VIRTUAL EXCHANGE
Virtual Exchange
Due to the Covid – 19 pandemic, all mobilities and stays planned for 2020 were cancelled since traveling has not been possible or at least very restricted.
In order to maintain the active exchange and cooperation within the Namaste+ partners, we implemented several virtual activities for students and staff. In 2020 these activities took place as an emergency response to the situation, but they proved to be an excellent complement to the project. Therefore, in 2021 we continued offering virtual activities for our partners and also to other departments of the University of Göttingen which cooperate with Indian universities. Some of this activities will be offered until the end of the project.
NAMASTE+-Workshop –India-Germany cultural exchange
A workshop bringing together administrative staff form the Indian Partner institutions and the University of Göttingen in order to broaden and deepen their intercultural knowledge and experience, thus intensifying the knowledge and understanding of the representatives of the cultures involved, making it easier to deal with each other professionally in everyday life. This workshop took place in 2020 and it was continued in 2021.
Virtual Exchange – Intercultural Communication Workshop
Although the current situation does not allow students to participate in a physical exchange, they can still have an authentic intercultural experience by participating in a virtual exchange workshop. During the virtual exchange workshop, students acquire knowledge about culture, stereotypes and communication, engage in exchange and discussion about them and compare their educational systems and academic cultures. In doing so, students have the opportunity to develop, practice and demonstrate their intercultural communication and online collaboration skills. The workshops took place in 2020 and 2021
Virtual Intercultural Training for Teachers
The online seminar targets students of educational science and pedagogy. It offers students who want to teach or work with children or young people the opportunity to exchange ideas with students from the same disciplines at Göttingen University. They discuss intercultural education, intercultural communication, stereotypes, and prejudices in the classroom. The aim of the seminar is for the students to gain experiences about the intercultural dimension of education/school and academic attitudes, and gain first-hand experience in multicultural learning and working environments. In 2020 and 2021 the seminars took place in English and also in German for Indian students of German Philology.
Indian documentary film festival Crossings 2021
This activity will take place online in the Fall of 2021 and it is coordinated together with the Centre for Modern Indian Studies (CeMIS) and organized by the Indian filmaker Lalit Vachani. The documentary film festival will promote intercultural exchange, and expanding one’s own frame of reference. By presenting films, that deconstruct stereotypes and provide an empathetic view of different cultural groups.
NAMASTE+ Virtual Talk – Higher Education in Deutschland
Virtual talk presenting the German Higher Education System and academic procedures at the University of Göttingen for international students. The talk took place in October 2020.
Video series on Physics´ experiments
Development and filming of Physics´ experiments which are uploaded on a YouTube Channel and publicly available. The available video series aims to sustainably improve the quality of teaching both here and in India.
