The specific project objectives are:
- To foster national coordination and cooperation between all universities in MK,
- To provide a platform for students and academic staff to cooperate,
- To assist in the implementation of the Bologna Action Lines,
- To encourage student/professor mobility between faculties involved,
- To expand the international academic networks of universities in MK.
The main target group of the project comprises senior students and young academic staff.
Project Activities
Summer Courses
In the summers of 2006 and 2007, 20═international professors together with═20 professors from Macedonia will provide an equal number of (ECTS-graded) three-week intensive courses. All deans of the participating faculties have agreed to accept ECTS credits from all courses organised during the ISUM. About═30 students of the seven participating faculties will be admitted to each course. In addition, 5 international students, mostly from SEE, will participate in each course, enriching the multicultural debate in the classroom. Participants will receive a scholarship; no tuition fees will be charged. All courses will be taught in English. Participating visiting professors will be provided with a budget to purchase reading materials and teaching equipment. Books and readers will later be donated to participants and faculty libraries. In addition to the academic courses, a wide range of activities═are organised for academic staff and students. A recreational program including an opening ceremony, weekend excursions, dinners and other festivities will provide ample opportunity for professors and students to meet in an informal setting.
Public Debates
As part of the academic programme, public debates═are held on topics regarding higher education, the Bologna Process and the Ohrid Agreement. The aim of these forums is to foster inter-departmental discussion amongst international professors, local staff, experts and students. Each debate features a panel consisting of 3-4 experts and a moderator.
Workshop Programme
As part of the project, a series of workshops═is provided by international experts, e.g. from the EUA and FOSIM. These workshops aim to concretely implement the Bologna Action Lines at the faculties. Moreover, the workshops seek to develop a strategy for improving cooperation between all departments involved. The next workshops are scheduled for November 2005.
Student Union Seminar
Each year, the student unions of the four universities organise a 4-day seminar for 32 SEE student union representatives. The seminars focus on cooperation between the student unions in Macedonia and show how joint efforts can promote compatibility between study areas at the different universities. In doing so, the seminar fosters cooperation among the student unions on a regional level, especially in terms of the Bologna Action Lines.
Study Visits
The main purpose of the study visits for co-professors from Macedonia to universities abroad is to develop a strategy for the implementation of the Bologna Action Lines at the home institution. The co-professor is assisted in this endeavour by the international professor and his/her colleagues. Additionally, the visits enable co-professors to design the syllabus for the ISUM course together with their visiting professors. Strategies and syllabi are presented by the co-professors during the workshops. Visits will be scheduled before the start of the summer courses and last about one week.
