Erasmus Assessment Report Outgoing Students

Transcription

1 Erasmus Assessment Report Outgoing Students 010 Il-Kunsill tal-istudenti Universitarji Report written by: Larkin Zahra KSU International Officer Francesca Scicluna KSU International Co-ordinator

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents... i List of Figures... vi List of Tables... ix Acknowledgements... xiii 1. Introduction Methodology Study Focus and Approach Aims of Study Targets and Outcomes Study Logistics Study Statistics University of Malta International and EU Office Data Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Erasmus Focus Group Difficulties Encountered Limitations of Study Report Structure Analysis of the number of students going on Erasmus Chapter Introduction Total number of students applying, accepted and going on Erasmus Number of students applying, accepted and going on Erasmus per Faculty, Institute and Centre Faculty of Arts Faculty for the Built Environment i

3 3.3.3 Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy Faculty of Education Faculty of Engineering Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Faculty of Laws Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Faculty of Science Faculty of Theology Institute of Criminology Institute of Earth Systems Institute of Linguistics Mediterranean Institute Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture Centre for Communication Technology European Documentation and Research Centre Centre for Conservation and Restoration Comparison between the number of students going on Erasmus between the different Faculties, Institutes and Centres Comparison of Malta s situation when compared to the other countries participating in the Erasmus Programme Chapter Conclusion Analysis of the Universities and Placements Chapter Introduction General Overview Specific Analysis Faculty of Arts Faculty for the Built Environment Faculty of Dental Surgery ii

4 4.3.4 Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy Faculty of Education Faculty of Engineering Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Faculty of Laws Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Faculty of Science Faculty of Theology Institute of Criminology The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking Institute of Earth Systems Institute of Linguistics Mediterranean Institute Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture Centre for Communication Technology European Documentation and Research Centre Others Chapter Conclusion Analysis of the Administrative Problems Chapter Introduction The University of Malta International & EU Office Competences of the University of Malta International and EU Office - Outgoing Students Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group The University of Malta Faculties, Institutes and Centres iii

5 5.3.1 Competences of the University of Malta Faculties, Institutes and Centres Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group Host University Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group Chapter Conclusion Analysis of the Academic Problems Chapter Introduction Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group Academic difficulties encountered during the exchange programme Academic difficulties encountered after the exchange programme The Erasmus Semester Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Assessment Questionnaire Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Focus Group Chapter Conclusion Analysis of the Financial Aspect of going on Erasmus Chapter Introduction Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group Analysis of the grants given per academic year per host country Analysis of the grants given to the students at the University of Malta during the academic years and Grants and Expenses Chapter Conclusion iv

6 8. Analysis of the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Results Chapter Introduction Analysis of the Results Chapter Conclusion Recommendations Chapter Introduction Recommendations in order to improve Malta s experience in the Erasmus Programme Chapter Conclusion Conclusion List of Annexes Annex 1: International exposure of the call for participants for the Erasmus Focus Group Annex : The questions asked in the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Annex 3: Erasmus Focus Group PowerPoint presentation Annex 4: Sample of the Erasmus Focus Group booklet Annex 5: Outgoing Erasmus students' interest-free loan scheme proposal v

7 List of Figures Figure 1 Figure Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Total number of students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Arts students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty for the Built Environment students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Education students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Engineering students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Health Sciences students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Laws students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Total number of the Faculty of Science students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year vi

8 Figure 1 Total number of the Faculty of Theology students that applied, got 6 accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 13 Total number of the Institute of Criminology students that applied, 7 got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 14 Total number of the Institute of Earth Systems students that 7 applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 15 Total number of the Institute of Linguistics students that applied, 8 got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 16 Total number of the Mediterranean Institute students that applied, 9 got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 17 Total number of the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture 30 students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 18 Total number of the Centre for Communication Technology 31 students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 19 Total number of the European Documentation and Research Centre 3 students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 0 Total number of the Centre for Conservation and Restoration 33 students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year Figure 1 Outgoing Erasmus students in as a share of student 37 population by country Figure Graph of grant given per host country in Euro 94 Figure 3 Rating of the perception of the Erasmus programme 100 Figure 4 Have you ever been on Erasmus? 100 Figure 5 Rating of the Erasmus experience 101 Figure 6 Amount of money received as a grant per month 10 Figure 7 Estimated costs per month 103 Figure 8 Was the grant fair? 103 vii

9 Figure 9 Comparison of the host university and the University of Malta in 104 academic terms Figure 30 Comparison of the host university and the University of Malta in 105 campus life terms Figure 31 Was the Erasmus semester appropriate? 106 Figure 3 Why wasn t the Erasmus semester appropriate? 107 Figure 33 Rating of the University of Malta International and EU Office 107 Figure 34 Problems encountered at the University of Malta International and 108 EU Office (if applicable) Figure 35 Support received from the respective local Faculties, Institutes and 109 Centres Figure 36 Problems encountered with recognition when back in Malta 110 Figure 37 Do you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students 111 from your course? Figure 38 Why would you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other 111 students from your course? Figure 39 Why wouldn t you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other 11 students from your course? Figure 40 Have you applied to go on Erasmus? 113 Figure 41 Did you get accepted to go on Erasmus? 113 Figure 4 Why didn t you go on Erasmus? 114 Figure 43 Transparency of the selection process 115 Figure 44 Would you consider applying again? 116 Figure 45 Why would you consider applying again? 116 Figure 46 Why wouldn t you consider applying again? 117 Figure 47 Do you intend applying? 118 Figure 48 Why do you intend applying? 119 Figure 49 Why don t you intend applying? 10 Figure 50 What would have triggered you to apply? 11 Figure 51 Gender distribution 11 Figure 5 Faculty, Institute and Centre distribution 1 viii

10 List of Tables Table 1 Table Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Table 7 Table 8 Table 9 Table 10 Table 11 Table 1 Table 13 Percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to the students accepted to go on Erasmus per Faculty, Institute and Centre for the 004/ /007 and 007/ /010 academic years Amount of students who went on Erasmus per Faculty, Institute and Centre for the 004/ /007 and 007/ /010 academic years List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Arts students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Arts students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty for the Built Environment students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty for the Built Environment students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Education students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Education students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Engineering students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Engineering students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Health Sciences students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year ix

11 Table 14 Table 15 Table 16 Table 17 Table 18 Table 19 Table 0 Table 1 Table Table 3 Table 4 Table 5 Table 6 Number of available places for the Faculty of Health Sciences students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Laws students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Laws students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Science students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Science students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Theology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Faculty of Theology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute of Criminology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Institute of Criminology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year x

12 Table 7 Table 8 Table 9 Table 30 Table 31 Table 3 Table 33 Table 34 Table 35 Table 36 Table 37 Table 38 Table 39 List of bi-lateral agreements for The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development and Thinking students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development and Thinking students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute of Earth Systems students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Institute of Earth Systems students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute of Linguistics students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Institute of Linguistics students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Mediterranean Institute students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Mediterranean Institute students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the Centre for Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Number of available places for the Centre for Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year List of bi-lateral agreements for the European Documentation and Research Centre students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year xi

13 Table 40 Number of available places for the European Documentation and 77 Research Centre students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Table 41 List of bi-lateral agreements for the rest of the students wishing to 77 go on Erasmus for the academic year Table 4 Number of available places for the rest of the students wishing to 79 go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Table 43 Grants given per country for the 004/ /010 academic 93 years in Euro Table 44 Grants given to the students during the academic year in Euro Table 45 Grants given to the students during the academic year in Euro Table 46 Estimated Expenses for the academic year in Euro 98 xii

14 Acknowledgements We would like to express our gratitude towards the entire KSU executive for the constant help and support that they have shown us during the time when we were writing this report. Special thanks go to the members of the Erasmus Focus Group who have helped us by giving us an insight of the Erasmus Programme in relation to their respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres. The members of the Erasmus Focus Group were: Ms Maria Kristina Pace (Faculty of Arts), Ms Sharon Falzon (Faculty for the Built Environment), Ms Danielle Farrugia (Faculty of Education), Mr Jean Marie Darmanin (Faculty of Engineering), Ms Yvette Zarb (Faculty of Health Sciences), Ms Marika Attard (Faculty of Theology), Ms Romilda Grima (Institute of Criminology), Ms Colette Caruana (Mediterranean Institute), Ms Tamara Gauci (Centre for Communication Technology) and Mr Hubert Paul Farrugia (European Documentation and Research Centre). The KSU International Office would also like to thank Mr Ian Buhagiar and Ms Rachel Cassar for their help and patience in helping us in the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire. Our appreciation also goes to those organisations and individuals who promoted this questionnaire in order to collect as many responses as possible. Finally, we would like to thank the University of Malta International and EU Office (Ms Stefania Fabri, Ms Anna Callus, Ms Annhelica Agius and Ms Maria Vella) and the European Union Programmes Agency (namely Mr Reuben Pullicino and Mr Karl Mintoff) for their help in providing us with the necessary information to complete the Erasmus Assessment Report. xiii

15 1. Introduction The European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students Programme (Erasmus Programme) has been established in 1987 by the now European Union. It is considered to be the EU s flagship education and training programme 1 that aids higher education institutions all across Europe to co-operate together. The European Union Portal describes the Erasmus Programme as follows: Many studies show that a period spent abroad not only enriches students' lives in the academic and professional fields, but can also improve language learning, intercultural skills, self-reliance and self-awareness. Their experiences give students a better sense of what it means to be a European citizen. In addition, many employers highly value such a period abroad, which increases the students' employability and job prospects. 1 KSU believes that it is a major shortcoming from the relevant authorities concerned that an assessment of the Maltese experience of the Erasmus programme has not been done before. In fact, it is KSU who decided to study the current situation of the Erasmus Programme since the aim of having the students to become more mobile can be tackled in a more effective way by means of the statistics obtained and compiled by this report. Such statistics and information cover the various aspects of the Erasmus Programme. Moreover, these statistics will give a more clear indication of the problems that are related to this programme and what is needed in order for such problems to be overcome. It is the objective of KSU that this research exercise is also done in relation to the incoming international student in order to help these students to maximise their experience at the University of Malta with the help of the university administration, lecturing staff, relevant authorities and other organisations involved. KSU believes that this report is the starting point of a series of activities in relation to the Erasmus Programme. With the aid of the recommendations arising out of this Erasmus Assessment Report, KSU will do its utmost to ensure that these recommendations are effectively tackled for the benefit of all the students studying at the University of Malta wishing to go on Erasmus. It is expected that these actions will result in an increase in the take-up of this programme especially from the ones who would not have opted to go on Erasmus before. 1 Ibid. 1

16 KSU s concerns are not limited to the statistics of the number of students going on Erasmus. We will work hard in order to minimise all the inconveniences related to the application process, to the actual period during which one is abroad on Erasmus and to the period when the students come back and expect a speedy and faithful recognition of the marks obtained at the host university. If this report manages to address these points, then the purpose of this assessment would be fulfilled as we would have managed to improve the students experience in all the phases that they have to face with in order to go on Erasmus. It is not our intention to associate and blame the problems to a specific entity. We believe that it was necessary to highlight the problems encountered by the students so that all the relevant authorities and offices can focus their efforts to improve the Maltese students experience on what is actually needed. We are sure that all the officials concerned will do their best in order to address such shortcomings highlighted by this report in the shortest time possible.

17 . Methodology.1 Study Focus and Approach The focus of this study is to assess the current situation of the Erasmus programme with the specific intention of assessing whether students are reaping the full benefits it can offer. Various aspects of the Erasmus Programme will be focused upon in order to have a holistic analysis and assessment of this programme. The approaches we intend to choose include both a qualitative and a quantitative aspect. The qualitative aspect is tackled by the Erasmus Focus Group where a more in depth discussion was organised in order to have a better insight of the particular situation of each and every Faculty, Institute and Centre. The quantitative aspect involves the statistical data collected from the International and EU Office of the University of Malta and from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire which KSU compiled in order to enrich the research aspect of this study.. Aims of Study The primary aim of this study is to shed light on the experience of the Maltese students within the Erasmus Programme especially after the May 010 incident regarding the suspension of the Lifelong Learning EU funds. Thus, this study is vital in order shift the focus of the Erasmus Programme from one that is simply related to the grants issue, to one that is wider in scope. This will ultimately lead us to analyse various aspects related to this programme so that we will be able to give our recommendations in order to have the current situation improved. Another aim of this study is to have a single updated research on the Erasmus Programme. To date, no real holistic study exists on such a programme. In previous years, the discussion revolved more about numbers rather than other matters, such as the actual experience of participating in an Erasmus exchange. We believe that this report can trigger a more informed and true discussion on this programme..3 Targets and Outcomes The first target of this study is to examine the number of applications by the local students to go on Erasmus and the number of the students who eventually decide to go. The outcome of this target is to evaluate the take-up of such an opportunity offered by the Erasmus Programme. 3

18 Another target is to assess the number and level of universities which the University of Malta has an agreement with. The outcome of this target will revolve on whether the University of Malta is offering a wide range of universities and placements which the Maltese students can choose from and whether the agreements are signed with high level universities or not. This study will identify the administrative efficiencies and deficiencies both in relation to the staff within the Faculties, Institutes and Centres, in relation to the International and EU Office officials and related to the administration of the host university. The outcome of this aspect will include suggestions in order to avoid the deficiencies and to strengthen further more the efficiencies. The assessment of the academic difficulties is also a target within the context of this study. The outcomes related to this point are envisaged to include proposals on how such difficulties can be tackled effectively and overcome. The financial aspect of the Erasmus Programme will also be analysed in order to see whether the grant given is fair and if it is enough. Another outcome related to this aspect will be an assessment of whether the structure of how the grant is given (should students from different courses that have different expenses related to their studies receive the same amount of grant?) and what the grant should cover (maybe it should cater for just the accommodation of the stay in that particular host university) are fair. Moreover, the final target of this study is to suggest a number of recommendations to be implemented in order for the Erasmus programme to be more successful. The outcome of such suggestions would be an increase in the students who apply to go on Erasmus, an increase in the take-up of this mobility programme and the avoidance of all the difficulties that were experienced in the past that might have shadowed the benefits of this programme..4 Study Logistics This study has had a large amount of promotion as from its early stages. The Erasmus Focus Group is a case in point where we needed to find a representative from all the Faculties, Institutes and Centres that registered students applying to go on Erasmus. A call was sent through the mailing lists of the Education Commission and the Social Policy Commission. A personal was also sent to all the student representatives in order to send it to their contact list to try and find participants from their respective faculty. This call for participation was also forwarded by the student and youth 4

19 organisations present on campus where eventually it ended up being included in an international newsletter sent to more than 30 countries (refer to Annex 1). The Erasmus Assessment Report was given prominence in the summer recess as well. KSU sent a mail shot to its members to encourage them to complete the questionnaire. Moreover, KSU also sent the same message to the Registrar s Office in order to be forwarded to every student registered at the University of Malta. These mail shots were complemented by the s sent to the mailing lists of the Education and Social Policy Commissions. A poster was also designed in order to further promote the questionnaire, a soft copy of which was sent as an shot while a hard copy of it could be found all over the University of Malta campus (mainly in Student s House)..5 Study Statistics Various types of statistics were used for this study. These include data obtained from the University of Malta International and EU Office, statistical data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire and data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group..5.1 University of Malta International and EU Office Data Data was obtained from the University of Malta International and EU Office. Such data consisted of several statistics related to the applications and take-up of the Erasmus Programme and on the bi-lateral agreements which the University of Malta has an agreement with. It is worth noting that the data was split according to the current University of Malta structure according to the present composition of Faculties, Institutes and Centres. This was essential in order to have a constant and coherent data which does not change in relation to different academic years. In this way, comparisons between different academic years could be made possible. The analysis of this data was also split up according to the average annual percentages of students who went on Erasmus for the academic years taken into consideration. We decided to take this approach and not on the actual number of students that went on Erasmus since the latter would not be suitable for comparison reasons. 5

20 .5. Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire An Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire was compiled in order to gather a general feedback from a large number of students. The questions that were included in this questionnaire can be viewed in Annex. The desired amount of respondents was set at five hundred students in order to have this questionnaire as representative as possible. In fact, this questionnaire was completed by students from almost all the Faculties, Institutes and Centres of the University of Malta. The questionnaire was structured on this premise since it catered for a wide plethora of situations: for students who have no interest in applying to go on Erasmus, for students who applied and didn t get accepted, for students who got accepted but decided not to go and for students who got accepted and actually went. The data obtained from the online questionnaire which totalled 519 respondents was analysed through the IBM SPSS Statistics predictive tool..5.3 Erasmus Focus Group An Erasmus Focus Group was set up to collect more specific data in relation to the various aspects of the Erasmus Programme. A call for a representative from every Faculty, Institute and Centre was sent through various channels in order to gather a better insight of the Erasmus Programme situation on a micro level. Moreover, when we had more than one student interested in forming part of this Erasmus Focus Group, we decided to choose between the applicants on the basis of the following criteria: to have as much as possible a gender balance between the participants and to have a representation of the various geographical groupings of Europe (Scandinavia, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and Southern Europe/Mediterranean countries). In this way we could get information which is closer to reality since the different European scenarios for students going on Erasmus would be taken into consideration. A PowerPoint presentation was prepared for the Erasmus Focus Group in order to trigger the discussion, a copy of which can be viewed in Annex 3. A KSU representative was in charge of documenting all the responses so that all the opinions of the participants would eventually be included in the study. Moreover, a booklet was prepared in order to have a hard copy of these opinions since it might be the case that some of the opinions in mind were not expressed by word of mouth. A sample of this booklet can be viewed in Annex 4. 6

21 The Faculties, Institutes and Centres that were represented in this Erasmus Focus Group are as follows: Faculty of Arts, Faculty for the Built Environment, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Theology, Institute of Criminology, Mediterranean Institute, Centre for Communication Technology and the European Documentation and Research Centre. Other representatives were found but did not participate in this Focus Group. A soft copy of the booklet used during the Erasmus Focus Group was sent by to these students/university of Malta alumni, in order to receive additional feedback that would not have been available to us otherwise. The Faculties, Institutes and Centres concerned were as follows: Faculty of Laws and the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture. There were other Faculties, Institutes and Centres which were not represented in this Erasmus Focus Group mainly due to the restrictions that stop the students from going on Erasmus. In fact, a number of difficulties that the students find are to match the study-units offered abroad with the ones offered at the University of Malta and the fact that they have to do compulsory study-units or practical sessions during the semester/s available for the students to go on Erasmus. These include the Faculty of Dental Surgery, Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Faculty of Science, The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking, Institute of Earth Systems and Institute of Linguistics. The rest of the Institutes and Centres present at the University of Malta were not considered to form part of this Erasmus Focus Group since they had no student enrolled with them that participated in the Erasmus Programme. The number of students participating in the Focus Group had to be carefully considered in order not to hinder potential results through the participation of an excessive number of people. Thus, our aim of having clear and precise information through the discussion between the students involved would not have been successful..6 Difficulties Encountered Our aim was to have the Erasmus Focus Group with a gender balance and a representation from the various regional groupings of Europe. We registered interest from a larger number of female students than their male counterparts. Moreover, even though we managed to reach the majority of the European regional groupings (with the exception of Central Europe), we had a number of countries that were represented more than once. These included Ireland, the United Kingdom and Finland. However, 7

22 there was no other choice than accepting these participants since some Faculties, Institutes and Centres would not have been represented otherwise. One should also take notice that students from a number of Faculties, Institutes and Centres did not form part of the Erasmus Focus Group. In some cases, the students that we contacted replied that no student from their Faculty go on Erasmus since the studyunits between the University of Malta and the host universities which the University of Malta has a bilateral agreement with do not match or because the students are obliged to do certain practices in Malta every year that serve as an impediment from going on Erasmus. The large number of fillings that the Dentistry students have to do is a case in point. Other Faculties were not represented just because there was no student who was interested in giving their say in this Erasmus Focus Group. The Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire is one way how we tackled this difficulty since we received feedback from the majority of students of all the Faculties, Institutes or Centres based at the University of Malta. Another difficulty encountered was to find students to complete the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire. A major contributor for this situation to develop was the fact that we had to collect the necessary data during the summer recess. Many students have other commitments in summer which are not related to their academic life that might have hindered them from completing this questionnaire. To solve this problem, we have intensified our promotion attempts in order to reach out as much as possible to all the University of Malta students. The Erasmus Programme was high on the agenda of many stakeholders in 010. The media gave it prominence every time there was a slight development. The attention revolved mainly around the suspension of the Lifelong Learning funds. Thus, other important aspects of this mobility programme were sidelined such as the academic aspects and the statistics of the take-up of such a programme by the local students. We wanted to compile this report in a holistic manner so that we could successfully assess whether the students are reaping the full benefits of this programme. This is the reason why this study includes a large number of aspects related to the Erasmus programme. The last difficulty which we faced was to acquire the necessary information for this study. We needed statistical data which we never received a reply for such as which is/are the Erasmus Semester/s of every Faculty, Institute and Centre. In other cases, we had to face bureaucratic hindrances that prevented us from obtaining the data that we required. 8

23 .7 Limitations of Study One of the limitations of this study is the fact that the number of students accepted refers to those students that have an average that is higher than the minimum threshold needed to go on Erasmus. Thus, it might be the case that a number of students that were accepted were not even given the possibility to go on Erasmus due to the limited places available. Therefore, the difference between the students who applied and the students who were accepted is confined to the number of students who achieved a low average. This means that we do not have the data to compare how many went on Erasmus from those who were actually given a place since no such data exists. This is also true in the light of the fact that Erasmus Officers within the University of Malta International and EU Office try until the very end to transfer the places available that were not taken up from the students that would have withdrawn their application to go on Erasmus and to make it available to the other students that were not offered a place before. Another limitation when comparing the statistical data acquired for this report is the fact that some course structures have changed throughout the years taken into consideration for the purpose of this study. A case in point is the Faculty for the Built Environment whereby both fourth and fifth year students have the opportunity to go on Erasmus while it was only the third year students that had this opportunity before. The same situation apply for the European Documentation and Research Centre since third year students have started being accepted to go on Erasmus as from this year whereas only second year students could go on Erasmus in the past. Thus, some of the data obtained cannot be compared due to the fact that a larger number of students could have gone on Erasmus resulting in an artificial increase in the take-up of this mobility programme when compared to the previous years (when the changes in the Erasmus Semester/s were not in place). Another limitation of this study is that the statistics and information that we obtained does not cover the academic year, the one which was under the spotlight recently due to the suspension of some of the EU funds. It must be noted that the primary aim of this study was to assess the Erasmus Programme in a holistic manner and thus not limiting our efforts on the grants aspect of the mobility programme. Nonetheless, the data for this academic year would have led this study to tackle all the aspects arising out of this programme. The majority of the data we have in hand is based on the situation within the University of Malta. Recently, other Maltese educational institutions started participating in the Erasmus programme (MCAST and ITS). Thus, these institutions were included when the 9

24 overall picture of the Erasmus take-up is taken into consideration. This means that the data used to compare the Maltese situation with the other EU countries is not specific to the University of Malta. Therefore, the data might not give the true picture of the situation at the University of Malta since it is affected by the other educational institutions concerned..8 Report Structure The first two chapters will provide an introduction and the methodology for this study on the current situation of the Erasmus Programme. The third chapter will focus mainly on the analysis of the number of students that applied to go on Erasmus, those who got accepted and the ones who actually went to study or for a placement abroad. This analysis will be made per faculty for the year starting from the academic year till the academic year Moreover, the total percentage of the students that went on Erasmus will be compared to the total number of University of Malta students from that particular faculty that could have gone on Erasmus. This will show how close Malta is from achieving the EU00 strategy on student mobility. The fourth chapter will deal with an analysis of the number of universities or placements available per faculty for the year starting from the academic year till the academic year This chapter will also tackle the level, as perceived by the students, of the universities which the University of Malta has a bilateral agreement with and the take-up of these places by the Maltese students going on Erasmus. This analysis will be aided by the information obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group. The fifth and sixth chapter will identify the administrative problems and academic problems encountered by the student. This will include an analysis of the Erasmus Semester for each faculty, the recognition process for the marks obtained by the student at the host university when transferred to the local marking system and the issues related to the University of Malta International and EU Office. These chapters will be focusing on the information and the data arising out of the Erasmus Focus Group. It must be noted that both the administrative problems encountered at the University of Malta and those encountered at the host university will be identified. The seventh chapter will be based upon the analysis of the financial aspect of going on Erasmus. The expenses that the students incur and an assessment of the grant given to the student going on Erasmus will feature in this chapter. The Erasmus Focus Group 10

25 and the data collected from the University of Malta International and EU Office will be the basis of such analysis. The eighth chapter will analyse all the data that was collected from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire. The questions asked were related to all the aspects of the Erasmus Programme as tackled in the previous chapters in this report. The analysis of the questionnaire was grouped in one chapter in order to have a more structured evaluation of the responses. In the ninth chapter, a number of recommendations that KSU suggests to be implemented on every aspect tackled during this study will be made. Such recommendations will include general suggestions and other more specific ones related to particular faculties, offices or agencies. The tenth chapter will conclude the study in order to analyse whether students are reaping the full benefits of the Erasmus Programme. 11

26 3. Analysis of the number of students going on Erasmus 3.1 Chapter Introduction This part of the report analyses the number of students that showed interest and applied to go on the Erasmus Programme, those which were accepted and those students who actually went on Erasmus per year per different Faculties, Institutes and Centres starting from the academic year till the academic year A bar chart for each Faculty, Institute and Centre has been plotted in order to offer the possibility for students to undergo this programme. An analysis of the results obtained from these bar charts as well as the comments obtained from the Erasmus Focus Group follow. Additionally, the total students going on Erasmus has been compared to the student population and a comparative analysis between the different Faculties, Institutes and Centres has also been done. 3. Total number of students applying, accepted and going on Erasmus The number of students going on Erasmus has increased throughout the years, with an increase of 33.08% from the academic year to the academic year The percentage rise in students going on Erasmus, from the University of Malta, between the academic years to 009/010, was of 47.86% while the percentage rise in the student population was 1.87%. Thus, one can see that more students are going on average when compared to the current University of Malta population. It must be noted that the number of students going on Erasmus is not a relatively small one so it is much easier to have a shift in the percentages while this does not apply to the total number of students enrolled to read for a degree at the University of Malta since the number of students is much larger. The Erasmus Focus Group has commented that these results are not surprising as it is difficult to find students who are willing to take up this experience and deviate from the security offered by home. Nevertheless, they opted to apply anyway because they were extremely motivated to go on Erasmus. Additionally, some students think of university as a collection of credits rather than a chance to broaden the mind. 1

27 Total No. of Students Figure 1: Total number of students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year / / / / / /010 Academic Year Total no. of Students that applied to go on Erasmus Total no. of Students that got accepted to go on Erasmus Total no. of Students that went on Erasmus Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 13

28 Number of Students 77.78% of the Erasmus Focus Group has also commented on the fact that some Faculties, Institutes and Centres are not as encouraging when students opt to go on Erasmus. Moreover, it is hard to find a university where the credits match those at the University of Malta. 3.3 Number of students applying, accepted and going on Erasmus per Faculty, Institute and Centre Faculty of Arts In the Faculty of Arts, the percentage of students who went on Erasmus out of the total students accepted has varied from 31.71% in to 59.6% in On average during the six years taken into consideration, a percentage of 4.65% of the students who were accepted to go on the Erasmus Programme actually went. This figure decreased in the past three academic years where an average of 36.51% has gone on Erasmus from compared to where 48.79% had gone. Figure : Total number of the Faculty of Arts students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The percentage of students applying to go on Erasmus has varied from year to year by a maximum of 7.4% between the academic years and , these having the lowest and highest number of students applying for the Erasmus 14

29 Number of Students Programme respectively. Despite this rapid increase in applicants, the percentage of students who actually went on Erasmus decreased from 59.3% to 53.1% during the academic years in question. Surprisingly, the academic year, which marked the lowest number of applicants and the highest percentage of non-accepted students, resulted in the highest number of students going on Erasmus. The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that the number of students going on Erasmus should have increased throughout the years as travelling has become easier and cheaper. Also communication with the University of Malta, family and friends in Malta has been facilitated when residing abroad. The reason for such figures in the latest years, according to the Erasmus Focus Group, has shown that not much effort has been put to promote the Erasmus Programme by the University of Malta Faculty for the Built Environment Figure 3: Total number of the Faculty for the Built Environment students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Faculty for the Built Environment has undergone a significant increase in the number of students applying for the Erasmus Programme and actually going on Erasmus. During the academic year , 64.9% of the students that were 15

30 accepted on Erasmus actually participated in an exchange. This also marks the largest percentage rise of students going on Erasmus since the academic year where no student had undergone this mobility exchange programme. Between the academic years to , the highest percentage of students going on Erasmus was during the academic year where 45.45% of the students who got accepted went on Erasmus. Between the academic years to , the highest number of students that applied to go on Erasmus resulted in the least amount of students that actually went, with only 0% of the students accepted actually going in the academic year This figure tripled in the following academic year ( ). Furthermore, all the students of the Faculty for the Built Environment who applied to go on Erasmus from the entire academic years taken into consideration in this study have been accepted. The average percentage of students who went on Erasmus throughout these same academic years was 33.4% each year. The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that there is more awareness on the possibility of going on Erasmus in the Faculty for the Built Environment resulting in an increased number of students applying for this programme. The significant increase in is due to the fact that the students who could apply to go on Erasmus were students from both the third and fourth year. Therefore, the number of potential applicants doubled when compared to previous years. Nevertheless, the number of students going on Erasmus has increased in a higher proportion to the increase in students who could have applied. The Erasmus Focus Group also commented that during the academic year , the students undergoing an Erasmus exchange programme was very low. It was noted that during the same academic year, there was a significant amount of students who had undergone a Direct Exchange Programme to non-eu countries. Thus, the latter has affected the number of students going on Erasmus that are currently enrolled with this Faculty Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy The Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy has experienced a very low percentage of students who went on Erasmus as well as those willing to apply for an Erasmus exchange. During the academic years to , an average annual percentage of 0.85% of the students who have applied to go Erasmus actually 16

31 Number of Students participated. An increase of 34.39% on the average annual percentage from the academic years to can be recalled resulting in an average annual percentage of 35.4% in the last 3 years. Figure 4: Total number of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year until the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placement No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placement No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies or Placement Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office During the academic year, the percentage of students who went on Erasmus in relation to the number of students who got accepted reached 60%. This has shown a significant increase when compared to the previous years, were no students had undergone this exchange. Nevertheless, the number of students going on Erasmus is still very small when compared to the size of the Faculty. During the academic year , a percentage of 3.81% of the students who applied for the Erasmus Programme have been rejected. The 5 students who went on Erasmus, during the year , include students who went on a placement. These students are reading for a degree in Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Social Work. 17

32 Number of Students Faculty of Education Figure 5: Total number of the Faculty of Education students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Faculty of Education has shown variances in the amount of students applying per academic year. Nevertheless, the amount of students going on Erasmus has been rather consistent over the past 4 years. The highest percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to the students accepted to go was during the academic year. During this period, 80% of the students accepted to go on Erasmus have taken up this opportunity. The year has also marked the highest amount of students actually going on this exchange programme. During the to academic years, the average annual percentage of students going on Erasmus was that of 35.3% of the students that got accepted. This percentage has decreased rapidly by 19.83% in the last 3 years resulting in an average annual percentage of 15.40%. The interest shown by the students to apply for the Erasmus Programme has increased within the last 3 years. Nevertheless, the students actually going on Erasmus has not increased. 18

33 Number of Students Faculty of Engineering During the to academic years, the Faculty of Engineering has gone through a consistent amount of students going on Erasmus despite the increase of 86.67% in the amount of applicants applying for Erasmus during the academic years to The average annual percentage of students going on Erasmus between the academic years to has been 1.8% higher than that between the academic years to The latter being 33.95% of the students that got accepted to go on Erasmus, actually going. In the Faculty of Engineering, all the students who have ever applied to go on Erasmus, during the academic years taken into consideration have been accepted. Figure 6: Total number of the Faculty of Engineering students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that most students drop out after they have been accepted (an annual average of 65.41%) due to problems with matching the credits 19

34 Number of Students offered at the University of Malta with those at the host university. Additionally, some foreign languages impose a barrier for the local students to participate. The Erasmus Focus Group added that most students will be willing to take up the Erasmus experience only if they are chosen at their first preference. For this reason, if accepted at their second or third preference the students will not consider going on Erasmus Faculty of Health Sciences The percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to those students who got accepted is relatively high when compared to other faculties. The average annual percentage of students going on Erasmus is 73.05%. During the academic year, a remarkable percentage of 90.91% of the students, who got accepted to go on Erasmus ended up going on Erasmus. This was the highest percentage increase registered for this Faculty (that of 35.81% when compared to the previous year). From the academic year , a steady increase in the amount of students going on Erasmus has been noted. Figure 7: Total number of the Faculty of Health Sciences students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placements No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placements 0 10 No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies or Placements Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 0

35 Number of Students During the academic year, there has been the highest number of accepted applicants with an increase of 50% from the previous year. The percentage of students who went on Erasmus to the students who got accepted was 70.4%. This year has marked the highest amount of students going on Erasmus for the academic years taken into consideration. This year included both studies and placements, whereby 55.93% of the students who went on Erasmus were on a placement. The annual average percentage during the academic years to has increased by 6.10% from that during the academic years to The Erasmus Focus Group has commented on the immense support the students receive from the Dean of this Faculty Faculty of Information and Communication Technology The Faculty of ICT has undergone a number of variations in the number of students applying for Erasmus as well as those actually going on this mobility programme. Figure 8: Total number of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 1

36 Number of Students During the academic year , the percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to the number of students accepted to go on this exchange was that of 55.56%. During the previous two years, 50% of the students accepted went on Erasmus. During these academic years, the number of students who went on Erasmus was very low compared to other years as well as other faculties, and therefore the 50% translates to only 1 student. During the academic years and , no student went on Erasmus despite the fact that during the academic year, the highest number of students applied to go on Erasmus was registered who ended up all being accepted. This is also a result of the fact that the study-units at the University of Malta do not match with those of the foreign universities which the University of Malta have a bilateral agreement with Faculty of Laws Figure 9: Total number of the Faculty of Laws students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office

37 During the academic year, a percentage of 76.1% of the students accepted to go on Erasmus have actually gone. This was the highest percentage registered in the academic years taken into consideration and it also resulted in the highest number of students that went on Erasmus. A decrease of 43.51% was experienced from the academic year to , where the percentage of students going on Erasmus has decreased to 3.61%. After this year, an increase in the number of students going on Erasmus can be identified though an overall decrease can be noted in the number of applicants for the Erasmus Programme. The annual average percentage of students going on Erasmus has decreased in the past 3 academic years by 4.04%. This percentage is not proportional to the decrease in the number of students which applied and got accepted to go on Erasmus, whereby during the academic years to , the total accepted students was 160 while during the academic year to , the total accepted students was 116. Therefore, a percentage decrease in the number of accepted applicants of 7.50% was registered Faculty of Medicine and Surgery During the academic years to , the students have gone on Erasmus for placements. Except for the academic year , the percentage of students who went on an Erasmus Programme has been that of over 50% of the students accepted to go on Erasmus. The highest percentage is during the academic year , where 85% of the students who got accepted actually ending up going. During this same year, the highest amount of students who applied for Erasmus can be noted. During the academic year, the percentage of students who went on Erasmus was 77.78% of the students who got accepted. This is the highest percentage for Studies opportunity in this Faculty between the academic years taken into consideration. 3

38 Number of Students Figure 10: Total number of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placements No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placements No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies or Placements Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Science A very limited amount of students have had the opportunity to go on Erasmus in the Faculty of Science. No students went on Erasmus in the academic year despite the fact that it was the year with the second highest amount of applicants during the years this analysis has been based upon. The only students who went on Erasmus was during the academic years to and during the academic year During these four academic years, a total of eleven students have gone on Erasmus out of a total of forty-four applicants. During the academic year , the students that have undergone the Erasmus experience were on a placement. This year has marked the highest percentage of students going on Erasmus from the students accepted to go. During the academic years and , the percentage of students going on Erasmus from the students that got accepted has decreased from 1.43% to 15%, though retaining the same amount of students actually going on Erasmus. During the following academic year ( ), this same percentage has increased to 40%. 4

39 Number of Students Nevertheless, the amount of students going on Erasmus has decreased to two students after a drastic decrease in the number of applicants by 77.7% from the previous academic year ( ). Figure 11: Total number of the Faculty of Science students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placements No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies or Placements No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies or Placements Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The annual average percentage of students who went on Erasmus when compared to the students accepted to go on Erasmus has more than doubled from the academic years to to the academic years to The latter three years having a percentage of 33.33%, that is 1.19% higher than the percentage of the to academic years Faculty of Theology Out of the six academic years the analysis is carried upon, it was only during the academic years , and that students applied to go on Erasmus. 5

40 Number of Students During the year and the year , all the students who applied got accepted and actually went on Erasmus. Figure 1: Total number of the Faculty of Theology students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that because of the nature of the course, only a few students can go on Erasmus since those students who are also members of the Seminary are not allowed to go and therefore do not apply Institute of Criminology During the academic years to , the Institute of Criminology has had no students participating in the Erasmus Programme. During the academic year , 75% of the students who got accepted to go on Erasmus actually participated. These were the first students from this Institute that went on an exchange period through the Erasmus Programme. The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that it was a student from the Institute who took up the initiative to go on Erasmus since this experience was not really an option before since there were no bi-lateral agreements signed with this Institute before. 6

41 Number of Students Number of Students Figure 13: Total number of the Institute of Criminology students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies 0 Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Institute of Earth Systems Figure 14: Total number of the Institute of Earth Systems students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 7

42 Number of Students During the academic years to , no students have applied to go on Erasmus. During the subsequent two years, one student applied during each academic year with one of the students taking up this exchange programme in the academic year Institute of Linguistics Figure 15: Total number of the Institute of Linguistics students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office During the academic year , one student was accepted to go on Erasmus. Subsequently, during the academic year, two students have shown interest in the Erasmus Programme but as had happened 3 years before, these did not take up this exchange despite the fact that they were accepted. The only student who has been on Erasmus from the Institute of Linguistics was during the academic year Mediterranean Institute During the academic year, no student from the Mediterranean Institute actually went on Erasmus. During the academic years to , the percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to the students who got accepted to go on Erasmus has increased at every alternate year starting from the academic year. The 8

43 Number of Students highest percentage was registered during the academic year where 66.67% of the students who got accepted to go on Erasmus actually went. However, the highest amount of students going on Erasmus was during the academic year where 9 students have gone on this exchange programme. This academic year has also marked the highest number of students that applied to go on an Erasmus Programme. It is also worth noting that all the students who have applied to go on Erasmus that were studying at the Mediterranean Institute have been accepted. Figure 16: Total number of the Mediterranean Institute students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office In comparison, during the academic years to , the average annual percentage of students going on Erasmus to the students who got accepted to go on Erasmus has increased by 0.56% when compared to the first three academic years this analysis is based on. The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that it is an unfortunate situation to have the amount of students applying to go on Erasmus decreasing despite the fact that 9

44 Number of Students travelling and communication is made easier. It was also mentioned that the figures were not that negative when considering the size of the Institute Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture Figure 17: Total number of the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The highest figures in the Institute for Tourism, Travel & Culture can be seen in the academic year. During this period, the highest amount of applicants, accepted students and students going on Erasmus can be noted. During this academic year, the highest number of rejected students has also been registered. The figures have decreased drastically until the academic year where only one out of every four students who applied in period applied in the academic year. During the following academic year ( ), no students went on Erasmus. However, in the subsequent academic year ( ), 71.43% of students accepted to go on Erasmus actually went. This year has marked the highest percentage between the academic years taken into consideration in this study. 30

45 Number of Students During the academic year, 50% of the students who got accepted have actually went on Erasmus. This percentage translates to only one student Centre for Communication Technology Figure 18: Total number of the Centre for Communication Technology students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office There have been various shifts in the percentage of students going on Erasmus during the six years of this analysis in the Centre for Communication Technology. During the academic year, the percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to those students who got accepted has been that of 44.44%. This is the highest percentage in the six years of this analysis. During the following two years, this percentage has decreased to 6.5% and 11.11% respectively resulting in only one student going on Erasmus per academic year. The academic year, which resulted in the lowest percentage of students going on Erasmus, had the highest amount of applicants accepted together with the academic year. During this period ( ), the percentage of students 31

46 Number of Students going on Erasmus compared to the students who got accepted increased to 43.75%. This academic year also resulted in the highest amount of students actually going on Erasmus. The academic year registered the lowest amount of accepted applicants. The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that the majority of the students are being accepted to go on Erasmus but they opt not to go European Documentation and Research Centre Figure 19: Total number of the European Documentation and Research Centre students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office During the academic year, the lowest percentage of students who went on Erasmus compared to the students who got accepted can be noted. This percentage increased by 1.61% in the following year. The highest percentage that has been registered was during the academic year, where 50% of the student accepted actually went on Erasmus. Despite the highest percentage registered, this academic year has also marked the least amount of students who got accepted resulting also in the least amount of students going on Erasmus in these five academic years. 3

47 Number of Students During the academic year, the highest amount of students have applied to go on Erasmus. They have almost all been accepted and the highest amount of students went on Erasmus. In comparison, during the academic years to , an increase of 3.60% can be noted in the percentage of students who went on Erasmus to the students who got accepted to go Erasmus, to the academic years to The Erasmus Focus Group has noted that this centre has achieved good results in the amount of students going on Erasmus. Nevertheless, it was expected to have higher amounts of students to take-up this opportunity as the Centre in question continuously encourages students to go on Erasmus Centre for Conservation and Restoration Figure 0: Total number of the Centre for Conservation and Restoration students that applied, got accepted and went on Erasmus from the academic year till the academic year No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went on Erasmus for Studies 0 Academic Year Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The maximum amount of Conservation and Restoration students that have ever gone on Erasmus per academic year is that of one student. During the academic years , and , all the students that applied to go on Erasmus have 33

48 actually went. During the academic year , no student had applied to go on this exchange. 3.4 Comparison between the number of students going on Erasmus between the different Faculties, Institutes and Centres Throughout the academic years to , the Faculties, Institutes and Centres have each progressed in different manners as it can be seen from the table below. If one is to compare the average annual percentage of students who go on Erasmus to the students who get accepted to go on Erasmus between the academic years to the academic years to the average annual percentage of students between the academic years to the academic year , out of the seventeen institutions taken into consideration, eight institutions have gone through an increase in this percentage. Therefore 47.06% of the Faculties, Institutes or Centres have increased the percentage of students going on Erasmus. Table 1: Percentage of students going on Erasmus compared to the students accepted to go on Erasmus per Faculty, Institute and Centre for the 004/ /007 and 007/ /010 academic years Faculty, Institute or Centre 004/ / / /010 Faculty of Arts Faculty for the Built Environment Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy Faculty of Education Faculty of Engineering Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Faculty of Laws Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Faculty of Science Faculty of Theology Institute of Criminology*

49 Institute of Earth Systems* Institute of Linguistics Mediterranean Institute Institute for Tourism, Travel & Culture Centre of Communication Technology European Documentation and Research Centre Centre for Conservation and Restoration * Not included in the above analysis Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Table : Amount of students who went on Erasmus per Faculty, Institute and Centre for the 004/ /007 and 007/ /010 academic years Faculty, Institute or Centre 004/ / / /010 Faculty of Arts Faculty for the Built Environment 9 5 Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy 1 11 Faculty of Education 3 10 Faculty of Engineering 0 Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty of Information and Communication Technology 3 5 Faculty of Laws Faculty of Medicine and Surgery 1 33 Faculty of Science 6 5 Faculty of Theology 1 Institute of Criminology* 0 3 Institute of Earth Systems*

50 Institute of Linguistics 1 0 Mediterranean Institute 1 16 Institute for Tourism, Travel & Culture Centre of Communication Technology European Documentation and Research Centre Centre for Conservation and Restoration * Not included in the analysis below Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office If one had to compare the total number of students that went on Erasmus between the academic years to the academic years , out of seventeen institutions taken into consideration, eight of the Faculties, Institutes or Centres have increased the amount of students going on Erasmus. 3.5 Comparison of Malta s situation when compared to the other countries participating in the Erasmus Programme As it can be seen from the chart below, Malta is one of the restrained number of countries that participate in the Erasmus Programme that exceed the European average share of 0.9% of Erasmus students in the student population. This is an exceptionally good situation considering the fact that the Maltese students have a rather limited possibility of mobility. Other countries can have intra mobility which may serve as a substitute to the Erasmus Programme. Nonetheless, the 1.54% of Maltese students that go on Erasmus in relation to the University of Malta student population has to be increased. There is still quite a lot of potential for this to be done when one considers the large number of students that drop their Erasmus application. 36

51 Figure 1: Outgoing Erasmus students in as a share of student population by country Source: The data was obtained from a Eurostat research found at (accessed ). 37

52 3.6 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above analysis, the number of students that go on Erasmus has been on the increase for the last couple of academic years. One must note this number is far less than the number of students that apply and those who are accepted to go on Erasmus. There are some students who drop out because of reasons related to their respective course (the study-units not matching up with those offered locally, compulsory study-units that have to be done during the Erasmus semester, etc.) while others decide not to go for other reasons. Such reasons need to be tackled in order to increase the take-up of this programme in order to continue increase the percentage of Erasmus students in the University of Malta student population. 38

53 4. Analysis of the Universities and Placements 4.1 Chapter Introduction This chapter analyses the universities and placements available for the University of Malta students to go on Erasmus at. This is essential in order to assess whether the demand from the students applying to go on Erasmus is met by a wide choice from which to choose. The first part of the chapter focuses on a general overview of the general perception of the standard of the universities which the University of Malta has an agreement with. This is done by means of the feedback received from the Erasmus Focus Group participants. A more specific analysis follows with the list of all the agreements and number of places available for the academic year for each Faculty, Institute and Centre. Other aspects will also be tackled such as the number of places available per applicant for each Faculty, Institute and Centre and statistics with the number of places available for the last for academic years (i.e , , and ). In this way, one can better assess whether there was an improvement in the number of places available for the academic years taken into consideration. The feedback received from the Erasmus Focus Group participants will also be mentioned during this specific analysis. The last part of this chapter will feature the concluding remarks arising out of the analysis done before. Thus, this will result in a clear and concise picture of the standard and number of universities and placements available. 4. General Overview The Erasmus Focus Group participants discussed the general perception they have of the standard of the universities which the University of Malta has an agreement with. The majority of the participants agreed that the perception of the level of the majority of the host universities is that they are of a lower academic standard than that of the University of Malta especially because they are considered to have easier courses than the ones offered locally. Moreover, some universities that are offered by particular Faculties are not good enough mainly because the credits do not match (the content of the credits are different). 39

54 Even though many students believe that the host university plays a significant role in the Erasmus experience, one should not limit the Erasmus programme simply to the academic part. Many students believe that a university is a good university so long as it does not make it difficult for the students to go study there. Nevertheless, the Erasmus Focus Group concluded that one should not generalise as each university has its positive and negative aspects for the Erasmus students who choose to attend its courses. The participants of this Erasmus Focus Group agreed that even though they are not aware of the majority of universities available that have a bilateral agreement with the University of Malta, many students go on Erasmus for the experience. Thus, they said that one gets to check the level of the host university at a later stage. Moreover, the participants mentioned that there are a number of universities which shouldn t have an agreement with the University of Malta. The reasons that were mentioned, amongst others, were the huge language barriers associated with some host universities in particular countries and the fact that some of the universities may not be of the highest level. However, they noted that there are also a very large number of good bilateral agreements to the benefit of the local students wishing to go on Erasmus. Contrary to some other participants of the Erasmus Focus Group, some representatives argued that the possibility to go on Erasmus does depend on the university. It is also their perception that most universities which the University of Malta has a bilateral agreement with are of the same standard as the Maltese ones. Finally, it was also pointed out that the bilateral agreements between the foreign universities and the University of Malta change from year to year so each Faculty, Institute and Centre have to be monitored differently and individually every year to constantly assess the level of the universities being offered to the local students. 4.3 Specific Analysis Faculty of Arts As one can see from the table below, the Faculty of Arts had 15 bi-lateral agreements with different universities catering for its various departments during the academic year These give the possibility to 60 Arts students to go Erasmus each year. 40

55 Moreover, one can notice that there are a number of agreements for each department. Thus, all the students studying the various subject areas that wish to go on Erasmus have a good choice of universities to choose from. The subject areas with the widest choice of bi-lateral agreements are History, Languages and Archaeology. The Erasmus Focus Group Arts participant noted that the department of English within the Faculty of Arts seems to have chosen universities whose study-units match those offered in Malta and where students seem to have consistent good experiences. It must be said that this opinion is solely based on experience from the Department of English since the participant is not aware of the situation in the other departments within the same Faculty. Table 3: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Arts students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Czech Republic Masaryk University Aesthetics 1 France Université Rennes - Haute Bretagne Archaeology 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Calabria Archaeology Italy Università degli Studi di Siena Archaeology United Kingdom The Queens University of Belfast Archaeology United Kingdom United Kingdom University of Leicester Archaeology Bournemouth University Archaeology United Kingdom University of Southampton Archaeology Italy Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera Art/ Design 3 Greece University of Peloponnese Classical Philology 3 Lithuania Vilnius University Classical Philology 1 Netherlands Utrecht University Communication/ Art and Design 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Macerata Comparative Literature Poland Uniwersytet Jagiellonski Comparative Studies of Civilisations/ Philosophy 41

56 Italy Università degli Studi di Calabria Contemporary Italian Literature France Université Lumiere Lyon Foreign Languages France Université Nancy General/ Comparative 1 Literature Italy Università degli Studi di Sassari General/ Comparative Literature Austria Karl Franzens Universität Graz History 1 Belgium Universiteit Antwerpen History Bulgaria Sofiyski Universitet 'Sveti Kliment Ohridski' History France Université De Nice- Sophia Antipolis History 1 France Univeristé Paris Diderot- Paris 7 History 1 Greece National and Kapodistrian University of Athens History Greece Aristotle University of Thessaloniki History Hungary University of Szeged History 1 Italy Università di Catania History Italy Università degli Studi di Padova History Italy University of Pisa History Italy Università degli Studi di Verona History 3 Spain Universidad de Cantabria History 3 Spain Universidad de Valencia History United Kingdom University of Essex History 1 United Kingdom University of Leicester History United Kingdom University of Southampton History France Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 History of Art France Université Rennes - Haute Bretagne History of Art 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Calabria History of Art Italy Accademia belle Arti di Macerata History of Art Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" History of Art Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" History of Art 4

57 Italy Università degli Studi di Verona History of Art France Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 Humanities Ireland National University of Ireland Humanities Netherlands Universiteit Van Amsterdam Humanities Italy University of Pisa International Relations Slovakia University of Economics in Bratislava International Relations Slovenia University of Ljubljana International Relations 1 Germany Universität Rostock Language 3 Belgium Université de Liege Languages Belgium Université de Mons Hainaut Languages France Université du Havre Languages 4 France Université De Nice- Sophia Antipolis Languages 1 Germany Otto- Friedrich Universität Bamberg Languages Germany Universität Hildesheim Languages Ireland National University of Ireland Languages Ireland University of Limerick Languages 6 Italy Università degli Studi di Cagliari Languages 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Milano Languages 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Salerno Languages Austria Universität Wien Languages & Philological Sciences 4 France Université d Picardie Jules Verne Languages/ Philology 1 France Université d`angers Languages/ Philology France Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 Languages/ Philology 3 France Université Du littoral Cote D'opale Languages/ Philology France Institut Catholique d'etudes Superieures Languages/ Philology 1 France Université de Reims Champagne- Ardenne Languages/ Philology Germany University of Bremen Languages/ Philology Germany Universität Konstanz Languages/ Philology 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Pavia Languages/ Philology Italy Università per stranieri di Perugia Languages/ Philology Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Languages/ Philology 4 43

58 Italy Libera Università degli Studi di Roma Pio V Languages/ Philology 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Siena Languages/ Philology 3 Italy University of Udine Languages/ Philology 3 Italy Università Ca Foscari di Venezia Languages/ Philology Poland Uniwersytet Jagiellonski Languages/ Philology Poland Nicolaus Copernicus University Languages/ Philology 1 Romania Universitatea din Craiova Languages/ Philology Spain Universidad Pontifica Comillas Languages/ Philology Spain Universidad de Oviedo Languages/ Philology Spain Universidad de Sevilla Languages/ Philology Spain Universidad de Valencia Languages/ Philology United Kingdom Abersytwyth University Library Science France Université Du littoral Cote D'opale Literature France Université Rennes - Haute Bretagne Literature 1 France Université Jean Monnet - Saint Etienne Literature France Université Blaise Pascal II Modern EU Languages France Université Jean Monnet - Saint Etienne Modern EU Languages Germany Ruprecht- Karls Universität Heidelberg Modern EU Languages 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Modern EU Languages Italy Università degli Studi di Sassari Modern EU Languages Italy Università degli Studi di Verona Modern EU Languages 4 Austria Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck Modern Languages France Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 Modern Literature 1 France Université Jean Moulin Lyon III Modern Literature 1 Austria Universität Wien Non-EU Languages Denmark IT University of Copenhagen Other Art/ Design Ireland Milltown Institute Philosophy 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Philosophy Italy Università degli Studi di Sassari Philosophy Poland Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubeljski Jana Pawla II Philosophy United Kingdom Heythrop College Philosophy 3 44

59 United Kingdom University of Central Lancashire Philosophy 4 Czech Republic Charles University in Prague Social Gerontology France Université Paris Diderot- Paris 7 Social Science 1 Germany Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Social Science Hungary Police College Social Science 4 Italy Università degli Studi di Firenze Social Science Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Social Science 1 Italy Università per stranieri di Perugia Social Science 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Roma Tre Social Science 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Teramo Social Science Lithuania Kaunas University of Technology Social Science Austria Universität Wien Sociology 4 Cyprus Cyprus College Sociology France Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille Sociology Germany Johann Wolfgang Goethe - Universität Frankfurt am Main Sociology 1 Ireland University College Dublin Sociology Poland Adam Mickiewicz University Sociology Switzerland University of Geneve Sociology 1 Belgium Haute Ecole Leonard de Vinci Translation Belgium Université de Mons Hainaut Translation Belgium Lessius Hogeschool Translation/ Interpretation 3 Italy University of Udine Translation/ Interpretation Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office This large number of bi-lateral agreements was not reflected in the number of Arts students that applied to go on Erasmus. There were only thirty-eight students who applied during the academic year Thus, there were almost seven places (6.8) for each student applying. The figure would have been worse if it was calculated on the number of students that actually went on Erasmus. The table below shows a breakdown of the number of available places for the Arts students. As one can easily note, there has been an increase in all the academic years. This highlights the willingness of both the Faculty of Arts officials and the University of 3 45

60 Malta International and EU Office to offer the widest choice possible for the Arts students to choose from. Table 4: Number of available places for the Faculty of Arts students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 4.3. Faculty for the Built Environment The situation of the Faculty for the Built Environment is somewhat different from that in the Faculty of Arts. There are quite a number of bi-lateral agreements signed with various universities that total to twenty-nine places available for the academic year If we consider the amount of students applying to go on Erasmus, we can notice that there were twenty-eight applicants which results in 1.04 places per applicant. This situation can be considered exceptional since from this particular academic year, both third and fourth years could apply to go on Erasmus. Thus, the number of applicants increased rapidly leading to the need to sign further bi-lateral agreements for the benefit of Built Environment students. The Faculty for the Built Environment representative within the Erasmus Focus Group mentioned it is usually the same universities who accept to host the Maltese students to go on Erasmus. She also pointed out that the host university she was accepted in had less of a choice than the University of Malta. She continued that this situation negatively impacted her experience especially since if given the choice, she would have followed different subjects than those she was forced to choose from. Table 5: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty for the Built Environment students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Denmark Nordjyllands Erhversakademi Architecture Italy Università Politecnica delle Marche Architecture 4 Italy Politecnico di Bari Architecture 1 Italy Università di Bologna Architecture 4 46

61 Italy Politecnico di Milano Architecture Italy Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli Architecture Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" Architecture Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Architecture 6 Cyprus Germany Italy Italy Cyprus University of Technology Hochschule Bremen Politecnico di Milano Università degli Studi di Urbino Architecture and Civil Engineering Architecture and Civil Engineering Urban Architecture and Regional Planning Urban Architecture and Regional Planning Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 1 1 Table 6: Number of available places for the Faculty for the Built Environment students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The number of places available for the Faculty for the Built Environment have never been consistent with a sharp decline in places available registered for the academic year while sharp increases were registered the following two academic years ( and ). We believe that more bi-lateral should be signed in order to give a wide choice for the students reading for a degree at this Faculty. It would be a pity if a student would be refrained from going on Erasmus just because there were no places available. 47

62 4.3.3 Faculty of Dental Surgery The Faculty of Dental Surgery is an exceptional case with regards to the Erasmus Programme. There were no bi-lateral agreements signed during the academic year The students which KSU has spoken with have said that they cannot go on Erasmus because they have to do a number of dental fillings per year. In our opinion, this is not a sufficient reason for not going on Erasmus since such practical assignments can be done abroad with the same value of those done in Malta Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy Being one of the largest Faculties at the University of Malta, the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy is expected to have the largest amount of bi-lateral agreements signed when compared to the other Faculties, Institutes and Centres. On the other hand, one can see that there are only thirty-seven agreements with seventyfour places available for the students to go on Erasmus at. Furthermore, there are subjects which do not have the possibility to go on Erasmus (or their possibilities are rather limited) such as those studying Accounts with only one place available in Greece and Social Work with four placed in all. Table 7: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Greece Name of Institution Athens University of Economics and Business Subject Area Number of Students Accountancy 1 Liechtenstein Hochschule Liechtenstein Business Administration Business France Groupe sup de Co Amiens Picardie Administration/ Management Science Denmark Aalborg University Business Studies Denmark Neils Brock Copenhagen Business Studies France Université Du littoral Cote D'opale Business Studies France ESCEM - Ecole Superieure de Commerce et de Management Business Studies 1 Germany Hochschule Bremen Business Studies 48

63 Greece Athens University of Economics and Business Business Studies 1 Italy Università degli studi di Calabria Business Studies 1 Slovenia University of Primorska Business Studies United Kingdom Canterbury Christ Church University Business Studies France Université Lumiere Lyon Business Studies/ Management Science Italy Università di Bologna Business Studies/ Management 1 Science Italy Università degli studi kore di Enna Business Studies/ Management 4 Science Latvia Stockholm School of Economics in Riga Business Studies/ Management Science Slovakia University of Economics in Bratislava Business Studies/ Management Science Denmark VIA, University College Business Studies/ Technology Denmark University of Southern Denmark Business/ Management 3 Studies France Université du Havre Economics France University of Rennes 1 Economics Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Economics Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Economics Lithuania Vilnius University Economics 1 Spain Universidad de Santiago de Compostela Economics 3 United Kingdom University of Essex Economics 1 France Université du Havre Management 1 France Université Jean Monnet - Saint Etienne Management/ Marketing Denmark VIA, University College Marketing/ Management France Université du Havre Marketing/ Trade 49

64 France Université Lumiere Lyon Political Science 4 Italy Università di Bologna Political Science 3 Italy Università degli studi di Calabria Political Science 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Political Science Poland Uniwersytet Warszawski/ University of Warsaw Political Science Denmark West Jutland University College Social Work United Kingdom University of Strathclyde Social Work Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office One must note that there is a low amount of students that apply to go on Erasmus. In fact, for the seventy-four places available, there were twenty applicants during the academic year Thus, there were around four places (3.7) for each applicant. The numbers of places available have also been fluctuating from one academic year to another with slight increases and decreases being registered. However, the range of available places remains in the same region: that of around sixty-five to eight places. Table 8: Number of available places for the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Education As one can see from the table below, the students enrolled within the Faculty of Education have a good choice of universities to go on Erasmus in. These vary from lectures for the prospective teachers, teaching practice, pedagogy and psychology (since this subject falls within this Faculty). There were eighty-eight places available during the academic year with thirty-four applications received. Thus, there were around.6 places available for each applicant. The Faculty of Education participant in the Erasmus Focus Group pointed out that the university she went to study at was very helpful. She added that the fact that she went 50

65 to a good university contributed to her positive experience while studying abroad. Moreover, she mentioned that the Erasmus Co-ordinator within the Faculty of Education directed her to choose the right host university. Table 9: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Education students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Belgium Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen Education Finland Joensuun Yliopisto Education Germany Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Education Greece Panepistimio Kritis Education 1 Ireland Mater Dei Institute of Education Education Ireland Dublin Institute of Technology Education Italy Università degli studi di Cagliari Education 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Education Italy Istituto Universitario di Scienze Motorie Education Italy Università degli Studi di Roma Tre Education Netherlands Hogeschool Van Arnhem En Nijmegen Education Norway Bergen University College Education 3 Sweden Uppsala Universitet Education Switzerland University of Zurich Education 1 United Kingdom Stranmillis University College Education 4 Italy Università degli Studi di Padova Education/ Foreign Language Education Netherlands Stenden University Education/ Teacher Training Italy Università degli Studi di Sassari Educational Psychology Greece Harakopio University Environmental Education/ Home Economics/ 1 Nutrition Denmark SUHR'S University College Home Economics Ireland Saint Angela's College Home Economics Lithuania Vilinus Pedagoginis Universitetas Home Economics Spain Universitat Rovira I Virgili Pedagogy Latvia Latvia University of Agriculture Pedagogy/ 51

66 France Université de Reims Champagne- Ardenne Counselling Primary/ Secondary Education France Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux Psychology France Université de Caen Basse-Normandie Psychology Italy Università degli Studi di Padova Psychology Netherlands Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Psychology 1 Spain Universidad Pontifica Comillas Psychology Spain Universitat Rovira I Virgili Psychology United Kingdom University of Westminister Psychology United Kingdom University of Stirling Psychology Italy Università degli Studi di Palermo Psychology/ Behavioural Science Spain Universitat Rovira I Virgili Social Education Finland University of Turku Social/ Behavioural Science Germany Universität Hildesheim Teacher Education Austria Universität Wien Teacher Training Austria Padagogische Hochschule Wien Teacher Training Germany The University of Tubingen Teacher Training Italy Università degli Studi di Sassari Teacher Training Spain Universitat Rovira I Virgili Teacher Training Finland University of Helsinki Teacher Training/ Education Science Netherlands Hogeschool Leiden Teacher Training/ Education Science Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Table 10: Number of available places for the Faculty of Education students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 5

67 There has been a general increase in places available throughout the last academic years. The only decrease in places available was registered for the academic year with three places less than the previous year. The increase was quite substantial during the last academic year ( ) with eighteen more places available Faculty of Engineering The situation within this Faculty is quite similar to the Faculty of Education one with the number of places available that double the amount of applicants to go on Erasmus. In fact, there were twenty-eight applicants for the sixty-nine places available for the academic year This leads to around.5 places for each applicant who wishes to go on Erasmus. Nonetheless, there are limited places available (two) for the students who want to study Civil Engineering abroad since there are only two places available in Norway. The Faculty of Engineering representative in the Erasmus Focus Group said that a positive thing about the universities which have a bilateral agreement with this Faculty is that they have good connections with the local lecturers. Thus, the engineering students who are interested in going at a particular host university will get to speak to these lecturers in order to obtain more information. Moreover, the level of such host universities is good especially since they also cover a number of subjects which are not available for the University of Malta engineering students. Table 11: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Engineering students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Netherlands Technische Universiteit Delft Biomedical Engineering 1 Norway Hogskolen I sor Trondelag Civil Engineering Romania Universitatea Tehnica 'GH. ASACHI' IASI Electrical Engineering United Kingdom The University of Nottingham Electrical Engineering Germany Fachhochschule Nordhausen Electrical/ Environmental/ Mechanical Engineering 3 Poland Politechnika Warszawska Electronic Engineering 53

68 Slovenia University of Ljubljana Electronic Engineering Austria Vienna University of Technology Electronic Engineering/ Telecommunications 4 Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Electronic Engineering/ Telecommunications Austria The Upper Austria University of Applied Siences Engineering Czech Republic Brno University of Technology Engineering 3 Denmark VIA, University College Engineering France Université de Technologie De Compiegne Engineering 3 France Université de Technologie Troyes Engineering Germany Hochschule Munchen Engineering Germany University of Stuttgart Engineering Poland Politechnika Gdanska Engineering 1 Poland Politechnika Warszawska Engineering United Kingdom University of Sheffield Engineering Spain France France Germany Italy Turkey United Kingdom EUSS - Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Université du Havre Université Henri Poincare HAWK, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Università degli Studi di Genova Sakarya University University of Surrey Engineering/ Technology Engineering/ Technology Engineering/ Technology Engineering/ Technology Engineering/ Technology Engineering/ Technology Engineering/ Technology Italy Università degli Studi di Bergamo Manufacturing Science 1 Italy Politecnico di Milano Mechanical Engineering Spain Universidad de Valladolid Mechanical Engineering

69 United Kingdom United Kingdom Spain Spain Cranfield University Mechanical Engineering University of Strathclyde Mechanical Engineering 6 Universidad de Valladolid Universidad de Valladolid Other Areas - Energy Technology Other Engineering Technology Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 1 The number of places available has been constantly increasing as from the academic year onwards. The largest increase in places available was registered during the academic year where there were twelve more places than the previous academic year. Table 1: Number of available places for the Faculty of Engineering students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Health Sciences As one can easily notice, the Faculty of Health Sciences offers a wide range of places for its students to go on Erasmus at though these places are not distributed throughout all the departments. In fact, there are a large number of places available for the students studying in the Nursing, Physiotherapy and Radiography departments while there are limited places available for the students studying in the Biomedical, Midwifery, Occupational Therapy and Communication Therapy departments. The large number of places being offered to the students to go on Erasmus (one hundred and twenty-nine places) was met by eighty five applicants during for the academic year Thus, there are 1.5 places available for each applicant from this Faculty. This figure does not cater for the specific situation of the departments 55

70 which have a limited amount of places available since the figure of places per applicant would be lower. The Erasmus Focus Group participant on behalf of the Faculty of Health Sciences noted that there were only two universities which she could apply for due to the afore mentioned reasons. Regarding the level of the universities, she pointed out that the standard was way below that of the University of Malta as they consider the course as a diploma instead of a degree. Table 13: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Health Sciences students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Finland Pirkanmaan Polytechnic Biomedical Laboratory Ireland University College Dublin Diagnostic Imaging Finland Turku University of Applied Science Diagnostic Radiography Sweden Lunds Universitet Diagnostic Radiography Finland University of Turku Logopaedics Netherlands Hogeschool Inholland Medical Technology/ Radiography Finland Savonia University of Applied Sciences Midwifery United Kingdom University of Glamorgan Midwifery Belgium Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen Nursing Czech Republic University of Pardubice Nursing Finland Savonia University of Applied Sciences Nursing Finland Satakunta University of Applied Sciences Nursing Finland Pirkanmaan Polytechnic Nursing Ireland University College Dublin Nursing Italy Università degli Studi di Verona Nursing Lithuania Klaipeda University Nursing Portugal Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto Nursing 3 Spain Universitat de Lleida Nursing Sweden Karolinska Institutet Nursing 56

71 United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom Middlesex University Nursing University of Manchester Nursing The University of Nottingham Nursing University of Glamorgan Nursing United Kingdom University of Central Lancashire Nursing Italy Università degli Studi di Firenze Nursing/ Midwifery Denmark CVU Lillebaelt Occupational Therapy Denmark University College Lille Baelt Occupational Therapy Finland Arcada Polytechnic Occupational Therapy Sweden Karolinska Institutet Occupational Therapy United Occupational Cardiff University Kingdom Therapy Finland University of Oulu Other Medical Sciences Belgium Artevelde University College Physiotherapy Denmark CVU Lillebaelt Physiotherapy Denmark University College Sjaelland Physiotherapy Denmark University College Lille Baelt Physiotherapy Denmark CVU Syd Sygeplejeskolen I Stroms Amt Physiotherapy Finland Arcada Polytechnic Physiotherapy Finland Lahti University of Applied Sciences Physiotherapy Finland Pirkanmaan Polytechnic Physiotherapy Italy Università degli Studi di Verona Physiotherapy Netherlands Hogeschool Utrecht, University of Applied Science Physiotherapy Sweden Karolinska Institutet Physiotherapy Sweden Uppsala Universitet Physiotherapy Denmark CVU Lillebaelt Radiography Denmark University College Lille Baelt Radiography Estonia Tartu Health College Radiography Norway Bergen University College Radiography 3 57

72 Portugal Instituto Politecnico de Coimbra Radiography Portugal Universidade do Algarve Radiography Portugal Instituto Politecnico do Porto Radiography Sweden Karolinska Institutet Radiography United Kingdom University Campus Suffolk Radiography Italy Università degli Studi di Verona Radiology/ Medical Lab 4 Belgium Lessius Hogeschool Speech and Language Therapy 4 Belgium Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge Oostende Speech Therapy Belgium Haute Ecole Leonard de Vinci Speech Therapy Spain Belgium EUSS - Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Speech Therapy 8 Speech Therapy and Audiology Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Table 14: Number of available places for the Faculty of Health Sciences students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 3 The situation of the number of available places for the Health Sciences students to go on Erasmus has been increasing throughout all the academic years taken into consideration (similar to the case of other Faculties). In fact, a steep increase of places was registered between the and the academic years where thirty-eight more places were made available Faculty of Information and Communication Technology This Faculty has various bi-lateral agreements in place which cover a number of departments within the Faculty. In fact, the students studying Computer Science and Communications & Computer Engineering have quite a number of places to choose 58

73 from. On the other hand, there are limited or no places available for the other departments such as Microelectronics & Nanoelectronics. Table 15: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Sweden Malmo University Name of Institution Subject Area Communication/ Information Science Number of Students Germany Universität des Saarlandes Computational Linguistics 1 Spain Universidad de Castilla La Mancha Computer Engineering 3 Estonia Tallin University Computer Science Finland Joensuun Yliopisto Computer Science France Unviersité Paul Verlaine - Metz Computer Science Poland Warsaw University of Technology Computer Science United Kingdom University of Kent Computer Science 3 Czech Republic Czech Republic Denmark Tomas Bata University in Zlin Computing 1 Charles University in Prague Informatics 1 IT University of Copenhagen France Université Nancy Ireland Sweden France Italy Italy National University of Ireland Goteborg University Université du Havre Università degli Studi di Trieste Libera Università di Bolzano Informatics/ Computer Science Informatics/ Computer Science Informatics/ Computer Science Informatics/ Computer Science Information Communication Information Technology Mathematics/ Informatics/ Computer Science

74 Denmark IT University of Copenhagen Other Communication/ Computer Science Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office During the academic year , there were thirty-two places available for the students studying within this Faculty to take-up. The low number of applicants (eight) lead to have four places available each. One must also mention the number of overall places per academic year as from the one. The places have slightly risen constantly with a slight decrease being registered for the academic year. One must note that it seems that the places available for the students studying within this Faculty have settled in the last two academic years (i.e. around thirty to thirty-five places per academic year). Table 16: Number of available places for the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Laws Table 17: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Laws students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Austria Universität Salzburg Law Belgium Vrije Universiteit Brussel Law Belgium Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Law Czech Republic Charles University in Prague Law Denmark University of Copenhagen Law 3 France Université du Havre Law France Université Lumiere Lyon Law 5 France Université Montpellier 1 Law 60

75 France University of Rennes 1 Law 3 Germany Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover Law 3 Italy Università di Bologna Law Italy Università degli studi di Calabria Law 1 Italy Università degli studi kore di Enna Law 4 Italy Università degli studi di Ferrara Law Italy Università degli Studi di Firenze Law 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Law Italy Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Law Italy Università degli Studi di Parma Law Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Law 6 Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Law 6 Italy Università degli Studi di Roma Tre Law 7 Italy Libera Università degli Studi di Roma Pio V Law 4 Italy Università degli Studi di Teramo Law Italy Università degli Studi di Urbino Law Italy Università degli Studi di Verona Law 3 Netherlands Utrecht University Law Poland Uniwersytet Jagiellonski Law Poland Lazarski School of Commercial Law Law Slovakia Bratislava School of Law Law Spain Universidad de Oviedo Law Spain Universidad de Santiago de Compostela Law 3 Spain Universitat Rovira I Virgili Law Sweden Goteborg University Law United Kingdom Abersytwyth University Law United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom University of Essex Law 1 University of Leicester Law University of Southampton Law Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Faculty of Laws is another Faculty which offers a wide range of places to its students. These places cover various countries with Italy being the most popular. In fact, during the academic year, there were ninety-six places being offered 61

76 for forty-six applicants. This means that there were around.1 places for each Law student who applied to go on Erasmus. As one can see from the table below, there was an increase throughout all the academic years taken into consideration (apart for the academic year which registered a place less than the previous academic year). This decrease in places was absorbed during the following academic year ( ) since the number of places available rose to a much larger extent than the decrease registered during the academic year. Table 18: Number of available places for the Faculty of Laws students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Even though one can notice that there are quite a large number of available places for students who wish to go on Erasmus to take up, these available places are not spread throughout all the departments within this Faculty. In fact, there are a large number of available places for those students studying within the Pharmacy department while there are no places for other departments such as those students who are focusing their studies in Medicine, Psychiatry, Surgery and Anatomy amongst others. If one takes a general picture, during the academic year, there were sixtyseven places for the twenty applications received. Thus, there were 3.35 places for each applicant from this Faculty. One must note that this large number was brought about by the bi-lateral agreements catering for Pharmacy students. Table 19: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Number of Name of Institution Subject Area Origin Students Belgium Europese Hogeschool Brussel Medical Imaging Italy Università degli Studi di Firenze Medical Science 6

77 United Kingdom University of Aberdeen Medical Science United Medical University of Ulster Kingdom Technology 4 Italy Vita Salute San Raffaele University Medicine Poland Akademia Medyczna Warszawie Medicine Spain Universidad de Sevilla Medicine 1 United Kingdom The Queens University of Belfast Pharmacology Belgium Vrije Universiteit Brussel Pharmacy Denmark University College Sjaelland Pharmacy France Université Joseph Fourier Pharmacy France Université du Droit et de la Sante de Lille Pharmacy France Université de Limoges Pharmacy 1 France Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Pharmacy France Université Montpellier 1 Pharmacy 4 France Université Rene' Descartes - Paris 5 Pharmacy 3 Germany University of Bonn Pharmacy Germany Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nurnberg Pharmacy Italy Università degli Studi di Calabria Pharmacy 3 Italy Università di Catania Pharmacy 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Cagliari Pharmacy Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Pharmacy Italy University of Pisa Pharmacy Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" Pharmacy Italy Università degli Studi di Urbino Pharmacy Poland Uniwersytet Jagiellonski Pharmacy Spain Universidad de Alcalá Pharmacy Spain Universidad Computense de Madrid Pharmacy United Kingdom Cardiff University Pharmacy United Kingdom Kings College London Pharmacy Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 63

78 The places available for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students have changed throughout the various academic years. In fact, a slight decrease in available places was registered for the academic year while there was a drastic increase in such places during the following academic year, i.e Table 0: Number of available places for the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Science There are a wide number of bi-lateral agreements signed to cater for the Faculty of Science students that wish to go on Erasmus. These cover all the departments within this Faculty with Chemistry and Mathematics registering the largest number of bilateral agreements when compared to the other departments (Biology, Physics and Statistics & Operations Research). One should point out that even though there are such bi-lateral agreements, many of the students cannot go on Erasmus since these agreements cover one field of study whereas the students have to choose two areas of study. Thus, this situation limits them from going on Erasmus. In fact, out of the fifty-seven available places during the academic year, there were only five applicants to go on Erasmus. This totals to 11.4 available places for each application received. Table 1: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Science students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students United Kingdom The University of Oxford Astrophysics 1 Belgium Universiteit Antwerpen Chemistry France Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Clermont Ferrand Chemistry 64

79 Greece Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Chemistry Italy Università di Camerino Chemistry Italy Università di Catania Chemistry Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Chemistry Italy Università degli Studi dell'insubria Chemistry United Kingdom University of Sheffield Chemistry Italy Italy Czech Republic Università degli Studi di Teramo Università degli Studi di Firenze Communication/ Information Sciences Environmental Sciences/ Ecology Brno University of Technology Mathematics 1 Czech Republic Tomas Bata University in Zlin Mathematics 1 Ireland National University of Ireland Mathematics Italy Università degli Studi di Messina Mathematics Portugal Universidad de Aveiro Mathematics United Kingdom University of Warwick Mathematics 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Mathematics/ Informatics Belgium Plantijn Hogeschool University College Microbiology/ Biotechnology Poland Politechnika Gdanska Natural Science Poland Panstwowa Wyzsza Szkola Zawodowa Natural Science United Kingdom University of Plymouth Natural Science Italy Università degli Studi di Palermo Other Areas Energy Technology 1 United Kingdom Germany Italy Germany Loughborough University Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nurnberg Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca Fachhochschule Nordhausen Other Areas Energy Technology Others Natural Sciences 10 Physics Renewable Energy/ Other Areas Energy Technology Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office

80 The same upward trend of places available was registered during the academic years taken into consideration. The only academic year which registered a slight decrease in places available was the academic year. In fact, there were two places less than the previous academic year. Table : Number of available places for the Faculty of Science students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Faculty of Theology Table 3: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Faculty of Theology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Czech Republic Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students St. Cyril and Methodius Theological Faculty Theology Germany Universität Rostock Theology Ireland Mater Dei Institute of Education Theology Ireland Milltown Institute Theology Poland Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubeljski Jana Pawla II Theology United Kingdom Heythrop College Theology 3 Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office When one considers that a large percentage of the students studying at the Faculty of Theology cannot go on Erasmus due to their vocation, the number of places available for such students to go on Erasmus is a good one. In fact, during the academic year , there were six bi-lateral agreements that lead to thirteen places available. On the other hand, there were no applications received during this academic year which lead to the wasting of such places. 66

81 Table 4: Number of available places for the Faculty of Theology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office As one can see from the table above, there was an increase in available places between the first two academic years taken into consideration ( and ) and the following two academic years ( and ) with the number of places available places increasing drastically. One must notice that the number of students applying to go on Erasmus did not follow the same trend Institute of Criminology The experience of the Institute of Criminology in relation to the Erasmus Programme has been quite recent. In fact, during the academic year, there were only two bi-lateral agreements in place that catered for seven Criminology students. There were four applications received which lead to 1.75 places available per applicant. The Institute of Criminology representative in the Erasmus Focus Group explained that her case was different from the other students that went on Erasmus since the university she went to was not as formal as the University of Malta. Nonetheless, she pointed out that she liked the system they used: to host the Erasmus students at the college itself with English speaking lecturers all throughout the semester. Table 5: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute of Criminology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Hungary Police College Criminology 4 United Kingdom University of Sheffield Criminology 3 Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Moreover, the academic year was the first year where there were bi-lateral agreements signed with foreign universities. Thus, one cannot successfully compare the change of available places throughout the various academic years taken into 67

82 consideration or assess whether the number of places available are enough in relation to the number of received applications since the data available is still recent and thus, it is highly subject to change. Table 6: Number of available places for the Institute of Criminology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking Table 7: List of bi-lateral agreements for The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development and Thinking students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Germany Germany United Kingdom Name of Institution Fachhochschule Brandenburg University of Potsdam University of Teesside Subject Area Creative Thinking/ Business Studies Creativity/ Innovation/ Entrepreneurship Creativity/ Innovation/ Entrepreneurship Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Number of Students There were three bi-lateral agreements in place for the Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking students during the academic year. This meant five places available for the students to take up. There were no applications received during this academic year which resulted in these places to get wasted. Table 8: Number of available places for The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development and Thinking students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places

83 Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The number of places available for students to go on Erasmus changed during every academic year which was taken into consideration. Whereas there were no places available during the academic year, this increased to two and seven places for the and academic years respectively. There was also a decrease of two places registered during the academic year when compared to the previous one Institute of Earth Systems The Institute of Earth Systems has signed various bi-lateral agreements with foreign universities the majority of whom are with Italian universities. This possible language barrier can be one of the reasons why there was just one application to go on Erasmus during the academic year out of the eleven places available. Thus, it would be opportune if other bi-lateral agreements are signed in order to cater for all the students who study at this Institute. Table 9: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute of Earth Systems students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Italy Università di Bologna Agricultural Science 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Firenze Agricultural Science Italy Università degli Studi di Milano Agricultural Science 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Palermo Agricultural Science Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia Agricultural Science 1 Spain Universidad de Santiago de Compostela Agricultural Science Italy University of Udine Agricultural Science/ Veterinary Medicine Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office There have always been a good number of available places for the students willing to go on Erasmus. Whereas an increase in available places was registered during the academic year, there was a decrease in places available for the rest of the 69

84 academic years taken into consideration, i.e. a place for the academic year and five places for the academic year. Table 30: Number of available places for the Institute of Earth Systems students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Institute of Linguistics Table 31: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute of Linguistics students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students France Université Nancy Linguistics 1 Germany Otto- Friedrich Universität Bamberg Linguistics Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The Institute of Linguistics has always had a small number of bi-lateral agreements in order for its students to have the possibility to go on Erasmus. As the Institute of Earth Systems, the choice of universities have been in countries that might provide a language barrier to the Maltese students wishing to go on Erasmus but are not able to speak either French or German. This may be the reason why there was no one who applied to go on Erasmus from this Institute. Table 3: Number of available places for the Institute of Linguistics students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 70

85 The number of places available has been constant throughout the academic years taken into consideration. In fact, the number of places ranged from two to four places as it can be seen from the table above Mediterranean Institute Table 33: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Mediterranean Institute students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students France Université De Nice- Sophia Antipolis Anthropology 1 Italy Università degli Studi di Firenze Anthropology United Kingdom University of Sussex Anthropology 3 United Kingdom Durham University Anthropology Czech Republic Charles University in Prague Demography Austria Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck Geography 1 France Université de Limoges Geography France Univeristé Paris Diderot- Paris 7 Geography 1 Spain Universitat Rovira I Virgili Geography Sweden Lunds Universitet Geography United Kingdom University of Westminister Geography United Kingdom Germany Italy Italy Italy Italy Czech Republic University of Portsmouth Geography 3 Katholische Universität Eichstatt - Ingolstadt Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Conservatorio Statale di Musica L Cherubini Firenze Conservatorio Statale di Musica Alfredo Casella- L`Aquila Conservatorio di Musica di Lecce- Tito Schipa Ostravska Universita Geography/ Geology Geography/ Geology Music 1 Music Music 1 Music/ Musicology 71

86 Czech Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyne V Music/ Republic Usti nad Labern Musicology Italy Conservatorio Antonio Sciortino, Music/ Trapani Musicology Italy University of Pisa Musical Studies/ Conservation 1 Belgium Universiteit Antwerpen Performing Arts 1 Czech Republic Ostravska Universita Performing Arts France Université de Paris 13 Performing Arts Italy Università degli Studi di Genova Performing Arts Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" Performing Arts Slovenia University of Primorska Performing Arts 3 United Kingdom University of Kent Performing Arts 3 Germany Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nurnberg Theatre Studies 1 Poland Adam Mickiewicz University Theatre Studies 3 Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office There are a large number of bi-lateral agreements signed for the benefit of the Mediterranean Institute students. In fact, there are a good number of places available in almost all the different departments that constitute the Mediterranean Institute. The only department which do not have any agreement signed with a foreign university as yet is the Dance Studies department. The large number of places available does not coincide with the number of applications received to go on Erasmus. In fact, there were ten applicants for the academic year in relation to the fifty-seven available places for the same academic year. Thus, there were 5.7 places available for each application received. The Mediterranean Institute participant in the Erasmus Focus Group analysed that the universities available for her course and Institute are not all ideal. There are a number of good choices though which should be increased in order to attract more students who are willing to go abroad on Erasmus. 7

87 Table 34: Number of available places for the Mediterranean Institute students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office It is worth noting that both the Mediterranean Institute officials and the University of Malta International and EU Office have managed to secure an increase in the places available for the students studying at this Institute. The only academic year where a decline was registered was during with just one available place less than the previous academic year Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture The Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture has various bi-lateral agreements with universities hailing from different countries for the benefit of the students conversant in English, Italian and German. Moreover, the number of places available during the academic year was that of seventeen places which was way above the number of applications received (one). Table 35: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Finland Arcada Polytechnic Business/ Tourism Germany Hochschule Bremen Tourism Studies 3 Italy Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Tourism Studies 4 United Kingdom Finland Finland Canterbury Christ Church University Tourism Studies 4 Haaga Helia University of Applied Science Savonia University of Applied Sciences Tourism/ Catering/ Hotel Management Tourism/ Catering/ Hotel Management Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 73

88 The number of places available for the Tourism students to go on Erasmus has been constantly on the increase. In fact, there were three more places during the academic year and seven more places during the year. The only decline in places that was registered was during the academic year with a decrease of five places when compared to the previous academic year. Table 36: Number of available places for the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Centre for Communication Technology As the case of the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture, the Centre for Communication Technology has signed bi-lateral agreements with universities from a number of different European countries. This wide choice of universities and places (during the academic year, there were twenty-one places available) was met with a limited number of applications to go on Erasmus (a total of seven applicants for the academic year). Thus, there were three places for each application received. The Centre for Communication Technology representative in the Erasmus Focus Group said that there are a number of good universities offered as a choice especially those situated in the northern European countries such as Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and France. Table 37: List of bi-lateral agreements for the Centre for Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Denmark University of Copenhagen Communcation/ Information Sciences Communcation/ Information Sciences 1 Latvia University of Latvia 74

89 Italy University of Udine Communcation/ Information Sciences/ Cinema Finland Univeristy of Jyvaskyla Communication France Université Du littoral Cote D'opale Communication France Université De Nice- Sophia Antipolis Communication United Kingdom University of Westminister Communication Germany Germany Sweden Hochschule Bremen Facchochschule Gelsenkirchen Lunds Universitet Communication/ Information Sciences Journalism/ Public Relations Media/ Communication Studies Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 4 Table 38: Number of available places for the Centre for Communication Technology students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The places available for the Communications students have varied from one academic year to another. A decline was registered during the and academic years while a sharp increase in the number of available places was seen during the academic year with more universities from a wider number of countries being offered for the Communications students wishing to go on Erasmus European Documentation and Research Centre The European Documentation and Research Centre s lecturers are known for their constant promotion with their students to go on Erasmus. In fact, they have managed to secure twenty-six places during the academic year. It is worth noting that the number of applicants to go on Erasmus for the same academic year was that of 75

90 eighteen students. Thus, there were only 1.44 available places for the European Studies students to take up. The number of applicants has soared during this academic year due to the fact that it comprises both the second and third year students who applied to go on Erasmus unlike the previous years which were limited just for the second year students. Thus, the number of places per applicant was greatly affected by this situation. The European Documentation and Research Centre participant in the Erasmus Focus Group noted that the standard of the universities being offered to the European Studies students are good. Table 39: List of bi-lateral agreements for the European Documentation and Research Centre students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Name of Institution Subject Area Number of Students Italy Università degli Studi di Perugia EC/ EU Law France Université Paris 8 Vincennes- Saint Denes European Studies Hungary University of Szeged European Studies Ireland University of Limerick European Studies 3 Italy Università di Bologna European Studies 7 Italy Università degli studi di Calabria European Studies Poland Uniwersytet Warszawski/ University of Warsaw European Studies Italy Università degli Studi di Trieste International Relation/ European Studies Germany Universität Konstanz Political Science Germany University of Mannheim Political Science Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The number of places available for the European Studies students to go on Erasmus has been on the rise during the and academic years. There was a slight decrease in places during the academic years with two places less. The fact that both the second and third year students can go on Erasmus means that there is a need to increase the number of bi-lateral agreements for the benefit of all the students enrolled with the European Documentation and Research Centre. 76

91 Table 40: Number of available places for the European Documentation and Research Centre students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Others This category comprises the Centre for Conservation and Restoration, the European Centre for Gerontology and the Institute for Physical Education and Sport. As one can see from the table below, there are a good number of places available for both the Centre for Conservation and Restoration and the Institute for Physical Education and Sport. In fact, during the academic year, there was one applicant for the twenty-two places available for the Conservation and Restoration students while there were no applicants to take up the twelve places available within the Institute for Physical Education and Sport. The European Centre for Gerontology had two places available during the same academic year with no student deciding to apply for. Table 41: List of bi-lateral agreements for the rest of the students wishing to go on Erasmus for the academic year Country of Origin Greece Name of Institution Technological Educational Institution of Athens Subject Area Conservation Italy Università di Bologna Conservation Italy Università di Catania Conservation Belgium Universiteit Antwerpen Conservation of Cultural Heritage Faculty/ Institute/ Centre Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration Number of Students

92 Belgium Denmark Artesis University College of Antwerp Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi Konservtorskolen Conservation/ Restoration Conservation/ Restoration Finland Arcada Polytechnic Gerontology Italy Italy Italy Sweden France Germany Italy Norway Italy Università degli studi suor Orsola Benincasa Università Ca Foscari di Venezia Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata" Goteborg University Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III Georg-August-Universität Gottingen Università degli Studi di Verona Telemark Unversity College Istituto Universitario di Scienze Motorie Heritage Masonry/ Construction Research Museum Studies/ Conservation Museum Studies/ Conservation Physical Education Physical Education Physical Education Physical Education Physical Education/ Sport Science Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration European Centre for Gerontology Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration Centre for Conservation and Restoration Institute for Physical Education and Sport Institute for Physical Education and Sport Institute for Physical Education and Sport Institute for Physical Education and Sport Institute for Physical Education and Sport

93 United Kingdom University of Gloucestershire Physical Education/ Sport Science Institute for Physical Education and Sport Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Table 4: Number of available places for the rest of the students wishing to go on Erasmus for the 006/ /010 academic year Academic Year Number of Available Places Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office The number of places available has never been constant. A ten-place increase was registered during the academic year while a nine- and one-place decrease was registered during the and academic years respectively. One must note that there are a large number of places available for such a limited number of students that apply to go on Erasmus. It seems that the choice available for the students is a wide one that comprises different aspects of their studies. Thus, an increase in promotion is needed in order to have the students more aware of the opportunities they have if they decide to go on Erasmus. 4.4 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above analysis, there are different situations for the different Faculties, Institutes and Centres. In some cases, some students do not have to possibility to go on Erasmus such as the Faculty of Dental Surgery and the students in some departments of Faculty of Medicine and Surgery since there are no bi-lateral agreements signed as yet. Other students in different Faculties have no possibilities to go on Erasmus even though there are bi-lateral agreements signed with foreign universities. The Faculty of Science is a case in point were the agreements do not address the fact that local students chose two areas of studies and not just one while the universities which the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology has an agreement with do not 79

94 match with the compulsory study-units being offered locally. Thus, a change in universities which an agreement is signed is needed. On the other hand, there are cases where there needs to be more promotion with the students in order to take up the large number of places available. This is the case for the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Engineering, Mediterranean Institute, the Centre for Conservation and Restoration and the Institute for Physical Education and Sport amongst others. Moreover, an increase in bi-lateral agreements is needed for the Faculty for the Built Environment and the European Documentation and Research Centre in order to cater for the increase in possible applicants to go on Erasmus as it was previously explained in the above analysis. 80

95 5. Analysis of the Administrative Problems 5.1 Chapter Introduction In order to complete the Erasmus Programme, the students have to be in contact with a number of relevant offices at the University of Malta and at the host university. The aim of this chapter is to identify the administrative problems encountered by the students. The chapter is divided into parts. The first part includes an analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire and the second part includes an analysis of the data obtained through the feedback from the Erasmus Focus Group representatives. The Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire sheds light on what administrative problems the students encounter at the University of Malta when they opt to go on Erasmus. The main offices the students encounter are the International & EU Office as well as their respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres. On the other hand, students who did not go on Erasmus had the chance to comment about why they decided not to go on Erasmus. One of the choices that were given was in relation to administrative problems that they might have faced. The Erasmus Focus Group was directed to identify any administrative problems at the University of Malta during the whole process of Erasmus, as well as the administrative problems at the host university, if any problems were encountered. Before the analysis of the problems encountered, we decided to include a brief description of the competences of the International and EU Office and those of the various Faculties, Institutes and Centres in order to understand better what their responsibilities are. 5. The University of Malta International & EU Office 5..1 Competences of the University of Malta International and EU Office - Outgoing Students The University of Malta International and EU Office is the office in charge of updating the bi-lateral agreements to ensure that students have a choice of high level universities to choose from for their Erasmus experience. The International & EU Office act as a reference point for all the students interested in going on Erasmus and therefore are responsible to answer any queries and difficulties 81

96 the students might encounter before, during and after the application process as well as while the students are studying at the host university. The International & EU Office issues a call for application forms in February to encourage students to participate in this programme. They then receive all the application forms of the students who are interested in participating in an Erasmus Programme on studies or in the form of a placement. These application forms are then assessed to check whether the students who applied are eligible to undergo such an exchange programme. The list of the eligible students is sent to the respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres for approval. After this feedback is received, the ESGAC (Erasmus Selection/Grant Allocation Committee) finalises the list of students eligible to go on Erasmus. The International and EU Office is responsible to nominate the eligible students to the host university. The host universities are in contact with the University of Malta through the International and EU Office regarding the students accepted. When students are accepted and decide to continue with their application, the International and EU Office is responsible to meet up with them and explain to them the process required for them to go on Erasmus. The International and EU Office is also in charge of the logistics involved to give the grants to the students going on Erasmus before going abroad and after in order to receive the final percentage of the grant allocated to them. Additionally, the International and EU Office is responsible to update their website when necessary, i.e. when there are changes in the bi-lateral agreements signed with the foreign universities. 5.. Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Kindly refer to Chapter 8 on page Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group The most recurring problem encountered by the students is the limited student hours of the International and EU Office % of the Erasmus Focus Group has commented on this. The short slots available for students discourage the interested students to 8

97 continue with their application process or not even apply in the first place. This is due to the fact that long queues are formed which prove that the student hours are not sufficient. Some students have also shown disappointment that during student hours, the staff at the International and EU Office is not fully dedicated to the queries the students might have. The majority of the participants of the Erasmus Focus Group has commented on the fact that most often they received late replies to any queries they had. This lengthened the process which could have easily been more efficient if the process was more organised especially if one considers the fact that most queries can be resolved in a short time or answered by . Some students said that most of the time, they had to phone, or visit the International and EU Office for a long time until they received a reply. A number of the students forming part of the Erasmus Focus Group have commented that a major contributor of this problem is the fact that the office is under-staffed. At present, two employees are in charge of the Outgoing Erasmus Students. There might be too much load on just two employees. For this reason, efficiency is lacking according to these students. Furthermore, in relation to correspondence, the Erasmus Focus Group has noted that some students studying at the University of Malta are not notified that they have been chosen to go on Erasmus and accepted at a host university. Some of these students get to know that they were accepted because they receive s of acceptance from the host university or because the students take the initiative and specifically go and ask the International and EU Office themselves at their office at the university. The students who are not notified in due time or are not notified at all might miss out on this opportunity. Furthermore, this shortcoming does not show credibility in the work of the International and EU Office and can discourage the students. The Erasmus Focus Group has stressed upon the fact that the students are engaging themselves in a completely new experience and thus, it is vital to receive the necessary support to encourage participation and facilitate mobility amongst students. In addition, the Erasmus Focus Group has discussed the possibility for the employees at the International and EU Office to provide more information than that which is required with paperwork and registration at the host university. In addition to this, many of the students forming part of the Erasmus Focus Group have noted that some of the application forms/ papers required or learning agreements have been lost sometime during the Erasmus application process. A student 83

98 commented on the fact that this situation is making the University of Malta appear incompetent with the administration and the Erasmus Co-ordinator at the host university. Some members of the Erasmus Focus Group have also commented on the fact that the International and EU Office should not be forceful about signing the Learning Agreement from before the student goes abroad as most of the host universities are much more available to changes and have different methods of registration. Most students will change the credits they opted for when still in Malta anyway when they arrive at their host university. The Erasmus Focus Group has also considered the situation where grants were received at a later date than agreed on the contract. This has caused problems while the students were abroad, especially when the students came to pay accommodation costs. Additionally, when such problems cropped up and the students were abroad, correspondence with the International and EU Office was difficult. The International and EU Office, though not the entity in charge of issuing the grants to the students, is the entity which liaises with the students. Some of the Erasmus Focus Group participants have also commented on the system used to select the students to the different universities. This system was regarded as doubtful from their experience. It was said that this was mainly due to the lack of clarity and transparency given by the International and EU Office on this matter. It has also been said that students on Erasmus are not allowed to extend their stay at the host institutions over semesters, as with other European students undergoing the same programme. This led the students to come back to Malta even though there were some places which were not taken up by the other local students. Thus, these available places ended up wasted when they could have been used by such students. 5.3 The University of Malta Faculties, Institutes and Centres Competences of the University of Malta Faculties, Institutes and Centres The Faculties, Institutes and Centres should guide the students on what Erasmus Semester/s is appropriate for the students in the respective courses as well as what study-units should be chosen whilst on Erasmus. The Faculties, Institutes and Centres give consent to go on Erasmus with the particular study-units and credits chosen as per the Learning Agreement before the students go on Erasmus. 84

99 5.3. Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Kindly refer to Chapter 8 on page Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group Only a third of the Erasmus Focus Group participants did not note any difficulties encountered with their respective Faculties. The majority of the Erasmus Focus Group members have found difficulty in matching the credits of the host university with those at the University of Malta. For this reason, it was hard to get approval for their Learning Agreement as this has to be signed by the respective lecturers. Furthermore, this can be hard considering the fact that students going on Erasmus during the first semester need to get the approval during the summer recess, a period in which most lecturers will be on vacation. A small number of the Erasmus Focus Group participants had problems because they went over the sixty credits allocated to each student at the University of Malta per year for a full-time course. The Faculties, Institutes and Centres are not always clear with how the students should proceed with regards to the subjects spread during two semesters or the compulsory study-units. Some members of the Erasmus Focus Group have encountered this problem. When it comes to compulsory study-units, it was noted that the Faculties, Institutes and Centres should be clear on whether the student will have the opportunity to sit for an exam when he/she comes back from abroad during a re-sit session irrespective of the fact that they have not attended any lectures. In this case, the re-sit session will act as a first sit for these students who have been on Erasmus. Such arrangements should be done before students go on Erasmus and should be in line with any registration procedures to avoid any unnecessary hassles with accreditation and exam sessions when they get back. 5.4 Host University Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group The majority of the Erasmus Focus Group participants have not encountered any problems at their host university. The Erasmus Focus Group was pleased with the efficiency at the host universities. One possible reason is the fact that the host 85

100 university has more staff. Additionally, at the host universities, the contact hours are longer. Therefore, any queries or difficulties encountered can be solved in due time. This also results in an overall feeling that the student is welcome at the host university and that there is more time for the Erasmus students in general. The overall Italian bureaucracy was also mentioned as a limiting factor by participants of the Erasmus Focus Group. The need to have to have an English speaking person in charge of the Erasmus students in the host university was also mentioned. The Focus Group identified this as a means to facilitate communication between the foreign student and the institution. The Focus Group has also commented on the fact that more communication between the University of Malta and the host university is vital. For instance, some students have found problems to register for the amount of hours decided upon in Malta during their placement. 5.5 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above analysis, the students forming part of the Erasmus Focus Group have encountered various administrative problems that were not envisaged prior to their application to go on Erasmus. Moreover, from the information emerged, some problems can be easily addressed. This is the case for the opening hours of the International and EU Office that should be increased in order to accommodate more students that wish to get more information on the Erasmus Programme, to increase the staff working at the International and EU Office in order to manage the large amount of work in an efficient and timely manner and to be more efficient in the replies that are given to the students. The students demand the International and EU Office to be more careful with their application process and with the documentation they receive from the students since a good number of the participants commented that they question the system used for the application process and that some of their documentation have been lost during this process. It is worth noting that there were administrative problems related to the respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres of the students wishing to go on Erasmus. We believe that such students should be facilitated to go on Erasmus and not put extra burden on them. The students wishing to go on Erasmus should be helped to overcome the difficulties (such as in relation to the compulsory study-units while being on Erasmus). 86

101 If not, the number of students going on Erasmus will never be close to the desired level of student mobility advocated by the EU. Regarding the administrative problems in relation to the host universities, we believe that these should be taken into consideration by the ones responsible for the signing of the bi-lateral agreements with the foreign universities in order to address such shortcomings from the administration of the host university. 87

102 6. Analysis of the Academic Problems 6.1 Chapter Introduction This chapter deals with the academic aspects of the Erasmus Programme. An analysis of the academic difficulties the students encounter was obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group. The difficulties encountered have been grouped up into those difficulties encountered during the exchange programme, and therefore at the host institution, as well as those encountered after the students have gone on Erasmus, and therefore at the University of Malta. Additionally, an analysis regarding the Erasmus Semester has been compiled. The Erasmus Assessment Report sheds light on whether students believe they have been on Erasmus during the right semester and in some cases, they give reasons why the Erasmus Semester was not appropriate. 6. Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group 6..1 Academic difficulties encountered during the exchange programme The majority of the Erasmus Focus Group participants have not encountered any academic difficulties during their exchange programme even though some have commented on the fact that the educational system was different to that at the University of Malta. A member of the Erasmus Focus Group has expressed concern with regards to the fact that in case of the courses that have a subsidiary area, some host universities only accept to have the majority of the credits in the subsidiary area rather than the main area of studies. Some other members of the Erasmus Focus Group participants have also experienced difficulty to change the subjects they had previously chosen because they arrived at the host institution up to 3 weeks after the semester started as these students were sitting for exams at the University of Malta. For this reason, these students believe that it is vital that the semester at the host institution corresponds to that at the University of Malta. Some students from the Erasmus Focus Group have also felt that they were not prepared for the oral exams when studying in Italy, where all exams are oral ones. 88

103 Some of the members of the Erasmus Focus Group participants have experienced difficulties during their exchange programme as some people could not communicate well in English. This was felt mainly when they tried to follow lectures. A number of participants in this Erasmus Focus Group have also expressed the fact that, even though the host university was slightly harder than the University of Malta, it was easy to adapt and keep up as the lecturers were very open to discussions and they were efficient in answering s and any queries they might have had. This enhanced the Erasmus experience for these students whilst studying at the host university. 6.. Academic difficulties encountered after the exchange programme Some members of the Erasmus Focus Group commented on the fact that credits spread over a year have to be partly done alone, as the students would have missed a semester of lectures. This is hard for the student, though when one compares this to the holistic Erasmus experience it results to be worth it. Furthermore, this also applies to those students who have Synoptic Exams. Moreover, one third of the participants have also commented on the fact that since they were on Erasmus during the first semester, catching up and settling back at the University of Malta was hard especially since some students return back some time after the beginning of the second semester. Nevertheless, students knew of this situation from beforehand. A member of the Erasmus Focus Group has commented on the fact that when some students arrive back to the University of Malta, they have to sit for compulsory exams in September as a re-sit even though it would have been their first sit. Furthermore, in most host institutions, the marking system is different to that at the University of Malta. Thus, when the students get back from their host institution, the translation of the marks is considered as being fair. 6.3 The Erasmus Semester Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Assessment Questionnaire Kindly refer to Chapter 8 on page

104 6.3. Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Focus Group Most of the academic difficulties encountered by the Erasmus Focus Group participants can be traced to the Erasmus semester the students are entitled to go in. The Erasmus Focus Group members were asked to comment on what factors would determine the ideal Erasmus semester. Up to two thirds of the participants in the Erasmus Focus Group have commented on the credits at the University of Malta during their particular Erasmus semester. The students believe that during that academic year, there should be no credits spread over one year and if possible compulsory credits are to be minimised. Additionally, the credits should be similar to those offered at the University of Malta. Nevertheless, the Erasmus Focus Group agreed that the respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres should be more flexible when students opt to choose their study-units at the host institutions. It is not imperative to study the exact same study-units when on Erasmus, due to the fact that this change is part of the experience. The Erasmus Focus Group believes that this issue is discouraging most students to continue with their application. A member of the Erasmus Focus Group commented that Erasmus semesters are limiting the chance for students to go on Erasmus which is something that is not fair. Moreover, some participants of the Erasmus Focus Group have also commented that the Erasmus semester should not be during the last year of the course like in the case of the Law course. The Erasmus Focus Group participants believe that an extra effort should be made to ensure that semester dates at the host institution correspond to those at the University of Malta. Finally, a number of students participating in the Erasmus Focus Group have also commented on the fact that for some students, Erasmus might not be an option, or is hard to experience, due to practical work which students need to do during their course. Students should be given the opportunity to do such practical work at their host institutions and not limit the units involving practical practice to the University of Malta. This makes it hard for the students to go and study abroad. 6.4 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above analysis, there are a number of academic difficulties that the students going on Erasmus encounter. These have to be immediately 90

105 addressed in order not to have any issues related to this programme that might affect the students going on Erasmus in academic terms. These students should be at the same level of those that decide not to go. Thus, it is futile to discourage the students from going on Erasmus if there is a possibility of solving the existing academic problems that impede the same students from taking up this opportunity. 91

106 7. Analysis of the Financial Aspect of going on Erasmus 7.1 Chapter Introduction At present, grants are allocated according to the host country a student is selected to go on Erasmus in. This chapter analyses the grants given to the students going on Erasmus vis-à-vis the expenses the students incur during their stay abroad. Both the Erasmus Focus Group and the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire gave their feedback on whether the grant given is fair. The Erasmus Focus Group participants were also asked to suggest alternative systems from the current one. 7. Analysis of the data obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Kindly refer to Chapter 8 on page Analysis of the data obtained through the Erasmus Focus Group All the participants of the Erasmus Focus Group have agreed that the system used to allocate the grants is fair. Nevertheless, there were a number of suggestions to the system. Some of the participants commented that the grant should ideally be allocated according to the city one is studying at, rather than by the country since it is much more expensive for a student studying in a metropolitan city (with higher costs such as transport and accommodation) than a smaller city in the same country. Other participants of the Erasmus Focus Group have also commented on the fact that grants should be given differently according to the particular course one is studying. This is due to the fact that some courses have more expenses than others such as the students reading for degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering. A number of participants have discussed the fact that when allocating grants, importance should be given to the economic situation of the student. One third of the Erasmus Focus Group participants think that a possible alternative system would be to provide grants according to the expenses such as accommodation 9

107 and flights. For this reason, grants would not be generic but they would depend on the expenses involved. All the members of the Erasmus Focus Group commented on the fact that the amount given in the form of grant is a financial aid given to the students deciding to go on Erasmus. This grant is not enough to cover all the expenses. In some occasions, the grant was not enough to cover accommodation costs. It is important for students to know beforehand that the grant will not be enough and that it will not cover all the expenses involved. The participants of the Erasmus Focus Group have also suggested that the flights should be given as a voucher which would be part of the grant. 7.4 Analysis of the grants given per academic year per host country The system of the grants has changed throughout the years. During the academic year , the system covered accommodation costs and an extra amount of 150 euro was given to all students. During the academic years and , a constant amount of 300 euro and 44 euro respectively was given to all students irrespective of the host country. As from the academic year , the grants were allocated according to the host country. During the academic year and the academic year , a capping system was introduced where the smallest sum given was that of 300 and the largest sum was that of 500. You can find the full list of grants per year per host country in the Table and Graph below. Table 43: Grants given per country for the 004/ /010 academic years in Euro 004/ / / / / /010 BE 150* BG CZ 150* DK 150* DE 150* EE GR ES 150* FR 150* IE 150* IT 150* CY LV

108 Amount / Euro LT LU HU MT 150* NL 150* AT PL 150* PT RO SI 150* SK FI 150* SE 150* UK 150* IS LI NO 150* TR 150* * Rent for Accommodation Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office Figure : Graph of grant given per host country in Euro / / / / / / BE CZ DE GR FR IT LV LU MT AT PT SI FI UK LI TR Host County Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 94

109 7.3 Analysis of the grants given to the students at the University of Malta during the academic years and The EU Commission establishes the maximum rate per month a student who is going on Erasmus can have. The monthly rate given to the student is decided upon according to the budget allocated for Life Long Learning to Malta and the amount of students who opt to go on Erasmus per year. Table 44: Grants given to the students during the academic year in Euro Host Country MAX RATE/ MONTH STUDIES PLACEMENT 55% 45% BG CZ DK DE EE GR ES FR IE IT CY LV LT LU HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK IS LI NO TR Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 95

110 Table 45: Grants given to the students during the academic year in Euro 4 months 3 month 5 months Host Country TOTAL 35% PER MONTH CAPPING TOTAL 35% PER MONTH CAPPING TOTAL 35% PER MONTH CAPPING BE BG CZ DK DE EE EL ES FR IE IT CY LV LT LU HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK IS LI NO TR Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 96

111 7.5 Grants and Expenses The Erasmus Focus Group has commented that the grants that were given were fair. Nevertheless, it is clear that the grant does not cover all the expenses. The average estimated cost was found per host country per month, for the academic year , as can be seen in the table in the following page. The host countries which do not have an average estimated cost are those were no students have been on Erasmus or the final report was not given. When the average estimated cost is compared to the grant, it was found that the grant covers on average 71.9% of the expenses of the students on studies and 47.30% of the expenses incurred by the students on placements. The grant covered the least amount of expenses in the Czech Republic while the highest amount in Sweden for studies. Those students going on placements, the grant covered the least amount of expenses in the Czech Republic while the highest amount in Denmark. 7.6 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above analysis, the Erasmus Focus Group participants considered the system whereby the grant is allocated as being fair. Moreover, some members of the same Focus Group have suggested possible amendments of the aforementioned grant that would be based on the city one goes on Erasmus in or depending on the course since there are differences in expenses. A breakdown of the grant given per host country was also given. Finally, the percentage of the expenses cover by the grant was analysed. It emerged that the grant covers a large percentage of the expenses involved in the case of students who go on Erasmus to study while the grant does not cover half of the expenses in the case of students who go on Erasmus for a placement. 97

112 Table 46: Estimated Expenses for the academic year in Euro Host Country MAX RATE/ MONTH 55% STUDIES Average Estimated Costs % of the estimated costs covered by grants 45% Average Estimated Costs PLACEMENT % of the estimated costs covered by grants BE BG CZ DK DE EE GR ES FR IE IT CY LV LT LU HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK IS LI NO TR Source: Information gathered from the University of Malta International and EU Office 98

113 8. Analysis of the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Results 8.1 Chapter Introduction This chapter analyses the results obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire. There were 519 respondents who completed this questionnaire which catered for the different scenarios that the students could find themselves in: the students that went on Erasmus, the students that got accepted to go on Erasmus and decided not to go, the students who applied to go on Erasmus and were not accepted and the students who never applied to go on Erasmus (either because they did not have the opportunity to do so as yet or else because they do not want to go on Erasmus). This varied aspects arising out of the questionnaire will help us to get to know better what the students think of the Erasmus process from the application phase to the other process involved. This feedback will help us propose recommendation that will ultimately improve the current situation of the Erasmus programme as seen by the Maltese outgoing students. 8. Analysis of the Results The first question that was asked to those students completing the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire was to rate their perception of the Erasmus Programme. As one can see from Figure 3, 34.10% of the respondents have a neutral perception of the Erasmus Programme while 33.53% of the students have a relatively high perception of such programme. The remaining feedback that was received was split as follows: 0.4% have a very high perception of the programme, 8.09% have a relatively low perception of the programme while the remaining 3.85% have a very low perception of the Erasmus programme. The results that come out are important to get hold of the opinion of the respondents vis-à-vis the Erasmus Programme. The fact that the absolute majority of the answers were either neutral or positive indicates that the majority of the students do care about the programme. This is essential since it would be futile to suggest recommendations to improve the Maltese experience of this programme if the students do not have a high consideration of it themselves. 99

114 Figure 3: Rating of the perception of the Erasmus programme 3.85% 0.4% 33.53% 8.09% 34.10% Very Low Low Neutral High Very High Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire As expected, the absolute majority of the students completing this questionnaire have never been on Erasmus (84.4% of the total respondents) while 15.58% of those answering the questionnaire said that they have been on Erasmus. The majority of the students currently enrolled at the University of Malta have never been on Erasmus themselves. Thus, this result is in line with the overall situation present on campus. This result also shows that it is a true representation of the perception and of the thoughts of the University of Malta students in relation to the Erasmus Programme. Figure 4: Have you ever been on Erasmus? 15.58% 84.4% Yes No Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 100

115 Out of those who said that they have been on Erasmus, the absolute majority (55.70%) answered that they would rate their experience as being extremely positive, 7.85% consider their experience as being relatively positive while 11.39% of the respondents were neutral of this experience. It was only 1.7% and 3.80% of the replies that said that their Erasmus experience was relatively negative and extremely negative respectively as it can be seen from Figure 5. Figure 5: Rating of the Erasmus experience 3.80% 1.7% 11.39% 55.70% 7.85% Very Negative Negative Neutral Positive Very Positive Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire This result shows that the Erasmus experience is a positive one. This enthusiasm in relation to this programme can be another way how we can promote the take up of much more students to decide to go on Erasmus. These students can answer the queries and hesitations of the students that are still unsure whether to go on Erasmus or not since they are the ones who can understand these students who are still in doubt of what to do. The fourth question revolved on the amount of money given in the form of a grant per month (see Figure 6) % of the respondents said that they received a grant of between 00 and 350, 38.96% of the respondents answered that they received a 101

116 grant of between 351 and 500 whereas the remaining 16.88% said that they received a grant of more that 501. Figure 6: Amount of money received as a grant per month 16.88% 38.96% 44.16% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire The following question asked those that have been on Erasmus on the estimated costs per month that they had while being abroad (Figure 7). 8.95% of the ones completing the questionnaire said that the estimated costs ranged between 00 and 500, 35.53% said that they spent between 501 and 750 a month and 30.6% said that the costs were between 751 and 1000 a month. The rest of the respondents, 3.95% and 1.3%, said that their estimated costs per month were in the range of and over 1501 respectively. The last two charts show that the estimated costs are above the grant received. Thus, a remedy has to be found in order to increase the take-up of this programme with the students who cannot afford such an expense or with those students who are not willing to spend such amount of money. It is important to highlight the positive feedback received in relation to the Erasmus programme but such financial matters have also been addressed in order to seriously address the low amount of students that decide to go on Erasmus every year. 10

117 Figure 7: Estimated costs per month How much were the estimated costs per month? 3.95% 1.3% 30.6% 8.95% % Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire A somewhat unexpected result emerged when asked whether the grant was given fairly or not. As it can be seen in Figure 8, 3.89% of the students said that they were neutral about this situation whereas 1.05% considered the grant given as relatively fair. On the other hand, 17.11% of the respondents believe that the grant given was relatively not fair and extremely not fair. It was only the 11.84% of the total answers that indicate that the grant given was extremely fair. Figure 8: Was the grant fair? 1.05% 11.84% 17.11% 17.11% Extremely not fair Relatively not fair Neutral Relatively fair Extremely fair 3.89% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 103

118 The seventh question of the Erasmus Assessment Report questionnaire was about the comparison between the host university and the University of Malta in academic terms. The largest percentage of the respondents (9.49%) said that they consider the host university as being of a relatively higher standard than the University of Malta while 8.1% of the answers indicate that the host university was of a similar standard and a much higher standard. The rest of the respondents (11.54% and.56%) answered that the level of the host university was of a relatively lower standard and of a much lower standard respectively. Figure 9: Comparison of the host university and the University of Malta in academic terms.56% 11.54% 8.1% 8.1% Much lower standard Relatively lower standard Same standard Relatively higher standard Much higher standard 9.49% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire This shows the importance of the Erasmus Programme since the students who participate in it have the opportunity to experience another university which has a similar or higher level than that of the University of Malta. This result contrasts with the findings arising out of the Erasmus Focus Group since they considered the level of the host universities as being of a lower academic level than the University of Malta. Moreover, one must take not of those students who said that the host university was of a low standard. These universities have to be pin pointed in order to terminate the bilateral agreement in favour of other foreign universities which have a higher academic standard. 104

119 As it can be seen in Figure 30, the majority of the respondents consider the campus life at the host university as being of a relatively higher standard (31.17%) and of a much higher standard (38.96%) when compared to the University of Malta campus life % of those answering this questionnaire considered the campus life at the host university as being of a same standard with 11.69% and 1.30% saying that the campus life was of a relatively lower standard and of a much lower standard respectively when compared to that of the University of Malta. Figure 30: Comparison of the host university and the University of Malta in campus life terms 1.30% 11.69% 38.96% 16.88% Much lower standard Relatively lower standard Same standard Relatively higher standard Much higher standard 31.17% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire The result can further promote the take-up of this programme since every student is in search of a better campus life. In Malta we are quite limited due to the fact of our small size that gives us the opportunity to reside away from the University premises. Thus, our life revolves around other places in our free time unlike what happens in foreign universities. This situation can help to incentivise more students to apply and eventually go on Erasmus. The following question was related to whether the Erasmus semester was appropriate or not. The absolute majority of the respondents (90.91%) answered that the Erasmus semester was appropriate while the remaining 9.09% saying that it was not. It is worth noting that the respondents that said that the Erasmus semester was not appropriate hailed from the Faculty of Health Sciences (57.14%), the Faculty for the Built Environment (8.57%) and the Mediterranean Institute (14.9%). Thus, one should 105

120 have a look at the situation in these Faculties and Institute in order to assess whether the Erasmus semester should be changes or not. Figure 31: Was the Erasmus semester appropriate? 9.09% Yes No 90.91% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Moreover, it is quite surprising that no Law student has said that the Erasmus semester was not appropriate considering the fact that the vast majority of the students are not happy with this situation. The reason might be that since the Law students go on Erasmus during the sixth year, many Law students taking this questionnaire could not answer this question. The students who said that the Erasmus semester was not appropriate were asked to explain their answer as can be seen in Figure 3..% of the respondents answered that the Erasmus semester was not appropriate since they missed important studyunits % of the answers indicated that it was due to the fact that they were not prepared for the synoptic exams and that they were not prepared for the following semester. The remaining 55.56% chose the Others option to explain their reasons. These included the fact that they went on Erasmus during summer (mentioning that there were no students around while they were on Erasmus), the fact that they missed the thesis preparation and orientation and the fact that most study-units are annual and not being different for each semester. 106

121 Figure 3: Why wasn t the Erasmus semester appropriate? 55.56%.% 11.11% 11.11% 0.00% Important study-unit missed Not prepared for synoptic exams Not prepared for the following semester Year of the Erasmus semester wasn't appropirate Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire When asked to rate the administration at the University of Malta International and EU Office, the largest percentage of the respondents (9.87%) said that the administration was of a relatively low standard..08% of the answers mentioned that the administration level was of a normal and relatively high standard. On the other hand, 1.99% of the respondents said that the International and EU Office is of a very high standard and of a very low standard. The general perception arising out of these answers is that the students believe that more can be done in relation to the standard of the administration provided by the International and EU Office. Figure 33: Rating of the University of Malta International and EU Office 1.99% 1.99%.08%.08% 9.87% Very Low Relatively Low Normal Relatively High Very High Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 107

122 The ones completing this online questionnaire were also asked to mention whether they had encountered any problems in relation to the University of Malta International and EU Office. 4.03% of the respondents said that they had received late replies, 3.38% answered that there was a lack of information given by the International and EU Office, 17.53% said that Outgoing Erasmus Office is under-staffed, 7.79% indicated that any problems that were encountered were solved in due time and that there were no problems at all, 7.14% of the respondents answered that the problems was because of a limited number of bilateral agreements while 1.34% of those answering the questionnaire indicated the Others option. The other reasons mentioned by the students completing this questionnaire included the fact that important documents were lost, inefficiency, lack of adequate support, the grants being given late and the fact that they received a late acknowledgement that they were chosen to participate in this programme. Figure 34: Problems encountered at the University of Malta International and EU Office (if applicable) 7.79% 7.79% 1.34% 3.38% Lack of information given Late replies Limited number of bilateral agrements Under-staffed 17.53% 4.03% Any problems were solved in due time No problems at all 7.14% Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire As one can see, there were various complaints that were addressed to the International and EU Office. These issues have to be addressed immediately in order to encourage other students to decide to go on Erasmus. Otherwise, the administrative problems might hinder the take-up of this programme with other interested students. 108

123 The respondents were also asked about the support received from their respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres. 8.57% of the respondents said that the support given was a normal and a relatively high one. 0.78% answered that the support received was very high with 14.9% and 7.79% saying that the support given was relatively low and very low respectively. Figure 35: Support received from the respective local Faculties, Institutes and Centres 1% 8% 14% Very Low 9% 8% Relatively Low Normal Relatively High Very High Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire The results arising out of this question show a marked difference from the ones related to the University of Malta International and EU Office. One can note that there is more support from the students respective Faculties, Institutes and Centres than from the International and EU Office. The students who went on Erasmus were asked whether they had experienced problems with recognition when they came back to Malta (Figure 36) % of the respondents said that they encountered no problems at all, 19.57% of the answers indicating that the students had difficulties in obtaining the last part of the grant, of the respondents answering that they had problems with credit recognition, 9.78% saying that their marks were downgraded while 0.65% of the respondents indicated that Others option. The other reasons mentioned by the students completing this questionnaire included that they encountered problems from their subsidiary area and the delay in transcribing the results obtained abroad. 109

124 Figure 36: Problems encountered with recognition when back in Malta 0.65% 11.96% Credit Recognition 9.78% Marks were downgraded 19.57% The last part of the grant was difficult to obtain No problems at all 38.04% Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Various problems arose from this question regarding recognition. It is useless to promote the take-up of Erasmus if they will end up having problems once they are back. It is essential that these problems are tackled in order to avoid putting the students going on Erasmus at a disadvantage when compared to their counterparts that did not take this opportunity. The respondents were also asked whether they would recommend the Erasmus Programme to the other students from their course or not. The absolute majority of the respondents (9.11%) said that they would recommend the take-up of such a programme while the remaining 7.89% answering that they wouldn t recommend it at all. 110

125 Figure 37: Do you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course? Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Figure 38: Why would you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course? % 5% Easier than Malta 5% 30% Enriching experience Fun Factor Good fro my CV 18% 0% To become more independent Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire As can be seen in Figure 38, out of those answering that they would recommend the Erasmus Programme to the other students from their course, 9.8% replied that they would do so because going on Erasmus is an enriching experience, 5.44% saying that it is useful to become more independent, 19.74% answering that they would recommend 111

126 it because of the fun factor, 17.98% saying that it would be good for their CV,.19% replying that the academic life abroad is easier than Malta while 4.8% of the respondents indicating the Others option. The reasons mentioned for the latter option were that they would recommend this Erasmus Programme because it is a new experience, because one gets to discover other countries, one can study topics not covered in Malta and in order to broaden and change one s perspective. Out of those answering that they would not recommend the Erasmus Programme to the other students from their course, 38.46% said that they would do so because of the administration inefficiency, 30.77% saying that there are financial reasons not to go on Erasmus while 15.38% of the respondents answering that there is a possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded and the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the Others option were that summer was not ideal to go on Erasmus and that it is difficult to live and study abroad when you are not granted any money at all. The latter reason is quite of a concern since the delay in issuing the grants may severely affect the students who are on Erasmus. Figure 39: Why wouldn t you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course? 0.00% 15.38% Administartion Efficiency 15.38% 38.46% Financial Reasons Language Barrier 0.00% 30.77% Possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded It's difficult to integrate with foreign students Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 11

127 Figure 40: Have you applied to go on Erasmus? 19.18% Yes No 80.8% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire The respondents who replied that they have never been on Erasmus were asked whether that had ever applied to go on Erasmus before (Figure 40) % of the replies indicated that the students answering the online questionnaire had applied to go on Erasmus while the vast majority of the respondents (80.8%) saying that they have never applied before. Figure 41: Did you get accepted to go on Erasmus? 3.81% Yes No 76.19% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 113

128 The students who answered that they had applied to go on Erasmus before, were asked whether they had been accepted or not (Figure 41) % of the respondents replied that they had been accepted while the remaining 3.81% said that they were not accepted to go on Erasmus. The students who answered that they had applied to go on Erasmus before were also asked to state the reasons why they didn t end up going..% of the respondents replied that it was due to the administration inefficiency, 14.81% was due to financial reasons, 7.41% replied that the language barrier was their main reason for not going on Erasmus, 6.17% said that it was due to the possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded, 4.94% replied that the main reasons was related to the unwillingness to go on Erasmus in the university that the students were accepted at, 3.70% indicated that it was due to the fact that they were not advised to go by those who had already been on Erasmus while of the respondents indicated the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the latter option were the logistics involved for the booking of the accommodation, the fact that a number of the study-units done abroad would not have counted in Malta and the fact that the students were accepted to go on another exchange programme. Figure 4: Why didn t you go on Erasmus? Administration Inefficiency.% Financial Reasons 40.74% Language Barrier Possibilty of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded 14.81% Not advised by those who went on Erasmus 4.94% 6.17% 7.41% I didn't want to go to the university I got accepted at Other 3.70% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 114

129 Moreover, a flaw of this questionnaire if the fact that the students who have been accepted to go on Erasmus in the following semester have been directed to this part of the questionnaire since their situation was not catered for, as these students will be going on a Direct Exchange rather than Erasmus. Thus, the large percentage of respondents who chose this option was related to this flaw. The students who replied that they were not accepted to go on Erasmus, were asked whether they thought the selection process was transparent (Figure 43). The absolute majority of the respondents (65%) answered that they thought the selection process was not transparent while the remaining 35% said that they thought that the selection process was transparent. It is important to avoid any transparency issues related to this programme since it would badly affect the eventual take-up in the following years. Thus, the clearer the selection process is, the less suspicious the selection process will be viewed once a student does not get accepted to go on Erasmus. Figure 43: Transparency of the selection process 35.00% Yes No 65.00% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire The respondents who said that they had applied to go on Erasmus but did not go were asked whether they would consider applying again (Figure 44) % answered that they would consider applying again while the remaining 31.65% said that they would not consider this option for the future. 115

130 Figure 44: Would you consider applying again? 31.65% Yes No 68.35% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Figure 45: Why would you consider applying again? 4.3% 5.04% 1.58% 0.14% 35.5% Easier than Malta Enriching experience Fun Factor Good for my CV To become more independent Other 13.67% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Out of those answering that they would consider applying again in order to go on Erasmus, 35.5% replied that they would do so because it is an enriching experience, 116

131 1.58% indicated that it was because it helps you to become more independent, 0.14% said that it would be good for their CV, 13.67% replied that it was because of the fun factor involved, 5.04% said that it was because the academic aspect was easier than Malta while 4.3% indicated the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the latter option were the fact that the students understood that they made a mistake when they decided not to go on Erasmus when they had the opportunity to do so, to specialise in his/ her preferred subject, to meet new people and to live abroad. The fact that some students recognised that they made a mistake when they decided not to go on Erasmus indicates that more should be done with the students who can still go on Erasmus in order for them not to lose this golden opportunity while they still have the possibility to go on Erasmus. Figure 46: Why wouldn t you consider applying again? 0.59% 9.41% Administration Inefficiency Passed my Erasmus semester 0.00% 11.76% Not advisable by those who went on Erasmus Not interested Other 38.4% Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Out of those answering that they would not consider applying again in order to go on Erasmus (see Figure 46), 38.4% of the respondents replied that they had already passed their Erasmus semester, 9.41% indicated that there are too many administration inefficiencies in the process of going on Erasmus, 11.76% said that they were not interested in taking up this opportunity while 0.59% indicated the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the latter option were the fact that Erasmus is not possible for the course some students were enrolled for (B. Commerce majoring in Accountancy) since the study-units do not match. There were a number of students that mentioned the specific problem related to those majoring in Accountancy. This 117

132 problem has to be analysed in order to give the possibility to go on Erasmus to all those students wishing to do so. The respondents who said that they have never applied to go on Erasmus were asked if they would consider applying in the future % replied that they are considering applying to go on Erasmus while the remaining 44.07% said they would not consider applying. Figure 47: Do you intend applying? 44.07% 55.93% Yes No Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Out of those answering that they would consider applying for the first time in order to go on Erasmus (Figure 48 below), 37.65% said that they would do so because they deem this programme as an enriching experience, 1.66% indicated that it is helpful in order to become more independent, 19.3% replied that it would be good for their CV, 16.19% answered that they would do so because of the fun factor involved,.0% said that they would consider applying because the academic aspect was easier than Malta while 3.4% indicated the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the latter option were related to the once in a lifetime experience that the Erasmus Programme is associated with, to benefit academically from better foreign universities, to improve one s language skills and the opportunity to cover study-units which are not offered at the University of Malta. 118

133 Figure 48: Why do you intend applying? 3.4% Easier than Malta.0% Enriching experience 1.66% 37.65% Fun Factor 19.3% Good fro my CV 16.19% To become more independent Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Out of those answering that they would not consider applying for the first time in order to go on Erasmus (Figure 49 below), 1.18% said that they would do so because of financial reasons, 11.46% replied that it was due to their lack of interest in the programme, 10.4% mentioned that they do not have enough information to apply to go on Erasmus, 9.7% indicated that it was because there was the possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded and due to the administration inefficiency, 8.33% said that the course they are currently enrolled in does not have an Erasmus semester, 6.94% indicated that they were scared of feeling home sick, 5.56% mentioned the language barrier aspect of going on Erasmus,.08% replied that they were not advised by those who already went on Erasmus while 14.58% indicated the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the latter option were related to the fact that they were part of student organisations, because of work commitments, because the courses of some students are too demanding to cater for an Erasmus experience, the lack of possibility to study two areas of studies in a foreign university (specifically related to the Faculty of Science courses), the fact that the study-units offered abroad do not match with the one offered locally (B. Commerce majoring in Accountancy), due to family reasons and because some students went to study abroad on another exchange. 119

134 Figure 49: Why don t you intend applying? 14.58% 9.7% Administration Inefficiency Financial Reasons Language Barrier 6.94% 1.18% Possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded Lack of Information] 11.46% No Erasmus Semester.08% 8.33% 10.4% 9.7% 5.56% Not advised by those who went on Erasmus Not Interested Scared of feeling homesick Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire The last question that was asked to those students who have not applied to go on Erasmus was to state the reasons of what would have triggered them to apply. 1.08% of the respondents mentioned that they would have considered going on Erasmus if more funds were made available, 15.36% indicated that more information would have led to take up this opportunity, 1.95% mentioned the possibility of having a wider choice of universities, 1.35% said that they would have gone on Erasmus if there was a more efficient administration, 1.05% indicated the possibility of having a more appropriate Erasmus semester, 9.34% said that they would take this opportunity if they had the actual possibility to go on Erasmus, 8.73 of the respondents argued that positive advices by others who went on Erasmus would have the consider applying while 8.13% indicated the Others option. The reasons mentioned in the latter option were related to a shorter period of time of the Erasmus programme, the possibility of experiencing campus life in another university in order to be more willing to go on Erasmus, the delivery of funds before one goes on Erasmus and the possibility of going with abroad with a friend. 10

135 Figure 50: What would have triggered you to apply? 1.95% 8.13% 9.34% 1.05% Actual possibility of going on Erasmus More appropriate Erasmus semester More efficient administration 8.73% 15.36% 1.35% More funds More Information Positive advices by others who went on Erasmus Wider choice of universities 1.08% Other Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire Figure 51: Gender distribution 36.04% Male 63.96% Female Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 11

136 As can be seen from Figure 51 above, the students who completed this Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire were predominantly female (63.95%) while the remaining respondents were male (36.04%). This predominance of female respondents is also seen in the total number of University students and the total number of graduates each year. Thus, this is another indication of the representative of this online questionnaire. Figure 5: Faculty, Institute and Centre distribution Source: Information gathered from the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire 1

137 The respondents of this online questionnaire represented almost all the Faculties, Institutes and Centres present at the University of Malta and included students studying in other national educational institutions and some foreign universities. The percentage of respondents per Faculty, Institute and Centre is as follows: Faculty of Arts 10.73%; Faculty for the Built Environment 8.90%; Faculty of Dental Surgery 0%; Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy 10.96%; Faculty of Education 5.94%; Faculty of Engineering 5.71%; Faculty of Health Sciences 10.7%; Faculty of Information and Communication Technology 4.11%; Faculty of Laws 13.4%; Faculty of Medicine and Surgery 5.48%; Faculty of Science 7.08%; Faculty of Theology 0.46%; Institute of Criminology 1.37%; The Edward De Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking 0.46%; Institute of Earth Systems 0.3%; Institute of Linguistics 0.46%; Mediterranean Institute 4.11%; Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture 0.68%; Centre for Communication Technology 3.4%; Centre for Labour Studies 0.3%; European Documentation and Research Centre 5.0%; G.F. Abela Junior College 0.46%; MCAST 0.3%, and; Foreign University 0.46%. 8.3 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above analysis, there are a number of common features that arose in different sections of the Erasmus Assessment Report Questionnaire. A large number of respondents consider going on Erasmus because they consider it as being an enriching experience while the major aspect of the Erasmus process which is considered as being a major setback is the administration inefficiency. Moreover, a lot of students that completed this online questionnaire said that in they would have gone on Erasmus if they had received more information and more funds. Another point worth focusing on is the problems related to specific courses that do not let the students go on Erasmus. One should come up with all the list of courses affected so that the officials responsible for the signing of bi-lateral agreements can take the specific requests of these courses into consideration when they are searching for foreign universities to sign a bi-lateral agreement with. 13

138 9. Recommendations 9.1 Chapter Introduction This Erasmus Assessment Report has been beneficial to provide everyone with a clear picture on Malta s experience in all the aspects of the Erasmus programme. We are now in a position to suggest our own recommendations to be implemented by the relevant authorities in order to improve the current situation. KSU is willing to do its part in order to tackle such difficulties for the benefit of the University of Malta students. 9. Recommendations in order to improve Malta s experience in the Erasmus Programme The first thing that is easily noticeable from the analysis made in the previous chapters is the large amount of students who decide to drop their application to go on Erasmus. One needs to channel the reasons of such a phenomenon into different parts. Some do not end up participating in this programme just because they do not have the necessary information regarding this programme. This means that a more structured promotional and informative campaign should be organised. This campaign should be done in different ways in order to reach out to all the University of Malta students. A high impact online campaign would help create more awareness on when the applications to go on Erasmus are open. Not all the students get to read their s or are into social media so this campaign should also specifically direct the students eligible to apply to go on Erasmus. This can be done by going to the main lectures of every course to briefly speak about this programme. Moreover, the ones that have already been on Erasmus can help in sharing their experiences in order to attract and motivate more people to participate in this life-changing experience. The post-secondary students should also be included in this campaign. In this way, they can get to know what the Erasmus Programme is all about from an early stage. Thus, they would have the necessary time to prepare for such an experience from beforehand such as working during summer in order to have the funds to go on Erasmus. Other students are willing to go on Erasmus but have to resign their application due to financial reasons. KSU believes in a welfare system that helps these students to have the opportunity to go on Erasmus like other students. We have already proposed an 14

139 interest-free loan scheme (see Annex 5) that should be available to all those going on Erasmus. In this way, we can incentivise the take up of this programme to a more varied group of students. Moreover, the relevant authorities have to ensure that the grant is given in due time since a large number of students rely on it in order to make ends meet while being on Erasmus. Some students cannot go on Erasmus because they do not have the possibility to do so due to their course structure or due to the bilateral agreement which the University of Malta has signed with foreign universities. Some courses require students to follow certain practical units that at the moment have to be done in Malta such as the dental fillings for the Faculty of Dental Surgery students. There are no reasons why these units cannot be done abroad as long as they are done in the correct way. Thus, we believe that the motives of such an impediment to go on Erasmus do not correspond to the benefits of going on Erasmus. We recommend that the students willing to take up this opportunity are given the possibility to do so at the host university. Moreover, there are students that experience problems in matching up the study-units offered by their Faculty, Institute or Centre with those offered by the host university. This applies to the Faculty of Science students who focus on two different areas whereas the bilateral agreements offer the possibility to focus on one of such areas and to the courses offered by the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology and the B. Commerce students majoring in Accountancy. The officials responsible from signing the bilateral agreements with the foreign universities should keep in mind these particular aspects of some courses in order to offer host universities that are compatible with the specific needs of some Faculties, Institutes and Centres. It is useless having thirty places for students to take up if they cannot do so due to the course restrictions. Thus, it is imperative to do a research of the particularities of each and every course in order to know what a good foreign university needs to offer. On the other hand, it is important that the officials of the Faculties, Institutes and Centres concerned understand that letting their students to choose study-units that are not offered at the University of Malta is a good thing as well. It helps the students to broaden their mind on other aspects related to their course as long as these units do not interfere with the overall structure of the course that is offered locally. Apart from a change in the way bilateral agreements are signed (taking into consideration the needs of specific courses), more bilateral agreements are needed to specific courses. This is the case to those offered by the Faculty for the Environment and the European Documentation and Research Centre. During the analysis of the 15

140 universities and placements, it was noted that there were 1.04 available places for each applicant hailing from the Faculty for the Built Environment and 1.44 available places for each applicant enrolled with the European Documentation and Research Centre for the academic year. This is due to the fact that there are two years where students have the possibility to go on Erasmus. Thus, it might be the case that the potential applicants exceed the number of places available and would lead students to miss the possibility of going on Erasmus. Some students have mentioned that the language barrier was a reason why they didn t go on Erasmus. Thus, the International and EU Office must ensure that a variety of host universities are offered per course. It is obvious that the bilateral agreements signed with non-english speaking universities are specific to a limited group of students. One must ensure that the wide range of universities which have an agreement with the University of Malta take into consideration the various language skills of all the students. The students encounter a large number of other administrative problems. The student hours of the International and EU Office are too short in relation to the needs of the students. This is felt mainly during specific times of the academic year such as when the Erasmus applications are out. The queues that form outside of the office lead students not to apply in the first place. Thus, we propose that the International and EU Office student hours are increased for the benefit of all the students. Many students have also commented that the International and EU Office are understaffed. In fact, there are only two officials for such a large number of work. It comes natural that this office lack efficiency as they do not have the human resources to do so. There has to be additions to this office in order to tackle such a recurring problem. Moreover, many have argued that they had documents lost or did not receive timely replies by the same officials. More care and a better organisation are needed in order to offer the best service possible to the students seeking help from the International and EU Office. Other students have expressed their concerns on the way the students are chosen to go to particular universities and the way the grant allocated to the students are made. It is important for the International and EU Office to be as transparent as possible in these aspects since many unnecessary suspicions may arise. KSU believes in the good faith of the officials responsible for such selections. By being transparent and explaining better the selection process and the way the grants are allocated, the students affected can be of the same opinion. 16

141 There were also a number of suggestions on how the grant given to the students should be calculated. If the city (and not the country) one goes on Erasmus in and the course of the applicant are taken into consideration, a fairer grant system can be devised which meets the needs of every student going on Erasmus. One could go away with it if the funds allocated to the grants are increased. In the absence of this, this system can provide the necessary aid to those who need the grant most especially when one considers that the students tend to spend much more when they are abroad. There are a number of academic difficulties that put an extra burden on those students that go on Erasmus. A case in point is the yearly study-units during the academic year where the students can go on Erasmus. These study-units have to be addressed and possibly shifted in order to give the same opportunity to all the students reading for all the different degrees offered by the University of Malta to go on Erasmus. Regarding the Erasmus semester, many have expressed concern on the fact that some courses give the possibility to their students to go on Erasmus during their last year. This last year is usually the busiest one since the students have study-units and possibly a research to conduct that might prevent them from going on Erasmus. Moreover, some courses offer their students to go on Erasmus during the summer recess. Many have expressed their view that these students do not get to experience the true spirit of being on Erasmus especially since there would be no one on campus around during that time of the year. The Erasmus semester is very important and thus, more care is needed when devising the course structures to accommodate the students wishing to go on Erasmus. The absolute majority of the students who have been on Erasmus have expressed that it was an extremely positive and enriching experience and that they would recommend it to the students from their course. There are students who decide not to apply on Erasmus because of a lack of knowledge related to the aforementioned experience. Ways should be found in order to have the students experience the lifestyle and the Erasmus way of life before they apply so as to encourage more students to apply and eventually go on Erasmus. 9.3 Chapter Conclusion As one can see from the above recommendations, there is much to do in relation to the Erasmus programme. It is important to focus on the shortcomings in order to improve the situation and to maintain the good things that have always been associated with the Erasmus Programme. 17

142 KSU will be vigilant to see whether these recommendations are taken into consideration. Moreover, we are willing to discuss them with all the relevant authorities in order to avoid the current difficulties associated with the Erasmus Programme for the benefit of all present and future University of Malta students. 18

143 10. Conclusion This Erasmus Assessment Report has dealt with an analysis of all the aspects related to Malta s experience in the Erasmus Programme. This study dealt with an analysis of the number of student that apply, get accepted and eventually go on Erasmus, an analysis of the number and level of the universities and placements that the local student can go to, a discussion on the academic and administrative difficulties related to the Erasmus Programme, an analysis of the grants allocated to the students, a discussion on the feedback obtained from the Erasmus Assessment Report questionnaire and the Erasmus Focus Group and the recommendation that KSU deems important to be introduced for the benefits of all the University of Malta students. The aim of the study was to assess whether the students are reaping the full benefits of this programme. With the data collected and information obtained, we can say that the majority of the students that go on Erasmus are having a very positive experience. It was also noted that there are some constraints that are limiting such benefits to more students. These include financial reasons, the administrative difficulties and the academic problems that have to be solved as yet. We believe in the good will of all the officials involved in the various processes of the Erasmus Programme. Nonetheless, we are aware that this good will is not enough as there is still a lot more to be done in order for the students to reap the full benefits of this programme. This assessment is meant to make everyone aware of the current shortcomings in order to be tackled in the best way possible. Thus, this report should be seen as a motivation to further improve the system rather than a personal threat to one s work. With the work of all those involved, we can get more students interested in this programme. As many students have said, the Erasmus programme is an enriching experience that everyone should have the possibility to do. Moreover, the increase in numbers should also be related to the overall minimisation of the difficulties encountered and to the maximisation of the benefits that this programme has to offer. It is our duty to try and achieve this and this report is the first step in this direction. 19

144 Annex 1

145

146 Annex

147 Erasmus Assessment Report KSU's International Office is working on Erasmus Assessment report whereby the current situation of the Erasmus programme will be assessed. This report will help KSU in understanding whether the students are reaping the full benefits of this programme. This questionnaire is one of the tools that KSU's International Office will use in order to assess the Erasmus programme. Anyone can do this survey: those that have applied and went, those that have applied and didn't go and those who haven't applied as yet. Make your voice heard on the Erasmus programme! There are 37 questions in this survey Erasmus Mobility Programme 1 [001] How would you rate your perception of the Erasmus Mobility Programme?* Please choose only one of the following: being the highest [00] Have you ever been on erasmus?* Please choose only one of the following: Yes No

148 3 [003] Which University did you get accepted to?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please write your answer here: input University Name & Country 4 [09] What was the academic year of your Erasmus Mobility Programme?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please write your answer here: 5 [004] How would you rate your experience?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: being the highest 6 [030] What was the amount of money given in the form of a grant per month?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please write your answer here:

149 7 [031]How much were the estimated costs per month?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please write your answer here: 8 [005] Was the grant fair?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: being the highest 9 [006] How would you compare academically the host university to the University of Malta?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' or 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Much higher standard Relatively higher standard Same standard Relatively lower standard Much lower standard

150 10 [007] How would you compare the campus life at the host University with that at the University of Malta?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Much higher standard Relatively higher standard Same standard Relatively lower standard Much lower standard 11 [008] Was the Erasmus semester appropriate?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' or 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Yes No 1 [009] Why wasn't the Erasmus semester appropriate?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'No' at question '11 [008]' (Was the Erasmus semester appropriate?) Please choose all that apply: Important Study-Units missed Not prepared for synoptic exams Not prepared for the following semester Year of the Erasmus semester/s wasn't appropriate Other:

151 13 [010] How would you rate the administration at the International & EU Office at the University of Malta* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: being the highest 14 [011] Did you encounter any problems at the University of Malta International & EU office if any?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose all that apply: Lack of Information given Late raplies Limited number of bilateral agreements Under-staffed Any problems were solved in due time No problems at all Other: 15 [01] How would you rate the level of support that you received from your respective local faculties/ Institutes/ Centres?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?)

152 Please choose only one of the following: being the highest 16 [013] Did you encounter any problems with recognition when you came back to Malta?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose all that apply: Credit recognition Marks were downgraded The Last part of the grant was difficult to obtain No problems at all Other: 17 [014] Do you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Yes No

153 18 [015] Why would you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'Yes' at question '17 [014]' (Do you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course?) Please choose all that apply: Easier than Malta Enriching experience Fun factor Good for my CV To become more independent Other: 19 [016] Why wouldn t you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'No' at question '17 [014]' (Do you recommend the Erasmus Programme to other students from your course?) Please choose all that apply: Administration inefficiency Financial reasons Language barrier Possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded Its difficult to integrate with foreign students Other: 0 [017] Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'No' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?)

154 Please choose only one of the following: Yes No 1 [018] Did you get accepted to go to Erasmus?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'No' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'Yes' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Yes No [019] Which University did you get accepted at?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '1 [018]' (Did you get accepted to go to Erasmus?) Please write your answer here: Input University Name & Country 3 [00] Why didn't you go on Erasmus?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'Yes' at question '1 [018]' (Did you get accepted to go to Erasmus?) Please choose all that apply: Administration inefficiency Financial reasons Language barrier

155 Possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded Not advised by who went on Erasmus I didn't want to go to the University I got accepted at Other: 4 [01] Do you think that the selection process was transparent?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'No' at question '1 [018]' (Did you get accepted to go to Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Yes No 5 [0] Would you consider applying again?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Yes No 6 [03] Why would you consider applying again?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'Yes' at question '5 [0]' (Would you consider applying again?) Please choose all that apply: Easier than Malta

156 Enriching experience Fun factor Good for my CV To become more independent Other: 7 [04] Why wouldn't you consider applying again?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'No' at question '5 [0]' (Would you consider applying again?) Please choose all that apply: Administration inefficiency Passed my Erasmus semester Not advisable by who went on Erasmus Not interested Other: 8 [05] Do you intend to apply?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'No' at question ' [00]' (Have you ever been on Erasmus?) and Answer was 'No' at question '0 [017]' (Have you ever applied to go on Erasmus?) Please choose only one of the following: Yes No

157 9 [06] Why do you intend to apply?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'Yes' at question '8 [05]' (Do you intend to apply?) Please choose all that apply: Easier than Malta Enriching experience Fun factor Good for my CV To become more independent Other: 30 [07] Why don't you intend applying?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'No' at question '8 [05]' (Do you intend to apply?) Please choose all that apply: Administration inefficiency Financial reasons Language barrier Possibility of getting marks obtained abroad downgraded Lack of Information No erasmus semester Not advisable by who went on Erasmus Not interested Scared of feeling home sick Other: 31 [08] What would have triggered you to apply?* Only answer this question if the following conditions are met: Answer was 'No' at question '8 [05]' (Do you intend to apply?)

158 Please choose all that apply: Actual possibility of going on Erasmus More appropraite Erasmus semester More efficient administartion More funds More information Positive advices by others who went on Erasmus Wider choice of Universities Other: Personal Details 3 [101] Input any other comments Please write your answer here: 33 [10] Gender* Please choose only one of the following: Female Male 34 [104] Date of Birth* Please enter a date: 35 [103] Faculty / Centre / Institute* Please write your answer here:

159 36 [105] Course* Please write your answer here: 37 [106] Graduation Year Please write your answer here: If applicable Submit your survey. Thank you for completing this survey.

160 Annex 3

161 Erasmus Focus Group Saturday, 11 September 010 Erasmus What were your expectations before going on Erasmus? What was your opinion of the Erasmus programme after you came back? Were your expectations fulfilled?

162 Number of Students Number of Students Erasmus Statistics for University of Malta Total Students who Applied to go on Erasmus Total Students who got accepted to go on Erasmus Total Students who got went on Erasmus / / / / / /010 Academic Year Faculty of Arts No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year

163 Number of Students Number of Students Faculty for the Built Environment No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Faculty of Education No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year

164 Number of Students Number of Students 30 Faculty of Engineering No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies 10 No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year 90 Faculty of Health Sciences No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year

165 Number of Students Number of Students.5 Faculty of Theology No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies 1.5 No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year 18 CCT No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year

166 Number of Students Number of Students 0 EDRC No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year 4.5 Institute of Criminology No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies.5 No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year

167 Number of Students 18 Mediterranean Institute No. of UoM students who applied to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who got accepted to go on Erasmus for Studies No. of UoM students who actually went to go on Erasmus for Studies Academic Year Perception of the standard of universities What is your general perception of the standard of the universities with which the University of Malta has a bilateral agreement with? What is your perception of the standard of the universities with which your Faculty/ Centre/ Institute has a bilateral agreement with?

168 Scenario 1 Paul was the only one who got accepted to a relatively higher level University than the UoM from his course. He is undecided if he should go.. what would you do? Scenario Victoria got accepted to an Italian-speaking University. She can speak Italian but she is not that fluent in the language. The standard of the university is similar/higher to the UoM. What would you do?

169 Scenario 3 Andrew s first preference university was the University of Liverpool. He got accepted to the University of University of Gdaosk in Poland instead which is of a relatively higher standard than the University of Liverpool. What would you do? Local Administrative Problems Actual application to go on Erasmus Acceptance process Choosing study-units Recognition Grants Others

170 Administrative Problems What were the administrative problems at the host University? Lack of efficiency in changing study-units Others Academic Difficulties What were the academic difficulties encountered at the host university? Lectures Method of Assessment Others

171 Academic Difficulties What were the academic difficulties encountered after you came back? Synoptic Exams Not prepared for the following academic year Recognition Others Erasmus Semester/s What factors should determine an appropriate Erasmus Semester/s?

172 Grant What should the grant cover? Flights Accommodation Subsistence costs Internal transportation Campus Life How does the campus life at your host university compare to the University of Malta one? Is the campus life in Malta good and how can it be improved?

173 Erasmus Experience Once you have been on Erasmus, how do you rate the Erasmus experience in Malta for the incoming international students? Erasmus Experience What are your recommendations for a better Erasmus experience? Accommodation Administration Selection Process Grants Recognition Study-units Others

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