Internationalisation works both ways

Visiting THUAS' International Week for the first time, they immediately noticed both the similarities and the differences between our institutions.

Seth noticed differences in teaching approaches between our institution and his own. “Maybe it was just that one lecturer, but I definitely have a different approach,” he explains. “It’s difficult to pinpoint those differences after such a short time, but I could certainly see them.”

A deeper dive

Although his visit was brief, Seth took away some valuable insights. “To a certain extent, I was already mindful of the different types of students and backgrounds in my classroom, but here that became even more apparent. In the workshops I delivered, there were many students from the same region who nonetheless came from very different backgrounds. That gave me the insight to explore this further myself, so that I can better connect with my students.”

Samuel has already been collaborating with us through COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), in which students from The Hague and Namibia work together on a co-creation project. During International Week, he delivered an interactive lecture on cybersecurity, AI and blockchain.

Looking beyond today

It was an intensive week, but Samuel is already looking ahead. “Today I spoke with a professor from the Information Systems programme and another from the Computer Science programme. There is a great deal of enthusiasm for further collaboration. Until now, our partnership has focused primarily on the business programme, but we want to expand it because we see that you offer several programmes that align closely with our own.”

Samuel would also like to build on the connections he made during his visit. “We are eager to explore further collaboration through staff exchanges. This could involve professors from the Netherlands teaching in Namibia, or lecturers from Namibia delivering classes within your programmes. In this way, we can learn from each other and build a strong intercultural partnership between our two universities.”

Both visitors enjoyed the experience and are returning home with new ideas and valuable connections.