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B-International Newsletter First Edition - August 2021

Welcome to the first B-International Newsletter!

A newsletter that brings you the latest in the B-International journey- an Erasmus+ CBHE project, coordinated by Cardiff Metropolitan University, that sees 8 universities (4 EU and 4 Pakistan) come together to collaborate in the spirit of internationalisation.

With so many activities underway, we take this opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved so far, and what is yet to come. In addition, we look at how visible B-International is across various platforms, and the impact that the project is having. Finally, we take this opportunity to introduce you to our valued colleagues and partners working together on the B-International journey in the 'partner insight' section.

At the very heart of B-International is the aim to foster a global outlook through the development of robust internationalisation strategies, and a sustainable framework for supporting students, staff, and thereby institutions in Pakistan to achieve internationalisation at home and abroad.

The road to internationalisation is a long but exciting one, so sit back, relax and we hope you enjoy the first edition of the B-International newsletter!

Project Progress

What has the project achieved since its inception in January 2020? Has the pandemic halted activity? Well, as you can see from the extensive list below, we have been busy:

Mar/Apr 2020:

The Project kick started with a series of Virtual Meetings that saw partners come together to effectively plan the implementation of B-International activities and set our project structure. From that our Project Management Board, Quality Monitoring Group and Dissemination Working Group were appointed.

May/Jun 2020:

Work began on the development of a series of surveys that scope out the current level of internationalisation on an institutional, student and staff level. Development of a project website and social media pages began. The location of a new Centre for Internationalisation at each of the four Pakistan universities was identified, and work on furnishing and equipping those centres began.

Sept 2020:

Analysis of the first surveys was completed and the planning and design of the first training programme began.

Oct 2020:

The project website launched and the first Project Management Board and Quality Monitoring Group held the inaugural meetings which continued thereon to meet quarterly.

The partners prepared a promotional video for ErasmusDays 2020 showcasing what the project means to them in just a handful of words. You can listen to it by clicking the video below.

The tendering process for equipment for the four Centres for Internationalisation was launched and lasted several months.

Nov 2020-Feb 2021:

The first Internationalisation training programme was developed and designed for virtual delivery in light of the ongoing pandemic.

Feb 2021:

Progress Meeting with the British Council in Pakistan, Associate Partner to the project, took place and has been held quarterly from thereon.

Mar 2021:

The project delivered the first of its Internationalisation Workshops to key staff in the four Pakistan universities over a series of eight virtual workshops. The workshops focussed on providing a solid foundation of internationalisation knowledge and training in the development of autonomous international strategies.

Asia Virtual Tour 2021 Campus France - Pakistan (8-11 March 2021), in which our partners Ecole Centrale Nantes and Lahore University of Management Sciences presented the B-International Project and disseminated to a global HE audience

April 2021:

British Council in Pakistan together with National University of Sciences & Technology showcase B-International project and how it is supporting the advancement of internationalisation in Pakistan.

Jun 2021:

A Call for an External Evaluator was launched as part of the projects quality monitoring plan and the successful applicant was selected and appointed in July/August 2021.

Jul/Aug 2021:

Planning begins on the themes and design of the CPD training programme that will target all staff and which is led by the University of Bologna. Further equipment deliveries are received by partners in readiness to equip the Centres for Internationalisation. Pakistan partners deliver the first draft of the institutional internationalisation strategies.

Here are some examples of how the project has been collaborating whilst we eagerly await the day we can meet face-to-face...

Above are a number of screenshots of some of the key meetings the project has held so far, such as the inaugural meetings of the Project Management Board (01 October 2020), Quality Management Board (29 October 2020) and Dissemination Working Group (20 April 2021), Meeting with the Associate Partner, the British Council Pakistan (02 February 2021) and the Internationalisation workshops held during the month of March 2021 as part of Work Package 1, led by our Partners Ecole Centrale Nantes in France.

Additionally, below you will be able to click on the image and see how engaged and enthusiastic our Pakistani partners have been to start discussions with senior management regarding the development of their University's internationalisation strategy during the months of May, June and July 2021.

Photos of meetings in Clockwise directions: 1. First PMB Meeting; 2. First QMG Meeting; 3. Meeting with Associate Partner British Council; 4 and 5. Work Package 1 Internationalisation Workshops; 6. First Dissemination Working Group Meeting; Screen shots from Partner meetings: 7. PIFD's first meeting regarding the development of its University's Internationalisation Strategy; 8. LUM's first internationalisation strategy meeting; 9. NUST's International Office meeting to develop their institutional strategy; 10.+11. LUMS second and third meeting continuing to work on their institutional internationalisation strategy; Below: 12. ErasmusDays 2020 Video

Social Media and Promotional Engagement

The social media and promotional engagement section showcases the dissemination activities that have been implemented by all partners involved within the consortium. The project's social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have seen increased interaction and engagement from partners due to the numerous activities that have occurred over the last few months and have given the project the platform to disseminate its outputs to a wider audience. We would like to thank all of our partners for their continued support and collaboration in disseminating the B-International Project in a wide range of social media platforms, such as radio, Facebook videos and blogs!

What are the B-International Partners saying.....

National University of Sciences & Technology and British Council Pakistan on Radio Power 99:

Videos by Umar Hameed and Khadija Hassan from Pakistan Institute of Fashion & Design:

Blogs:

COMSATS University Islamabad- "From Excitement to Full Engagement – A peek into CUI’s journey with B-International"

Lahore University of Management Sciences- "Work Package 1: Building Internationalisation Training Workshops – A LUMS perspective"

National University of Sciences & Technology-"Erasmus+ & Pakistani Universities Collaboration: A time lapse of NUST’s journey of contributing towards building internationalisation in Pakistan and team-based training plans inclusive of virtual reality experience"

Cardiff Metropolitan University- "B-International Blog- Our Story So Far" and "Another milestone reached! Successful completion of WP1 Internationalisation Workshops"

You can click on each of the images below for full details.

From left to right (click on image to enlarge): 1. NUST engagement on Radio- Power 99; 2 and 3.  Feedback videos from PIFD; 4. COMSATS blog; 5. LUMS blog; 6. NUST blog;

Partner Insight

Welcome to our Partner Insight Section where in every E-Newsletter we will be looking at colleagues from one EU partner and their twin Pakistan partner and see what they have to say about the B-International Project!

For this first newsletter we would like to introduce you to representatives from the University of Salamanca and COMSATS University Islamabad!

Your Name:

Juan Luis García Alonso

Your University:

University of Salamanca

What is your role at your University?

Currently, I am an Associate Professor of Greek Philology at the Department of Classical Philology and Indo-European Linguistics. I am also the director of the PhD Program of my Department and the contact person of the 2017-2021 Erasmus+ CBHE project XCELING (“Towards Excellence in Applied Linguistics. Innovative Second Language Education in Egypt” https://xceling.usal.es/). I am also a member of the local team of two more Erasmus+ projects: 2020-2023 BAQONDE (CBHE: "Boosting the Use of African Languages in Education. A Qualified Organized Nationwide DEvelopment Strategy for South Africa” https://baqonde.usal.es/) and 2020-2023 INCLUDEED (Strategic Partnership: “Social cohesion and INCLUsion: DEveloping the EDucational possibilities of the European Multilingual Heritage through Applied Linguistics” (https://includeed.usal.es/)

How long have you been working at the University?

Since 1997

What excited you most about the prospect of participating in the B-International project?

I am very excited because working in a CBHE project with a new country opens up, certainly, new knowledge and experiences.

What are you most looking forward to and what do you hope that the B-International project will achieve?

Personally, I am looking forward to traveling to Pakistan, meeting the partners, visiting their institutions and getting to know the country and its people a little bit. I imagine the main outcomes of the project to be the fact both the EU and the PK partners reflect on the very concept, aims and reasons around the idea of internationalization, in such a way that we all learn a lot in the process and contribute to, first of all, a more efficient strategic planning for our institutions in this question. Down the road, I expect the implementation of these plans will be both successful and productive.

Your Name:

Fazal Ur Rahman Azad

Your University:

COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) Pakistan

What is your role at your University?

I am Deputy CoE and also serve as Head of Content Department in COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan. My responsibilities include overseeing the digital content development for Hybrid and distance learning programs at CUI. Besides that, I also work with officials and organizational representatives to found new interdisciplinary research grounds within CUI and other national and international counterparts. Mainly I focus on the areas of IT/ Technology and Management/Partner Development/Contract & Project Management, Planning, Implementation, and roll-out. I am also part of few research projects, including Building INTERNATIONALisation in Pakistan, COMSATS Computer Emergency Response Team (COM-CERT), IoT-Cloud Analytic Centre for Agriculture. I am a Lead in few other projects including Capacity Building of Hybrid Learning in Pakistani Universities, Holographic Content Delivery, and AI-based Adaptive Learning at CUI.

How long have you been working at the university?

Since 2008. Before that, I have spent 4 years as an undergraduate student from 2004 to 2008 at CUI as well.

What excited you most about the prospect of participating in the B-International project?

The Building INTERNATIONALisation project in Pakistan for many reasons is an exciting opportunity for me and the whole CUI community. I think the most exciting part is that we as a B-International Community could engage through a shared vision as a key to excellence for Internationalisation at Home and Internationalisation Abroad.

What are you most looking forward to and what do you hope that the B-International project will achieve?

It is widely accepted that the Internationalization of higher education is no longer a goal in itself rather it is an opportunity to improve the quality of higher education through an exchange of ideas and promoting cross-culture scientific and research collaborations. I am looking forward to interacting with the B-International partners, discuss ideas, listening to them, and share their experiences along the journey they have. I hope that the B-International project will be a landmark that every University/institution of the country and the region will want to achieve.

The project is in full swing and with many objectives set we have a clear path ahead. Here is some of the upcoming activities and events in store for B-International:

Aug 2021:

Interim Report Submission Deadline - 29th August 2021

CPD Training Development Meeting - 31st August 2021

Sept 2021:

Soft launch of the Centres for Internationalisation across the four Pakistan universities

Oct 2021:

Next Dissemination Working Group (DWG) - 19th October 2021

Next Quality Monitoring Group (QMG) - 21st October 2021

Next Project Management Board (PMB) - 28th October 2021

We hope you enjoyed reading the first edition of the B-International Newsletter and we look forward updating you in the next edition as to the progress of the project. But if you can’t wait to learn more, you can visit our project website by selecting the 'visit us' button at the top of the newsletter or having a look at our social media platforms.

B-International Project Team

Credits:

Created with images by Jérôme Rommé - "light box message : Hello and welcome" • geralt - "human google polaroid" • rutchapong - "Text with Upcoming Events and coffee cup, notebook,pencil on grunge wooden table."