International Week in Turku and Raseborg
6-8 May 2024
Theme
The theme of the International Week will be Teaching in multicultural groups - challenges and possibilities. At many higher education institutions the number of Degree Programmes taught in English have grown steadily. The students often come from different corners of the world and have a varied social, cultural and study background. For some students, just using a computer can be a challenge. For others, studying equals learning facts by heart. In many cultures the teachers are authorities, who must not be questioned and there are students, who are not used to groupwork and active participation as part of the lectures and learning process. The domestic students are not necessarily used to working with students from very different cultures and they can, with their behaviour, add to the cultural conflicts and miscommunication. To better assimilate different cultures and learning methods in multicultural groups, the lecturers need to understand cultural diversity and how to enhance intercultural communication and understanding in the classroom.
Programme
The programme will be published later but the aim of the week is to provide the participants with ideas, suggestions and tools that will facilitate their work with multicultural student groups. Novia UAS teachers with a long experience of teaching in multi-cultural groups will share their knowledge and experience. There will also be interactive sessions in which the participants will work in groups and discuss how different challenges could be tackled and solved. As sharing and learning from each other is one of the goals there will be time for discussion and comparisons after each session.
In addition to sessions and presentations we want to give the participants as many opportunities as possible to get to know one another, network and get a taste of Finnish culture. On Monday evening there will be a welcome dinner for all participants hosted by Novia UAS. Other evenings those who want will have dinner together at their own expense. The restaurants will be announced later.
Raseborg
Time and place
There will be three days with full programme, 6-8 May 2024, so you need to arrive during the weekend and leave on Thursday (or late afternoon on Wednesday). Thursday is a holiday, Ascention Day, when people have a day off so many shops and museums will be closed then.
Turku, Finland’s oldest city, is the main destination but you will also visit Novia’s green campus in the picturesque town of Raseborg during the second day of the International Week. Novia organizes the bus trip to Raseborg.
Costs
Participation in the International Week is free of charge. If the exchange is an Erasmus+, Erasmus Global or Nordplus staff exchange we will be happy to assist with all documents.
Target group
The week focuses mainly on teaching but other members of staff are also welcome to apply. In order to enable an interactive programme we will accept no more than 20 guests altogether, and not more than two participants from each university.
Application
Please fill in the application form here. The deadline for application is 19 April 2024.
Travelling
Most participants will probably arrive by plane to Helsinki airport but it is also possible to fly directly to Turku via Stockholm, Riga, Kaunas, Gdansk, Warsaw, Krakow and Skopje. If you arrive at the airport in Helsinki you can take a bus from the airport that goes straight to Turku. The buses leave almost every hour and the trip takes about 2,5 hours. You find the timetable here.
You can also take a commuter train from Helsinki airport to Pasila and change to the train that goes from Helsinki to Turku. You find the timetable here. The airport in Turku is situated less than 10 km from the city centre. There are local buses operating the line from the airport to the city centre. You find the timetable for the local buses here. The price for a taxi from the airport to the city centre is approximately 20 euro.
Accommodation
Novia UAS has made a reservation for ten single rooms at Centro hotel and ten single rooms at the Bridgettine guest house. If you want to stay at either Centro or the guesthouse you just need to tick the box in the application form. Please email international@novia.fi if you want to have a double room.
Centro hotel is a nice and quiet hotel right in the city centre with the best breakfast in town. It is situated half a kilometer from Novia. The price for a single room is 109 € and for a double room 128 €.
The Bridgettine guest house is run by nuns and a very peaceful place. The guesthouse is situated about 1,5 km from Novia. The price for a single room is 50 € and for a double room 70 €.
If you want to make your own reservation for accommodation there are plenty of alternatives to choose between. You find them here. Airbnb and couch surfing are also an option.
Questions?
If you have queries regarding the International Week please contact international@novia.fi.
We look forward to welcoming you to Novia!
Marit Holmlund-Sund, Mai Stenblad, Chrysi Dresnali and Isabelle Bonnet
International Office