student mobilities did not meet the approved numbers.

The University of Siegen is a medium-sized higher education institution. The University of Siegen’s mission is to contribute to a humane future and to take responsibility for people and society. This is reflected in the guiding principle of the University of Siegen: Shaping a Humane Future!It is the goal of the University of Siegen to link regional responsibility for education, training and societal issues with the internationally renowned claims on teaching and studying. The University strives to permanently evolve in matters of research and transfer of knowledge, too. These goals include various activities: targeted support and services for students and young academics, promoting the idea of the European Higher Education Area, facilitating internationality and mobility, enabling interdisciplinary research and teaching, the professionalization of teacher training, and the commitment to diversity and equal opportunities.The Erasmus+ programme contributes substantially to the university’s guiding principle by allowing the pursuit of new research avenues and collaboration as well as forming and maintaining long-lasting partnerships.The very positive overall assessment of the mobilities by the participating students and staff clearly indicates how much the participants are benefitting from their experience abroad – be it studies, teaching or training. Three-quarters of the outgoing students said that they were very satisfied or rather satisfied with the administrative support and 60 percent answered that the help with personal needs and problems was very satisfying or rather satisfying. An outstanding proportion of 93 percent of the outgoing students were very satisfied or rather satisfied with their Erasmus+ mobility experience in general.The numbers for outgoing staff mobilities contribute to this positive feedback: 70 percent of the participants strongly agreed or rather agreed with the statement “I have gained sector-specific or practical skills relevant for my current job and professional development”. More than three-quarters strongly agreed or rather agreed that their mobilities contributed to increasing the quality and quantity of student or staff mobility to and from the University of Siegen. “I have shared my own knowledge and skills with students and/or other persons”: 94 percent of the participants strongly agree or rather agree with this statement.The overall positive assessment as well as the high ratio of utilizing the budget are key indicators for the successful, coherent and compliant implementation of the Erasmus+ programme at the University of Siegen. Nonetheless, the University of Siegen continues to further optimize the Erasmus+ related procedures by implements feedback from the participants. Although only very few participants (6-8%) rather disagree or strongly disagree that the grade conversion was fair, objective and transparent, the University of Siegen puts a lot effort on informing both students as well as the responsible faculty about the issue of grade conversion. The University of Siegen also encourages the implementation of mobility windows in the curriculum of all degree programmes in order to facilitate mobility and the recognition process.Additionally, the University of Siegen has been working continuously on encouraging more students and staff to go abroad during this particular project and it will continue to do so in the future. The University of Siegen was facing slightly decreasing numbers of mobile students during the funding period. The number of applications, however, stayed more or less the same, but some students withdrew their application or rejected the offers that were made. In most cases, this was due to safety and security issues in the host country or problems/new plans related to their studies in Siegen. Therefore, the University of Siegen did achieve its goals in student mobility. International Student Affairs will put more emphasis on advertising the benefits of study abroad periods as well as on guidance and support in planning them.With regard to staff mobilities, the University of Siegen has not only achieved its targeted numbers but also enabled more stays abroad than initially planned.However, some aspects of the Erasmus+ programme draw criticism. Since the start of the new programme generation in 2014, Erasmus+ has been subject to constant changes and the participating institutions are facing an increasing number as well as more complex administrative tasks in order to implement the concurrent projects in compliance with EU and NA rules. We, the participating institutions, are being encouraged to actively promote the Erasmus+ programme and its benefits as well as the European idea in general. It is becoming more difficult to fulfill these expectations considering the above-mentioned increase in administrative duties.

Das Projekt 2014 im Erasmus+-Programm wurde nach den Vorgaben der EU KOM und der NA DAAD durchgeführt.Die in der Finanzhilfevereinbarung genannten Mobilitäten wurden in ihrer Zahl und Umfang nahezu exakt realisiert.Die Universität Siegen hat mit ihrem International Office (heute die Abteilung International Student Affairs) während des Berichtzeitraums kontinuierlich an einer verbesserten Projektdurchführung in allen das Projekt betreffenden Bereichen (sowohl outgoing wie incoming) gearbeitet.Die überaus große Zahl an positiven Rückmeldungen von Teilnehmern am Erasmus+-Programm verdeutlicht die positive Entwicklung. Weniger positive Antworten in der Online-Umfrage am Mobilitätsende rühren daher, dass Studierende zu diesem sehr frühen Zeitpunkt noch überhaupt keine Aussage über den Grad der Anerkennung ihrer Studienleistungen im Ausland berichten konnten.Aufgrund der neuen Förderbedingungen im Erasmus+-Programm (Ländergruppen, Zero Grant-Zeiträume etc.) war es 2014 erheblich schwieriger und aufwändiger, die Mobilitätszuschüsse im Voraus exakt zu berechnen. Die Erasmus-Hochschulkoordination in ihrer Kostenkalkulation eine eher konservative Berechnung gewählt. Dadurch und aufgrund z.T. sehr kurzfristiger Rücktritte von Studierenden von ihren Austauschplätzen, kürzerer Auslandsaufenthalte sowie der Neuerung, dass Restmittel nicht mehr wie bisher vergeben werden konnten, entstand die Diskrepanz zwischen bewilligter und verausgabter Fördersumme.