Partners Unite at Xamk to Co-Create a Pathway Programme on Psychology and Social Pedagogy
INGENIUM brings its partners closer so we can develop new opportunities for our students! Educators and administrative staff from INGENIUM met on Xamk’s Kotka campus to develop an INGENIUM Pathway Programme which would allow students to include additional study fields into their regular study programme and to add an international mobility component.
Psychology and Social Pedagogy for Sustainable Wellbeing
The goal of the two-day meeting was to gain an understanding of the themes of the collaborative study modules and the strengths and interests of the partners in the offering. The team was able to develop a concrete action plan to bring the Pathway Programme into reality. Preliminary name of the planned Pathway Programme is Psychology and Social Pedagogy for Sustainable Wellbeing. Xamk’s Department of Social Services and Promotion of Functional Ability is responsible for providing courses for the study pathway from Xamk’s side, together with the departments offering social work education at the Mikkeli and Savonlinna campuses. Medical Universtity of Sofia, University of Rouen-Normandy, the University ”G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti – Pescara and University of Oviedoare working together with Xamk on this program.
Cooperation for internationalization
People are motivated to co-operate in INGENIUM! Assoc. Prof. Elisaveta Petrova-Geretto, from MUS, told how she has many of her own experiences in international and exchange studies and how she found them rewarding. Now she wants to contribute and to give international experiences to INGENIUM students!
In the discussions it was underlined that there are some hurdles, such as differences in laws and practices, and the implementation of INGENIUM to already existing studies, and those questions need to be answered in the planning. But despite the challenges everyone was eager to work together and to bring great opportunities to our students!
Xamk’s Harri Mäkinen organized the meeting. He highlighted how for him the best moments are when he gets to help Xamk students and international students to meet and get to know each other. Harri thinks that joint studies are the core of INGENIUM! Joint studies offer internationalisation for the students but also for the teachers and educators.
Cooperation for internationalization
In her opening speech Merja Hautalainen, the Director of Education for the Department of Social Services and Promotion of Functional Ability, described how our campuses are full of energy and activity despite the darkest time of the year! Merja wished the participants “every success in shaping the joint offering of the Ingenium Pathway, so that together we can create an engaging and inspiring learning journey for our students. This work is truly meaningful—it opens new opportunities and strengthens international collaboration.”. She also stressed that” Together, we have the chance to build something impactful that will benefit our students and shape the future of education.” And that’s what INGENIUM is really about, connecting, sharing and learning!
With the INGENIUM Pathway Programme Model, students can follow an increasingly flexible learning pathway, grow their transversal personal and professional skillsets and increase their international exposure opportunities while pursuing their regular national degree. Several programmes are in the making, so students and educators will have even more opportunities to join the European University INGENIUM!
