Consider the potential benefits and outcomes of a staff mobility experience. Image What are the benefits? A staff mobility activity is a great way to pick up new ideas and practices, develop skills in your field, and build and develop international relationships. The knowledge and experience gained can help your own personal and professional development. It may help you develop skills in your field, increase your intercultural understanding, and help to create international networks The knowledge gained from your experience can be shared with colleagues and students, and can be key to motivating students to study or work abroad. You might find it helpful to consider the potential benefits to you individually as well as to your team and to the wider University: Possible benefits for the participant Networking opportunities, exchange of expertise and experience Learn and share new ideas/practices/teaching methods Get feedback on my own ideas Find answers to question and solutions to problems Gain access to useful resources Possible benefits for the wider team / University Suggest new or improved processes and techniques that will increase team productivity/efficiency improvements/cost savings Share helpful resources, knowledge and experience with team members Introduce team members to useful contacts Increased external awareness of the University of Edinburgh through communicating with outside parties Opportunities to partner or collaborate with other institutions may be created Improved understanding of the benefits of international activity which inspire students to undertake international experiences Gain a greater understanding of the needs and concerns of international students and staff Know your aims and objectives For your staff mobility activity to be valuable, you should carefully consider the purpose of your visit and what you intend to achieve. The following examples may be helpful to you when considering the potential outcomes of a teaching or training visit: Possible objectives of teaching mobility Learn more about the partners' pedagogic practices, teaching methodologies, curricula and student assessment criteria Prepare a joint paper/article/chapter of publication Prepare an international joint event (e.g. conference, congress, workshop) Initiate a new curriculum development Implement new/innovative teaching methods Establish joint supervision of Masters/PhD students Possible objectives of training mobility Implement/share new or innovative working methods Create new or improved procedures/guidelines Produce a benchmarking report or set of recommendations on a given subject Establish direct channels to address known administrative or technical issues between Edinburgh and a partner institution Gather information about a partner institution and its facilities for students Increase student mobility flows, investigate student mobility opportunities Image Consider your development needs Before planning your visit, you must be clear about your personal and professional needs, how a staff mobility experience activity can contribute to them, and how you intend to use your learning. The University's Learning and Development team within HR has some useful tools on its website that can help you identify your development needs and plan your development. Online development toolkit Planning your development This article was published on 2024-06-24
