VUC LTTC OCE CC WCE Nr. 9 RAPPORT Odd Ragnar Hunnes Norleif Vik STUDENT EXCHANGE FOR DEVELOPMENT Report on a project Authors Odd Ragnar Hunnes and Norleif Vik Publisher Volda University College Year 2010 ISBN 978-82-7661-291-2 (digital version) ISSN 1891-5981 Front page Photo from Wikipedia Commons Print set Author Distribution http://www.hivolda.no/rapport © Author/Volda University College 2010 This material is protected by copyright law. Without explicit authorisation, reproduction is only allowed in so far as it is permitted by law or by agreement with a collecting society. The Report Series includes academic work in progress, as well as finished projects of a high standard. The reports may in some cases form parts of larger projects, or they may consist of educational materials. All published work reports are approved by the dean of the relevant faculty or a professionally competent person as well as the college’s research coordinator. CONTENTS PREFACE .................................................................................................................................. 5 COORDINATORS AND STUDENTS ..................................................................................... 6 SOME VITAL CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................. 13 PART 1 PRESENTATION ...................................................................................................... 18 1.1 PLANNING ................................................................................................................... 18 1.1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 18 1.1.2 Background and idea for the project ....................................................................... 19 1.1.3 Cooperating institutions .......................................................................................... 20 1.1.4 Main structure of the project ................................................................................... 22 1.1.5 Contact between the partners .................................................................................. 24 1.1.6 Recruitment ............................................................................................................. 25 1.2 PROGRAM AND APPROACH .................................................................................... 27 1.2.1 Joint planning and preparations ............................................................................... 27 1.2.2 The study programs during the stay abroad ............................................................ 27 1.2.3 Information program on return to home country .................................................... 29 1.2.4 Completion of the project ........................................................................................ 31 1.3 RIPPLE EFFECTS ......................................................................................................... 34 1.3.1 Friendly contact on and off campus ........................................................................ 34 1.3.2 Involvement in the project ....................................................................................... 34 1.3.3 Projects and programs ............................................................................................. 36 1.3.4 Long lasting careers ................................................................................................ 39 PART 2 EVALUATION .......................................................................................................... 40 2.1 METHOD ....................................................................................................................... 40 2.2 FROM THE PARTNER MEETINGS ........................................................................... 46 2.2.1 Coordinators and colleagues ................................................................................... 46 2.2.2 Items discussed in partner meetings ........................................................................ 46 2.3 FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE AFRICAN STUDENTS .................................. 58 2.3.1 Preparations ............................................................................................................. 58 2.3.2 Practical questions ................................................................................................... 59 2.3.3 Professional benefits ............................................................................................... 61 2.3.4 Goal statements ....................................................................................................... 65 2.3.5 Bridge builders ........................................................................................................ 67 2.3.6 Making Norwegian friends ...................................................................................... 68 2.3.7 Expectations and surprises ...................................................................................... 70 2.3.8 Development ........................................................................................................... 72 2.3.9 Coming home .......................................................................................................... 72 O.R. Hunnes and N. Vik: Student exchange for development. Report No. 9 (2010). Volda University College and Møreforsking Volda. 2.4 FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE NORWEGIAN STUDENTS ........................... 73 2.4.1 Information .............................................................................................................. 73 2.4.2 Practical questions ................................................................................................... 74 2.4.3 Professional benefits ............................................................................................... 75 2.4.4 Bridge builders ........................................................................................................ 77 2.4.5 Making African friends ........................................................................................... 78 2.5 FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AFRICAN COLLEGE LEADERS .......................... 80 2.5.1 Responses from interviews ...................................................................................... 80 2.5.2 Excerpts from a survey ............................................................................................ 83 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 85 APPENDIXES ......................................................................................................................... 87 4 O.R. Hunnes and N. Vik: Student exchange for development. Report No. 9 (2010). Volda University College and Møreforsking Volda. PREFACE The project ‘SRS 105 Exchange for Development’ was planned and carried out by five partner colleges: Chancellor College of University of Malawi and Lilongwe Teacher Training College in Malawi, Ongwediva College of Education and Windhoek College of Education in Namibia and Volda University College in Norway. The project was organized in cooperation with the Norwegian Peace Corps-Youth (FK-Youth) and is one of the projects with the highest number of participants in the new FK Youth program so far, with a total of 83 participants (39 from Norway, 24 from Malawi and 20 from Namibia). A majority of the 83 participants are going to teach Social Studies in primary/secondary school as their future occupation in Norway (North), Namibia and Malawi (South). The essence of the project has been to prepare the participants for the important job as teachers and ‘bridge builders’ between partner institutions and partner countries. For those of us who came up with the idea of an exchange project for teacher trainees and who have played key roles in its implementation, it is very important to offer a vote of thanks to everyone who in their various ways has contributed. Here we especially want to thank all the coordinators who have represented the four African partner institutions for their important role in the project, the evaluation included. They have contributed through written statements, discussions and interviews. Student participants have been giving their share of information through answering on a questionnaire and participating in group discussions and individual interviews. We have also been able to observe some of them teach their own students in their home countries. The report is written by the two project coordinators at Volda University College. Norleif Vik has been the North coordinator and overall coordinator of the project while Odd Ragnar Hunnes has been the deputy North coordinator. We acknowledge that we have been very active participants in the project. This fact will most probably influence the selection of information presented in the report as well as the interpretation of it. We should probably be expected to give a positively skewed picture of the project. Nevertheless, we have tried to balance this as best we can, but are of course aware that this report should be read as a report from a project as well as a report about a project. As such we hope that the report may contribute to a high quality of possible projects of similar nature in the time to come. It is our wish that the report will be read by many who are all hereby invited to communicate their response