European Policy Statement

Your Erasmus Policy Statement should reflect how you intended to implement Erasmus after the award of the ECHE. Should you wish to add additional activities in the future, you will need to amend your Erasmus Policy Statement and inform your Erasmus National Agency.
What would you like to achieve by participating in the Erasmus Programme? How does your participation in the Erasmus Programme fit into your institutional internationalisation and modernisation strategy? (Please reflect on the objectives of your participation. Please explain how you expect the participation in Erasmus to contribute towards modernising your institution, as well as on the goal of building a European Education Area1 and explain the policy objectives you intend to pursue).

Higher School of Scocial Sciences based in Lublin (WSNS) has been awarded Erasmus University Charter in 2019 and is preparing to start organizing first mobilities starting 1 June 2020. We have implemented all procedures and working together in a Erasmus accredited Consortium , we are working to expand our partners network, to provide every student opportutity for internationalization.

The goal of WSNS – College of Social Studies based in Lublin is to continuously improve the quality of teaching and grow high quality specialists in the fields of study that are needed on labour market. In order to do this, we need to work together with our partners in Poland and abroad, and provide students with opportunities of studying abroad, learn foreign languages and have opportunity to study abroad. We would like to create opportunities for local students for internationalization at home, to be able to meet foreign students and teachers in Lublin , when its impossible for our students to go abroad themselves.

Thanks to international bilateral partnerships, we are able to offer our students more possibilities. We choose our international partners based on parameters like: professionalism, compatibility of study programs, the will to work together . It is important to continuously build the network of partner institutions in a systematic and organised matter, in order to be able to offer students the best possible educational possibilities, using the results of globalization. The main criteria are :

• common ground in teaching content
• correlated study effects and results , to make best possible Learning Agreements
• will to cooperate and expand results of cooperation beyond mobility.

At the moment we are focused on searching partners in Europe, i.e. University of Precov Faculty of Health, or Titu Mariolescu University in Romania, Klaipeda State University in Lotvia, and searching for more universities in Europe, and in the future we might expand our cooperation to partner countries worldwide as well. Depending on students and staff needs and ambitions.

The main goal and most important objective is to open minds of our students to other cultures, perspectives, make them more creative, self-reliant in building their carriers. This will be achieved by increasing the potential of our staff and presenting new opportunities of mobility to our students.

After WSNS will got awarded with ECHE in 2019, it has joined Basic Economy –Erasmus+ Consortium of 4 Polish Universities and share resources and partner universities in Europe.

Currently consortium cooperates with over 100 HEI’s from Europe and partner countries.

The University will choose partners based on the mutual benefits for students and staff, being the result of corresponding study modules and study effects and in the framework of a clear strategy for internationalization.

Students of first and second degree studies have equal access to Erasmus+ programme. There will be no form of discrimination during recruitment and all students and staff will have equal chances based on publicly announced criteria. We will continue to organize practical placements abroad for our students, cooperating with solid partners like HR Experts from Greece, and Algoos.com, partner universities, and work within an accredited Erasmus+ consortium "Basic Economy". Our goal is to work together with 4 other more experienced Universities in Poland to create competitive offer of cooperation with our Universities.

WSNS participation in the Programme will be mainly in the area of student and staff mobility. Turning to Priority 1 of the Modernization Agenda, mobility experiences will enhance both the skills and employability of our graduates and to encourage our staff to benefit from different teaching and learning practices. A greater awareness of academic colleagues of the benefits of mobility for both students and staff should result both in higher levels of student and staff mobility.

To address Priority 2, we will continue our well-established relationships with professional bodies, industrial organizations, government departments and research institutes to develop our curriculum and to ensure that our courses will be relevant and meet industry needs. As the University has a culture of continuous enhancement, participation in the Programme will allow us to carry on this culture and will allow us to learn from engagement with other institutions and individuals. As a result, the whole University will be institutionally engaged in the Programme for the benefit of all its students and staff, thereby addressing Priority 3.

With regard to Priority 4, it will be key for us to work with industry, both regional and international, to provide as many opportunities for our students as possible. Not only will this be of benefit to the employability of our graduates, it will allow us to set up networks of contacts which could lead to stronger network development between the University and business in and outside the local region and increase the range of placements we can offer to our students. In terms of improving governance and funding, active engagement with partner institutions/organizations in other countries will allow us to compare and contrast our current practices, and where possible, implement enhancements to improve governance.

Relationships with these institutions could result in collaborative networks which in turn could result in joint ventures for funding applications under this, and other programmes

We believe that all successful partnerships are the result of shared commitments and mutual benefit from cooperation. Our international partner institutions are diverse, reflecting the different needs and priorities of our partners and our own students and staff. Many of our current partnerships result from individual links between academic staff, while others have been introduced through existing partners or other networks. In order to encourage the development of new links and the internationalization of our study programs, we intend to support the extension of our Erasmus exchanges to new subject areas. Additionally, we also continue to promote the benefits of participation within our institutes and we support academic staff setting up exchange programs in Europe and elsewhere with the aim to seek to offer more diverse mobility opportunities to our staff and students, and to include mobility as an integral or optional element of an increasing number of study programs.

For mobility activity, partners will be chosen by ascertaining which institutions offer similar educational offerings to our own and where there is a good curriculum match which will allow our students to progress to the next stage of their course when they return to the university.

In the EU, we will not target specific geographical areas for exchange activities as the curriculum and language of teaching will be most important so that students will receive maximum academic benefit from a period abroad.

WSNS will not apply for mobility with Partners countries worldwide in the foreseeable future.

Please reflect on the Erasmus actions you would like to take part in and explain how they will be implemented in practice at your institution. Please explain how your institution’s participation in these actions will contribute to achieving the objectives of your institutional strategy.

The Person responsible for organizing Erasmus+ mobility is Institutional Erasmus Coordinator working on the central level with managing mobility recruitment and organization on all faculties, working closely with Deans and Faculty coordinators when creating LA and monitoring recognition. Being part of Erasmus Consortium we will also work closely with Consortium Coordinator and other Erasmus Plus Coordinators of Universities being part of Basic Economy Erasmus Consortium. Our goal is long-term to divide academic aspects of Erasmus mobility organization, and financial aspects and reporting. As part of Consortium we can focus our attention on academic aspects like, preparing Learning Agreement, recognition of Transcript of Records , Recruitment procedures, sharing results and visibility of project results. The Consortium can apply for Funding and focus on financial aspects and reporting to national Agency. Institutional Erasmus Coordinators job is to work closely with the Deans of faculties and the Rector, to implement internationalization policy.

Erasmus Office is responsible for all tasks related to mobility and cooperation with partner institutions related to KA1 mobility. Rector is the person that represents the University and signs Bilateral Agreements.

Erasmus office tasks:

• Cooperation with the National Agency (regarding mobility and possibly strategic partnerships)
• Organization of mobilities and recruitment of candidates
• monitoring creation of Learning Agreement by students working with Deans or Faculty Coordinators
• monitoring, evaluation,
• applying for funding, and reporting to NA (unless funding comes via Basic Economy Erasmus Consortium)
• monitoring recognition after mobility working with Deans and Faculty Coordinators
• visibility and promotion, communication with partners abroad.

Using all the tools like OLS, mtool, help create LA, coordinate recognition of the TR, financial agreements, making sure students sign financial agreement, bring certificate, have insurance, travel, arrange accommodation. (with the help of Consortium Coordinator) - taking care of incoming students, using buddy system, facebook, building support for incoming students (with the help of Consortium Coordinator)

One person appointed in Accountancy department coordinates the scholarship payment and disbursement of funds in accordance with accounting rules and agreements with the National Agency and Erasmus+ regulations. (unless financing comes via Erasmus Consortium)

Details on student mobility on credits and academic recognition of studies and practices are agreed with deans of faculties and students. LA is approved by the dean of faculty, and recognition based on TR is also carried out by the Dean - the only person that can validate the semester.

Staff teaching and staff training programmes are accepted by Rector or other designated person, respecting rules of recruitment set and published every year.

The rules concerning the mobility of students and staff are approved by the Rector every year. We are dedicated towards working together with Consortium - Basic Economy, and work together with 4 other Universities in Poland to share contacts to 100 partner universities in EU, work together, improve offer for incoming teachers and students within consortium.

What is the envisaged impact of your participation in the Erasmus+ Programme on your institution? Please reflect on targets, as well as qualitative and quantitative indicators in monitoring this impact (such as mobility targets for student/staff mobility, quality of the implementation, support for participants on mobility, increased involvement in cooperation projects (under the KA2 action), sustainability/long-term impact of projects etc.) You are encouraged to offer an indicative timeline for achieving the targets related to the Erasmus+ actions.

The goal of WSNS is to continuously improve the quality of teaching and grow high quality specialists in the fields of study that are needed on labor market. In order to do this, we need to work together with our partners in Poland and abroad, and provide students with opportunities of studying abroad, learn foreign languages and have opportunity to study abroad. We would like to create opportunities for local students for internationalization at home, to be able to meet foreign students and teachers in all our campuses , when it is impossible for our students to go abroad themselves.

Thanks to international bilateral partnerships, we are able to offer our students more possibilities. We choose our international partners based on parameters like: professionalism, compatibility of study programs, the will to work together . It is important to continuously build the network of partner institutions in a systematic and organized matter, both from EU an non – EU countries, in order to be able to offer students the best possible educational possibilities, using the results of globalization. The main criteria are :

• common ground in teaching content
• correlated study effects and results , to make best possible Learning Agreements
• will to cooperate and expand results of cooperation beyond mobility.

The main goal and most important objective is to open minds of our students to other cultures, perspectives, make them more creative, self-reliant in building their carriers. This will be achieved by increasing the potential of our staff and presenting new opportunities of mobility to our students.

The University will choose partners based on the mutual benefits for students and staff, being the result of corresponding study modules and study effects and in the framework of a clear strategy for internationalization. Students of first and second degree studies have equal access to Erasmus+ programme. There will be no form of discrimination during recruitment and all students and staff will have equal chances based on publicly announced criteria. We will continue to organize practical placements abroad for our students, cooperating with solid partners like HR Experts from Greece, and Algoos.com, partner universities, and work within Erasmus+ Consortium "Basic Economy" . Our goal is to work together with 4 other more experienced Universities in Poland to create competitive offer of cooperation with our Universities.

Our goals and priorities in Erasmus mobility is:

a) Systematically increase the number of trips SM and TM. Thanks to Erasmus+ programme it will be possible to finance practical placements and study of students who otherwise couldn’t afford to study or gain experience abroad.
b) Full recognition of study and practical placement abroad
b) Promote mobility and provide information among students and candidates to study in our University
c) Recognition of mobility results for teachers
d) Increase the quality of cooperation with other foreign students, university students, development of careers – mentors, in cooperation with the Erasmus students
e) Increasing the relevance and contribution of foreign practices in education
f) Foreign apprenticeships for students of all faculties,
g) Prepare and conduct training programs tailored to the needs of the labor market
h) Supporting innovation and getting skills via practical achievements.
i) Participation in contests and fairs, to search for and development of innovative projects with foreign partners by engaging our outgoing academic staff and teachers.
j) Strengthening quality of teaching through mobility and cross-border cooperation with more experienced universities from abroad.

Our quantitive and qualitive goals remain focused on giving students of every field of study possibilities to study and perform practical training abroad. That means that expanding partners network is our biggest priority for upcoming years.