© Tønder Handelsskole / Det Blå Gymnasium Tønder
Uni Bremen Has Global School Network
The International Office and field of teacher education are advertising university studies at schools abroad – successfully.
Gaining practical experience at a school and getting to know a different country at the same time - that is an opportunity that teacher education students at the University of Bremen have. The Center for Teacher Education and Education Research (ZfLB) and the International Office (IO) maintain a global school network. At the same time, they are advertising studies at the University of Bremen at international schools. And they’re doing this successfully – even during the pandemic.
Friday morning, 10 a.m.: The pupils from Tønder Handelsskole in Denmark are sitting in front of their screens. Det Blå Gymnasium – a commercial school close to the German-Danish border – has had a cooperation with the University of Bremen since September 2020. Teacher education students are able to complete internships in Denmark. At the same time, they represent their university as ambassadors and give school pupils an insight into studying in Germany and at the University of Bremen.
The pupils in the Zoom meeting actually wanted to travel to Bremen together with their teachers in order to find out more about studying on campus. What is currently not possible due to corona was organized digitally by the international student marketing team together with students. The participants were taken onto the university campus in Bremen virtually with a quiz and a presentation on the university. Meike Rudert, a student within the Faculty of Business Studies & Economics, spoke about her own degree: the broad range of subjects, the supervision by teaching staff, internship opportunities, the summer school, and semesters abroad. The pupils in Denmark asked questions and found out everything about the preparation programs at the university, the over 100 degree programs, and life in Bremen and on campus from the uni team. The participants’ interest was great. Maybe one of them will study for a few years at the University of Bremen, who knows.
Schools and Embassies from South America in Zoom Meeting
The Zoom Meeting with the Danish school is only an example for what the international student marketing team at the University of Bremen is doing in times of corona. For nearly a year, the IO has been offering interactive Zoom meetings for prospective students across the world. And they’ve been doing it successfully. “The international interest in degrees at the University of Bremen remains great,” says IO staff member Katrin Dorow. “We have around 50 participants for each event.” It was only recently that a virtual education exhibition took place with several partner schools in South America: Columbia, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador took part. Even the embassy representatives from the nations logged in. “It is, of course, much easier to get everyone together in a digital meeting,” states the IO member. The uni team also regularly holds digital events in Asia. Katrin Dorow is surprised about how well said events work digitally. “Our team in Bremen really manages to create an emotional connection during the virtual meetings.”
© Katrin Dorow / Universität Bremen
School Internship during Corona Pandemic
What works well digitally in the field of international student marketing is obviously more difficult for the teacher education students and their school internships. “We had several students who had to cancel their internships before they had even begun due to the corona pandemic,” says ZfLB staff member Gesche Heidemann. But successful internships have also taken place during the pandemic. “For example, one student undertook a school internship in Sweden, where she experienced both face-to-face and distance learning. She was able to benefit greatly in terms of digitalization due to the conditions there.”
Twelve Partner Schools Worldwide
The network of the ZfLB and IO at the University of Bremen currently comprises twelve foreign partner schools. These include German international schools (DAS) and schools in the nations’ own systems. Additionally, the ZfLB and IO are in contact with further schools. If students are interested in completing an internship at a cooperation school, they can find out more and network at the monthly group consultation held by the ZfLB. It is possible to register via the Stud.IP study group named “Schulpraktikum im Ausland,” which also provides current information on internship opportunities, scholarships, and applications.
