In the SDG project with the Dutch partner university THUAS, the Bachelor’s program in Corporate Communication shows how cross-university teaching prepares students for working in intercultural teams.
In the summer semester of 2024, 38 full-time students of the Bachelor’s program in Corporate Communication had the opportunity to take part in a cross-university, international project. As part of the “Public Relations” lecture, they analyzed companies in relation to a selected United Nations’ SDG goal with 18 students from the Business Administration degree program at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. On May 14, the students from both universities presented the results of their group work in person as a poster presentation at FHWien der WKW during a major closing event.
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
For several years now, the Communication Management study programs have been committed to international exchange with their Dutch partner university in Den Haag. In the “Collaborative Online International Learning” (COIL) project, students work together on a topic in international groups. This year started with introductory videos that the respective group members had made of themselves. In a virtual kick-off at the beginning of April, they then got to know each other in an online setting and received their tasks. The teams worked on their projects in weekly virtual meetings. Cultural differences in terms of collaboration were also analyzed. The Dutch students travelled to Vienna for the final presentation of the results in mid-May. The team members finally got to know each other in person.
Prize for best poster presentation
The nine groups mastered the challenge of transnational virtual group work with flying colours and also impressed with their creativity in the poster presentations. The best poster was finally honoured with a prize. The students were supported and coached by Simone Zwickl, Academic Expert & Lecturer in Strategic Communication Management, who organized the COIL project on behalf of FHWien der WKW, and Carolien van Gent from The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
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Pictures: © Holly Kellner