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– From Concept to Practice: “A mobility window is a period of time reserved for
international student mobility that is embedded into the curriculum of a study
programme.” 17

Indicating which part(s) of a programme syllabus are most suitable for studying
abroad makes it clearer for students how an exchange period fits into the pro-
gramme. The HEI should therefore identify when in the programme an exchange
is most appropriate and which elective and/or compulsory courses can be
replaced with courses abroad.

Opportunities for exchange may be more or less specified. The HEI can choose to
specify a course package that includes the courses that may be studied abroad (at
a specific partner HEI) or choose to leave more free choice.
Clarifying opportunities for exchange or indicating mobility windows in a syl-
labus send a clear signal from the HEI that exchanges are desirable and that
an exchange period is regarded as a natural part of the programme. This may
reduce student concern that it is difficult to fit in studying abroad during the study
period, because it is clear from the very beginning what part of the programme
can be spent abroad.

Highlighting opportunities for exchanges and mobility windows facilitates guid-
ance meetings with presumptive students before choosing their studies. It also
makes discussions with students easier when planning student exchanges.

Experiences from the pilot projects
At the start of the project, several of the pilot projects had fairly defined periods
for student exchanges in their degree programmes. The pilot project at Lund Uni-
versity was on the Bachelor’s in Engineering which, at the start of the project, had
limited opportunities for exchange. They thus began by indicating a semester in
which going on an exchange would work and tailored their search for an exchange
partner according to what was suitable for that area of the programme.

A semester for exchange had already been indicated on some of the programmes
that participated in the project at the University of Skövde. However, for some of
the programmes, the reality was that it was difficult to plan an exchange because
a methodology course was taught during that semester and it was difficult to find
an equivalent one. This practical problem was observed when the programme
co-ordinators and international coordinator reviewed the syllabi together. The
problem was solved by offering the methodology course earlier.

Offering an exchange semester on teacher education programmes is consid-
ered difficult. However, the experience of the pre-school teacher programme at
Linköping University demonstrates that it is possible for teacher education to
have a mobility window.

17 Ferencz, Irina, Hauschildt, Kristina and Garam, Irma (eds.): Mobility Windows – From
Concept to Practice, 2013, ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education, Lem-
mens Medien, p. 35.

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