Erasmus Policy Statement [2021-2027]

Amongst the priorities established in the EASD Zamora educative project we have included internationalization and knowledge transfer. As a consequence, we will be able to contribute to the economic and social development in Zamora
and surrounding area and ensure the economic prosperity of the region over the long term.

One of the objectives is to promote cooperation within departments at both national and international level. In line with this goal, EASD will focus its international activities in students and staff mobility, in establishing strategic partnerships and knowledge alliances whit third countries as well as internationalization at home.

In order to encourage the development of new ties and the internationalization of our programmes, our College will continue establishing new agreements with higher education institutions in EU and non-EU countries. The selection of the institutions is based on the quality of their study programmes offered by the different institutions. On the other hand, we intend to offer the largest geographical diversity for exchange staff and students in order to ensure in turn that the incoming students are from the highest number of geographical areas possible. This will involve a great benefit for our institution and for those that cannot participate for certain reasons in international programmes.

The criteria to select enterprises will be similar, but in this case we will take into account the difficulties that the language can cause in some countries. Therefore, we will try that work placements have some English-speaking staff.

We will promote geographical diversity as follows: 85% EU partners and 15% non-EU partners.

The experience acquired during the participation under the Erasmus programme has made possible to define a detailed process to select and evaluate the partner institutions in order to guarantee the quality of the mobility activities.

EASD will guarantee the quality in the organization of the students’ mobility, ensuring the equal academic treatment and services to EASD students and international students. With that aim, after enrolment each incoming student will become a student with full rights in our high education institution.

EASD awards ECTS credits when students complete and pass successfully the courses they are registered in, receiving full academic acknowledgement of the courses taken as part of their studies without causing the increase in their study
programme duration. We have also set up the necessary mechanisms so that the students’ academic certificates reflect the mobility period of studies or traineeship.

We have set the parameters so that all students, teachers and staff can be selected to participate in international programmes on the basis of clear, transparent and objective criteria, without any discrimination "based on sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation". The facilities in EASD building ensure the access for students and staff with physical disabilities. We will also provide the necessary means to ensure the integration of students with other type of disabilities in equal conditions with their classmates or colleagues. In all cases the attention is personalised even outside teaching hours.

OBJECTIVES

1. Continue taking active part in the Bologna Process.
2. Create a study environment in which internationalization is present and promote this profile on a regular basis.
3. Promote periods on studies and traineeships abroad in order to develop intercultural skills, learn from other educative and scientific systems, dominate another language, improve communicative skills and acquire competences to get along in international contexts.
4. Increase the signed agreements with EU and non-EU institutions, as well as the agreements with enterprises and institutions related to design, architecture and art.
5. Promote the benefits of the programme within the College and the department and not only support mobilities, but in the creation and start-up of international projects with other countries as well.
6. Secure equal opportunities to all participants in international programmes, taking special attention to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
7. Implement the process of follow-up and systematic monitoring and evaluation to ensure strong areas and improve weaknesses in order to the defined internationalization objectives are met.

EASD Zamora is a small institution (350 students), whose financial and staff resources are very limited.

As a consequence, the institutional internationalization strategy is focused on a limited number of strategic targets and alliances with international partners.

The strategic objectives are mainly based on the mobility activities for students, and staff, as well as on internationally oriented projects and on internationalization at home.

In regards to other international teaching and research projects, EASD is also highly interested in developing alliances together with institutions, enterprises and organisations depending on the options of the new generation of EU programmes

will offer.

EASD Zamora will support, regulate and organise the realisation of international cooperation projects related to teaching and training within the Erasmus programme taking into consideration the possibilities of support from staff available at our institution.

The implementation of The Bologna Process has been one of the main strategic objectives of our College. EASD is planning to contribute to the Modernisation Agenda by maintaining what has been achieved and improving quality as well as intensifying ties among education, investigation and international labour market in order to increase the number of higher education graduates that can satisfy society needs.

The following achievements document the College's strong commitment and the contributions that have been made so far:

1. EASD has established cooperation agreements with 24 European partners.
2. Gradual increasing in the participation, both in the number and type of mobilities.
3. Increasing in the quality of the mobility, developing the procedures that ensure these programmes.
4. Development of international workshops, which have resulted in the acquisition of linguistic and transversal competences.
5. Internationalisation expansion, not only in higher education studies, but also in all educational levels in our institution.
6. Start-up of an innovation project, whose main objective is connected with the internationalisation and acquisition of linguistic skills.
7. Full implementation of ECTS credit system.
8. Extension of traineeships to an international scale.

Within the scope of the Autonomous Region of Castilla y León, EASD has obtained an ICT Certification level 5, the highest level; we have also received an institutional recognition of the best quality experiences with the project “Improvement in the process management of the institution”.

EASD has been chosen as the best practice example by the national agency for the use of ICT tools to give information about the programme and the monitoring mechanisms.

In regards to the priorities of the Modernization Agenda, EASD has the following focus: EASD Zamora will continue integrating mobility systematically for learning purposes and will remove unnecessary barriers in favour of mobility among higher education institutions, cross-border cooperation and exchanges.

Our school will broaden participation in projects with enterprises in which the starting point is always to improve teaching quality through education beyond the classroom.

We will establish monitoring mechanisms for higher education graduates, which will enable the design of strategies to boost employability of future professionals.

We will continue developing transparent procedures and mechanisms to ensure quality in mobilities and the increase of these programmes.

We are also planning to enlarge the number of international partners.

Funding and staff in our school depend on the regional government of Castilla y León. This situation does not favour autonomous and flexible governance and funding system. As participation of higher education institutions is growing, we hope that the current system will be modified and enable the organization of strategic plans.