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University of Göttingen: BEST Exchange

Intensification, diversification and transfer of cooperation in the Global South

Integration of collaboration with the Instituto Ivoti in Brazil

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Synergy and collaboration

Our cooperation with Instituto Ivoti in Brazil in the context of the DAAD model project BEST Exchange is special: as opposed to the Universities of Ghent, Tartu, Galway and Uppsala, the Instituto Ivoti has not so far been part of an existing multilateral higher education network.

It is our only non-European partner institution and sole partner in the Global South. We therefore considered it important to intensify our collaboration and benefit from the synergy effects.

Historical context

Ivoti in the federal state of Rio Grande do Sul is still characterised by German migration history, since many Germans emigrated there in the 19th century. The Instituto Ivoti is moreover extraordinary in that it combines all institutions from nursery school to higher education institution on one campus.

This cooperation offers students the opportunity to travel to Germany and improve their linguistic and cultural (teaching) skills. They can also follow the traces of their own regional history – including visits to distant relatives.

 

Angela Musskopf
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Collaboration between the University of Göttingen and the Instituto Ivoti was very significant. Our teaching staff and researchers had the opportunity to take part in a virtual exchange project, travel to Göttingen, discuss academic and cultural positions, and make new friendships. This created an intercultural environment that has enriched our students’ knowledge not only of Göttingen and Germany, but also of the world. We are grateful for this collaboration.
Ângela Musskopf, lecturer in English Didactics

Collaborations and successes

Our collaboration originally comprised two components per year: a bidirectional student exchange and participation by a member of Brazilian teaching staff at the summer school in Göttingen. Adaptations – including due to the cutbacks caused by COVID-19 – enabled an increase in the overall number of Brazilians from six students and three lecturers to fifteen students and four lecturers (an increase of over 111%).

Collaborations

The promotional project ‘Virtual Exchange for Global Education’ organised by Fabian Krengel, which was piloted in 2020 and further developed as part of the DAAD’s IVAC funding programme, transpired to be a compatible context for English-speaking students in Ivoti. Three projects lasting several months have so far been managed in multilateral teams involving students from Chile, Germany, Israel, and Turkey.

Teaching and learning award

Prospective English teachers were able to experience English as a common language and develop learning tasks concerning the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. This project won the University of Göttingen Teaching Award in 2022 and the Teaching and Learning Award of the European university alliance ENLIGHT in 2023.

 

Janaina Klein
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My time in Göttingen was magical. I not only learned a lot at the university during my summer semester, I also improved my level of German and became familiar with a new culture. The 9-euro ticket enabled me to discover lots of places and it was one of the best experiences in my life. I was impressed by the historical city, lively atmosphere and attractive parks. I’m especially grateful for the friends that I made there and the support I received. It was an unforgettable time that was sadly all too brief.
Janaina Klein, student

Retrospect and reflection

Study visits funded by the DAAD offered further opportunities. Several groups of German- and English-speaking students from Ivoti were able to visit the university and local schools, which gave them insights into teaching practice. These guests equally offered opportunities for Göttingen students to engage in cultural exchange during workshops and evening meals together.

Lasting friendships

The contact between Göttingen and Ivoti is defined by mutual care, dedication and gratitude. Yet there are also contacts even beyond the University of Göttingen, such as lasting friendships and initial exchange projects at the University of Regensburg. The professorship there for Foreign Language Didactics is seeking to establish a multi-year cooperation based on the Göttingen model.

Group photo from the model project.

Networking and exchange

The exchange formats with our partners at Instituto Ivoti can best be described as diversified and flexible.

A productive format for interaction was direct local presence, which usually involved two or three interested students from Ivoti coming to study in Göttingen for a semester. This also gave the German-speaking and English-speaking Brazilians insights into (student) life in Germany and many in the winter semester even experienced their first snow.

This also involved students from Göttingen being sent to Brazil, where they in particular came to appreciate the close linkage between seminars in the university and their direct teaching practice at the school on the Instituto’s campus. These students were offered opportunities to teach German as a second language, in particular in a community of people with great interest in the German language given the German origin of their ancestors and preservation of the Hunsrück dialect in the region of Ivoti and Rio Grande do Sul.

The Virtual Exchange projects offered three options for exchange lasting several months. Coordination involving a member of teaching staff and multiple groups of Brazilian students enabled our cordial working relationship to be strengthened. The difference in time zones meant that the students in Brazil sometimes had to take part in our courses at 5 o’clock in the morning. The opportunity to join authentic discussions regarding relevant topics (global sustainability issues, good teaching practice) in the common target language English was however a significant incentive.

Further information & contacts

Contacts