a)
Trakya University (TU) considers internalization to be a great importance to be integrated in the European Higher Education Area and European Research Area. Trakya University’s ob-jectives concerning Erasmus activities are focusing on both qualitative and quantitative im-provement of student and staff mobility, implementation of ECTS Credit System effectively within the university in accordance with curricular reform, and engaging in more IP and Mul-tilateral Projects. The strategies to realize these objectives are to:
Provide all Trakya University members with detailed information and analysis of changes happening within the Erasmus Programme resulting from LLP.
Update ECTS Course Catalogue Database at our official web-site continuously.
Initiate teaching staff for organizing multilateral and IP projects to be offered firstly to our present partners.
Promote Erasmus programme through our EU Link at our official web-site, regular student and teaching staff meetings, and Erasmus Student Club.
Trakya University will focus on the following priority areas:
International curricula will be developed.
Incoming student mobility will be promoted and our support of those students will be enhanced.
An ‘online’ application procedure with partner institutions to facilitate student mobility will be implemented.
The projects associated with Erasmus Programme will be given priority in the alloca-tion of research funds.
b)
Erasmus activities are going to be made visible to the university members and the region TU located via announcements at our university web-site and other local press. The reports on the experiences of the students and the teaching staff engaged in Erasmus mobility and the infor-mation on the projects and their outcomes will also be published at university web-site and local press. EPS developed in line with our strategic plan has received the approval and agreement of our university senate and will be given publicity through our university web-site together with EUC.
Gender inequality, racism and xenophobia, exclusion of socially disadvantaged groups to education, training, research and teaching have never been an issue in Trakya University. Strong feeling of hospitality, charity and support nourished by the society prevent them. However, TU is committed to combat all forms of these issues if they ever occur.
II
TU successfully adopted ECTS principles across the university and published the system un-der our ECTS Course Catalogue System database at university web-site, which is updated by the departments continuously. TU Senate identified equivalent local grades for ECTS grades and our Faculty Boards check outgoing students ToR’s and Recognition Sheets in order to have full recognition of the credits the students gained. 25 (total outgoing students) students ECTS grades have been recognized fully by this system so far. Incoming students can have clear info on our curricula by checking our ECTS Course Catalogue System database being published our university web-site. Outgoing students are also informed on their program by preparing their LA’s before they start their learning programme. Moreover, outgoing students are informed on the programme through orientation programme offered by Erasmus Office. The orientation programme includes academic support concerning language support and cul-tural background info on the host country. Accordingly, incoming students will also be of-fered orientation programme by Erasmus Office including info on Turkish culture, university administration and facilities. Incoming students will be provided accommodation options ei-ther in student dorms, guesthouses, or flats in the city. Outgoing Erasmus students are offered either English or German preparatory and refresher language courses by the college of For-eign Languages of TU. Incoming students will also be offered preparatory Turkish Language courses by our department of Turkish language and Literature for free. The staff of TU are encouraged to be engaged in mobility activities and supported through yearly performance evaluation.
III
In line with the expansion and development of the International Office and the paper on TU’s Erasmus Policy, TU intends to take the following measures to ensure high quality in student placements:
To offer greater support and encouragement of opportunities and provide an im-proved, more comprehensive service
To conduct quality reviews and gain feedback on a regular basis with our partners.
To consult with incoming and outgoing students at the conclusion of their placement period in order to evaluate their overall experience of placement.
To guarantee full recognition of the placement activities undertaken at a host institu-tion via Placement and Learning agreements together with quality assurance docu-ment.
To provide language formation for students willing to engage in placement.
Although TU has not been engaged in Placement activity under Erasmus as it is a new pro-gramme, we have placement programme experiences under different names. 20 TU students went for apprenticeship training to food factories in Bulgaria under a protocol signed between the departments of Food Engineering of University of Food Technologies and TU. The stu-dents from Bulgaria were also placed in Turkish Food Factories for apprenticeship training. TU is an active partner in the successful IP in the area of teaching, entitled “Teaching and Diversity” and 5 of our students are going to take part in this project. TU is planning to de-velop consortium with Chamber of Commerce in Edirne in order to find places especially in neighbouring Balkan countries for student placements. The agreements will be signed be-tween this consortium and the partner. Detailed work plan will be prepared with the approval of both parties before placements start. During the placements the activities of the students will be checked via e-mail contacts. TU will recognize student placement activities as an ac-knowledgement of their compulsory apprenticeship in the curriculum.