Department of Nursing and Health Sciences will coordinate pertinent undergraduate training in the European Region

15.09.2020

As a part of its 2025 Strategy ASPHER, the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region, is currently revitalising itsthe undergraduate training agenda.

The new undergraduate agenda will be devised in the coming weeks and months under the committed coordination of the Department for Nursing and Health Sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. Our department aims to align the opportunities within the ASPHER undergraduate network and set up a network of partners interested in the internationalisation of their degree programmes and internship opportunities.

“We want to explore the opportunities of international cooperation in Europe at different levels”, explains Prof. Dr. Kai Michelsen, the Department’s ASPHER representative, who is coordinating the undergraduate agenda together with Prof. Dr. Dr. Jens Holst. “This includes exploiting online tools for shared lecturing and other teaching activities with partner universities in other countries as well as promoting international student cooperation, e.g. working on specific seminal or smaller tasks or even thesis projects.”

“Recent experiences with online teaching and studying under the COVID-19 restrictions are very encouraging because both lecturers and students have become more independent from face-to-face learning and other traditional methods,” adds Prof. Holst, who works closely together with Prof. Michelsen in furthering the internationalisation of the Department at Fulda University. Closer cooperation with universities in Europe and elsewhere is most feasible within the Bachelor’s programme International Health Sciences headed by Prof. Holst. As a starting point, this programme, with its key modules on the global burden of disease, health systems and policies worldwide, social and health inequalities, and other international health challenges provides excellent opportunities for expanding and strengthening international cooperation.

“By comparing different priorities and approaches we also envision a common, more structured reflection about public health core competencies and the Essential Public Health Operations (EPHOs)  developed by WHO EURO. And we will revise our degree programme profiles for improving them and being able to base student exchange on informed motivation”, explains Prof. Michelsen.

As practical application is a key feature of universities of applied sciences, Fulda University will also emphasise establishing an international network of internship partners for supporting our students as well as those from partner universities in finding attractive quality internship placements during undergraduate training both in Germany and abroad. Enhanced opportunities for student interns will broaden the thematic and organisational opportunities for study and thesis projects abroad and thereby also promote international or cross-national research programmes.

In addition, the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences has recently joined the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUPH) in order to improve the opportunities for international networking with university partners worldwide. The CUGH supports academic institutions and partners to improve the wellbeing of people and the planet through education, research, service, and advocacy. Using resources from the DAAD-funded project HAWFulda.International, the department expects the CUGH membership to support the strive for internationalising in times of travel restrictions, when neither lecturers nor students can travel to partner universities or accept invitations to visit Fulda University.

If you are interested in learning more about the undergraduate training initiative within the ASPHER 2025 agenda, or if you have further ideas regarding the development of networks for internationalising our Bachelor programmes, please feel free to sign up for the ASPHER Undergraduate Network by contacting Prof. Michelsen (kai.michelsen(at)pg.hs-fulda.de) or Prof. Holst (jens.holst@pg.hs-fulda.de). Further information is available at: Aspher


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