University cooperation further specialised

Fulda University of Applied Sciences has taken another step towards its internationalisation strategy: 16 students from the dual study programme in Social Work (BASA-dual) at Fulda University of Applied Sciences recently travelled to China with Professor Dr Dominique Moisl from the Department of Social Work. Their destination was the partner university Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), with which the department has been cooperating since 2023. This was the first study trip within this cooperation, allowing the international collaboration between the two universities to be further specialised.

What does it feel like not to know the language or the social and cultural rules of a country? The students from the BASA-dual study programme were able to experience this at the partner university. The budding social workers took part in a two-week university studies program on the topic of "Chinese social policy and social work" at WUT. In addition to courses on the Chinese social system, the Chinese partners organised visits to various social work facilities, such as a helpline, hospital social work, community social work and social work for children with special needs or people with disabilities. In addition, a cultural programme gave the students an insight into classical Chinese music and tea culture as well as modern Chinese youth culture. Getting to know each other and the exchange between German and Chinese students was also an important part of the program.

Experiencing what it means to be a foreigner
Prof. Dr Dominique Moisl sees this cooperation between the two universities as a great opportunity: "It is very important for social workers in particular to experience foreignness. Only those who have experienced for themselves what it feels like when everything is different can effectively support people with a different social and cultural background." The ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes is an important competence in social work and can be honed through such an experience, Moisl emphasises further. The group had set itself the goal of understanding the foreign society. By exchanging ideas with the Chinese students and researchers, the Fulda group was able to explore differences and similarities in social work and everyday life. One student summarised: "I was able to broaden my horizons significantly, as I had the opportunity to experience China not just as a tourist, but in direct exchange with students and local experts."

Before the return flight, the study group took a short detour to Shanghai on the Chinese high-speed train. At the Jewish Refugee Museum Shanghai, the students were able to learn about the life stories of German Jews who had fled to Shanghai to escape the Nazis. The visit to the school social work department at the German School in Shanghai was seen as a professional highlight. The cooperation between the Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the Wuhan University of Technology comprises the exchange of students and teaching staff as well as international online courses in social work. The study trip showed that the exchange was a great success on many levels - professional, personal, cultural and academic - and that international experience and exchange opportunities are valuable building blocks for developing skills in social work university studies, concludes Prof Moisl.