Faculty Member Participates in International Week at Thomas More University in Antwerp
During the Erasmus Week at the Thomas More University in Antwerp, Belgium, Prof. (FH) Karsten Böhm accepted an invitation from the partner university and participated in an international exchange from March 13 to 17, 2023. This provided him an opportunity to personally get to know the university, one of the largest in Flanders, and an institution selected multiple times by students from the Web Business & Technology program for their semester abroad destination.
The multifaceted program, organized by the International Relations Office of the Faculty of Economics, allowed networking with numerous other teachers and staff, both from Thomas More University and other participating universities from all over Europe. The International Days are a longstanding tradition at Thomas More University and took place for the 18th time. The kickoff for Erasmus Week was a welcome event at the Sanderus Campus in Antwerp, with a keynote by Dr. Nava Shaked from the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) in Israel on multidisciplinary teaching, which led to numerous interesting discussions.
Events around the topic of innovations
On Wednesday and Thursday, the program shifted to the Geel location, one of Thomas More's largest campuses, home to the areas of electronics, information and communication technologies, and applied computer science. Geel is about a 50-minute train ride from Antwerp and easily accessible. Here, Prof. (FH) Karsten Böhm had the opportunity to give a lecture entitled 'Innovation in the Era of Digital Transformation' for second-year students from various programs, encouraging forward-thinking perspectives in an interactive discussion. The lecture connected well with an extensive event planned by the host institution on innovation, focusing on "How to facilitate access to knowledge for everyone." The event implemented the design thinking method, providing 1,000 students and many faculty members from Thomas More and other universities the opportunity to delve deeper into the concept. The event's theme linked to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and Prof. (FH) Karsten Böhm supported four groups of students in finding and implementing their innovative ideas.
About teaching mobility for academic staff
"Internationality is the common thread between Antwerp and Kufstein. Although the two regions are very different in many respects, that is precisely what makes it so appealing for students from both universities to seize the opportunity for an exchange," emphasizes Prof. (FH) Karsten Böhm reflecting on the exchange. The Erasmus+ Teaching Mobility for Academic Staff supports short teaching stays at partner universities in the Erasmus+ program countries and partner countries worldwide. The program enables faculty members to gain international teaching experience and gather new inputs for their teaching and research activities. At the same time, it promotes the expansion of academic networks and the development and establishment of international collaborations and research projects.
