LLP/Erasmus
Erasmus Policy Statement
I a.
Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie, the oldest art university in Poland, has been participating in Socrates/Erasmus programme since 1998, i.e. the very beginnings Poland joined it. We fully recognized its manifold opportunities it created both for the academy and the students.
Our participation in the Erasmus programme has significantly influenced the quality of our international relations. Our determination in developing our international co-operation activities and engagement in student and teacher mobility between partner institutions have resulted in achieving a leading position in many statistical reports published by Polish National Agency each year. Although the Academy is relatively small institution (currently with c/a 1000 students), it is involved in international mobility agreements within Erasmus programme with 63 European universities which allow more than 100 student mobility flows.
This fact contributes to better recognition of our academy at European level of art institutions as a university which offers an interesting curriculum based on our teachers’ pedagogical and artistic experience deriving from our 189 long tradition.
The relation between outgoing and incoming students has been balanced for many years and foreign students are satisfied with their learning experience acquired in Krakow and creative atmosphere existing there. The above mentioned facts prove that our strategy adopted 10 years ago has turned out to be correct. Being enriched by several years lasting experience from participation in European programmes, it allows us to outline our aims for the forthcoming years.
We are going to continue our strategy of openness to international co-operation based on practically verified method, i.e. participation in Erasmus programme. We aim at realizing this grounding on our constant advantages and our experience and at the same time working on achieving higher level of “Europen dimension” of our university. Our priority will be to continue raising the number of student and teacher mobility flows which have become an indispensable part of our policy and course of study. Participation in them gives our students an opportunity of getting new experience and at the same time incoming students enrich our artistic milieu with their multicultural background which becomes profitable for all participants of this process.
The academy, which has implemented many objectives of Bologna Process yet, nevertheless, faces a very difficult challenge which is full introduction of three-cycle system of studies. It may be helpful to be involved in multinational projects aiming at building new organizational structures and curricula as well as improving systems of quality of education evaluation systems.
I b.
Participation in Erasmus programme and results achieved in it have always been considered as a factor raising the academy’s prestige which proves its modern character and openness to the external world. In the future we are going to disseminate, as we used to do so far, all necessary information concerning our Erasmus activities in university media (journals, website, notice boards) as well as in all kind of reports and publications for respective authorities and general public. This practice has proved its usefulness for our students, teachers and the academy itself as continually updated information about the programme is necessary for our academic community. We will continue to organize information meetings for outgoing students where the students returning from abroad share their experience with prospective candidates for mobility flows. Our Erasmus Charter including Erasmus Policy Statement will be published according to Executive Agency requirements on the website and information and promotional materials as well as in other publications. Regarding our anti-xenophobia and anti-racial discrimination policy, it should be taken into consideration that our university is a democratic community and in its small milieu individual and direct contacts contribute to existing atmosphere of shortage of racial discrimination and xenophobia.
II.
Recognition of study period that our outgoing students spent in our partner institutions has been a fulfilled requirement and policy existing at our academy since our first year of participation in Erasmus programme. In 2000 we published an ECTS Information Package. Firstly, ECTS was implemented for the purposes of international collaboration and then it was introduced the ECTS as a system of accumulation of credits. Currently, ECTS is used in our day-to-day practice alongside with local system of evaluation. So, we are fully prepared to comply with the principles LLP programme and recognition of results our students get abroad. Information on the curriculum in the particular areas of studies is an indispensable part of the Information Package and has been published on our website (www.asp.krakow.pl).
Our students are encouraged to take part in information meetings before the selection process for mobility flows. Moreover, our Erasmus Deparmental Co-ordinators and International Office play a significant role in spreading information and counseling. They also take care of all incoming Erasmus students providing assistance in arranging their programmes of studies. The adopted form of individual tracks of studies allows them to use many courses in various departments. In order to help the incoming students organize their stay in Kraków we organize Orientation Meetings at the beginning of each semester. Apart from that our International Office takes action in providing accommodation and assisting in finding accommodation and enrolling on a Polish course to the incoming students and preparing information on foreign language courses for outgoing students. The costs are partially reimbursed from OM funds. Essential factors influencing the quality of student exchanges are principles and regulations of selection procedures which are divided into two stages. In the first one the responsible committee at respective faculties recommend the candidates, and only then (in the second stage) the final selection takes place at central level. The decision is taken by the Senate Committee for International Exchange on the grounds of results of a competition. This procedure ensures selection of the best candidates in the realities of our university.
The teaching staff mobility is organized by central unit of the academy, however, the details of the mobility programmes are agreed by the interested teachers with partner institutions. We use adopted procedures in organization of all forms of mobility flows in accordance with Erasmus programme requirements.
III.
The student placements are another option offered by LLP and for which the academy applies.
This is a new challenge for us which requires precise research on our possibilities and working out new procedures, and above all finding partner institutions. We are convinced that this action will enrich our form of vocational placements in particular for design students. However, it is too early to describe our activities in a responsible and detailed manner. We assure that all our previously experiences which we have acquired during last nine years of our participation in Socrates/Erasmus programme will be used in order to ensure proper organization of student placements and selection of best candidates. Central unit will be responsible for organizational matters and with regard to specific problems arising from particular areas of study, respective faculties will answer for issues related to co-operation with an interested company and academic recognition.