Last week, our university had the pleasure of welcoming colleagues from Porto as part of an Erasmus+ Staff Mobility (STA). The visit further strengthened the close and longstanding partnership between our institutions and provided valuable opportunities for professional exchange and international collaboration.

During their stay, the guests engaged in discussions with lecturers and staff members from different departments and gained insights into various aspects of teacher education and innovative pedagogical approaches at our university.

A particular highlight of the visit was the exchange with Prof. Eva Weißböck from the Institute of Early Childhood Education. The visiting colleagues were especially impressed by the professional discussions and the opportunity to learn more about current developments and perspectives in the field of elementary pedagogy.

Another important part of the programme was the academic input at the EIS, focusing on “Computer Science Unplugged” in early childhood education. The sessions, led by IL Margit Steiner and Elisabeth Benedik, demonstrated creative and practice-oriented ways of introducing young children to computational thinking and digital literacy without the use of digital devices. The interactive exchange inspired lively discussions about innovative teaching methods and international perspectives on early childhood education.

The visit once again highlighted the importance of international cooperation and academic exchange in fostering new ideas, mutual learning, and sustainable partnerships across Europe.

As part of my Erasmus+ staff mobility, I had the opportunity to participate in the “International Comenius Week” in Bergamo, an educational seminar week for students in primary education. This experience clearly demonstrated how valuable international exchange can be for both personal and professional development and how important it is to actively create such opportunities for students.

The exchange with colleagues and students from different countries provided valuable insights into a variety of educational systems and pedagogical approaches.

In addition, as part of the internationalisation activities at our university, I had the pleasure of welcoming a guest professor from Portugal. She conducted a seminar block with bachelor students and offered inspiring insights into teaching practices in her home country, particularly with regard to cooperative learning and its implementation in everyday school life.

We welcome our new incoming Erasmus students and are looking forward to a wonderful semester - here you see them looking out on Dachtstein, at our start of semester excursion up the mountain!