Staff from the INGENIUM universities in Germany, France and Italy have spent a week at the University of Skövde. The visit had a focus on mobility within INGENIUM, but the visitors also got to test wearing an age suit, had “Swedish fika” and they got to see thousands of common cranes.
Catharina Gillsjö, Assoicate Professor of Nursing, has helped Fanny Fournier, head of International Relations/Mobility Office, University of Rouen, Normandy to put on the age suit to do a simulation.
The University of Skövde has been pleased to welcome Fanny Fournier, University of Rouen, Normandy, Kajori Lahiri and Annette Knödler, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, HKA and Rossella Borrone from Gabriele D’Annunzio University, Chieti-Pescara, U’dA. Student support, introduction for international students, incoming and outgoing exchange for both students and staff, were some areas that were discussed during the week.
Frida Lindgren, International Coordinator and responsible for the University’s international introduction, talked about how international students, during the beginning of their stay in Skövde, are introduced to both the University and the surrounding society. The introduction, of course, includes a lot of practical information concerning the studies, but also a visit to a supermarket, a guided tour around the city and a visit to the Mayor´s office.
“I was impressed by how it was organised and I will definitely take ideas back to us concerning both student and staff mobility. It is great to share good practices to improve the fluence mobility between the INGENIUM universities,” says Fanny Fournier, head of International Relations/Mobility Office, University of Rouen.
Staff from the Schools of Bioscience, Informatics and Engineering also talked about incoming international students at their programmes. The visitors also got to meet staff from the Finance Office and Personnel department focusing on mobility.
“The entire environment and the setting are different here in Skövde compared to Chieti. INGENIUM gives so many possibilities for our universities and I am very happy about this visit,” says Rossella Borrone, working with Internationalisation and Erasmus at U’dA.
New experience wearing an age suit
A visit to Skaraborg Health Technology Center at the University was also on the agenda. Catharina Gillsjö, Associate Professor of Nursing, gave a short introduction to the University’s research concerning age related health problems. She showed the test apartment with advanced digital technology to help elderly people with everyday tasks. Then our INGENIUM colleagues got to try the age suit simulation which gave both new insights and experience. The age suit is quite unique and it reflects normal ageing and age-related age problems.
“It increases understanding of ageing and older persons and our nursing students get the experience of both wearing the suit themselves, but also observing each other acting various persona. It is often described as an embodied and eye-opening experiences by the students, “says Catharina Gillsjö and helps Fanny Fournier and Kajori Lahiri to put on parts of the suit.
“What did you say, I can’t hear you so well,” says Fanny Fournier immediately when she gets a question while wearing the suit and states that it was a totally new experience to try it.
Swedish fika and thousands of cranes
Mikael Ejdebäck, Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation/INGENIUM Coordinator and Maria Wickenberg, Librarian took the group for a traditional Swedish coffee, called “fika” on their way to Lake Hornborga. The birdlake is particularly famous for that the common cranes that stay for a couple of weeks at the lake during their annual migration, every spring, from Spain to northern Sweden.
During the week many experiences, good practices and ideas were shared.
“It has been an interesting week for us and we look forward to more collaboration,” say the INGENIUM colleagues.
Enrique Ruiz Zúñiga, Karin Jonegård, Erica Eriksson Hjelm, Rossella Borrone, Annette Knödler, Fanny Fournier, Nadine Piat, Mikael Ejdebäck och Kajori Lahiri.
