University of Applied Sciences, Fulda

Recommendations

ICEUS is a course on learning about intercultural differences, but this does not guarantee participants’ cultural, or cross-cultural awareness. Most of the participants had left their home country for the first time, or it was the first time they had to live on their own in another country. Many studies have shown that training in the host countries culture can help the students to reduce the shock.
The awareness can be solidified by providing networks through which the foreign students will have the opportunity to contact the native students, and test their awareness. Most of the criticisms about the city , Fulda, were based on lack of social activities offered by the city, and the isolation of the students as a result. One of the students explained her feeling as being “on an island in Germany”.
Programs such as “International Evening” organised by the university, though quite positive, are not enough to help the students integrate in the normal life of the university. The nature of the program has helped this ‘isolation’ too, because it is not one of the “normal” courses offered at the university. Most of the programs offered by the department, included short trips which were mainly organised for foreign students. Coordinating extra-curricular activities with other departments at the university could foreign students to integrate more.
Fact is that when an international course is offered, the standards should conform to the international requirements. The students who return to their countries should hold degrees with reliable and calculable credit transfer. Hence, the introduction of exams in the evaluation system can reduce the anxiety of the students about the acceptability of their academic achievements. At the same

time, it can help boost the competition among the students and increase the quality of the studies.

Another aspect of observing international standards is adapting the curriculum which is in turn strongly related to the teaching mission of the institution concerned. Setting an internationalised curriculum means: first, to examine the job requirements in an international context. The content should optimise the future professional performance of the participants. Second, setting specific aims and targets, so that in case of change in the teaching staff the content can remain the same.
Such a curriculum provides the students with a better perspective of the requirements of the course. It will help them to determine, from the very beginning, on which of the three direction offered they would like to concentrate. The program is three terms, therefore, having a clear perspective can help the students see the interrelationship of the direction and decide on the research area and internship from the very beginning.
Shortcomings in language skills played an important role in the problems the students encountered. Introduction to the program, its curriculum, and criteria can be offered in two languages: German and English. It can help avoid many misunderstandings resulted from finding answers through asking other students. Finally, a more unified criteria ,concerning the language skills, can save both students and the staff from further problems.