In early November, the University of Porto kindly hosted the PADMICA project’s Governance Board meeting. It was a great opportunity for all partners to catch up and reflect on how far we’ve come. And honestly, we have come a long way!
As most of you already know, PADMICA is all about strengthening students’ intercultural competences around their mobility period, before they leave, and after they return. The project consists of three main components: a preparation module that students complete before departure, a return module for after mobility, and a train-the-trainer (TTT) course that supports university staff who will be delivering both modules.
The online part of the intercultural preparation module has been published recently (and the physical component will follow shortly).
The return module is also essentially ready, and partners have already run or are currently running test courses. Early feedback has been especially eye-opening: reverse culture shock seems to resonate strongly with participants (more on that in a future update!), and students really valued having a structured space to reflect on their experiences. The bigger challenge, unsurprisingly, is actually reaching students once they’re back home; this is something we’re still actively working on.
Just before the Governance Board meeting, consortium members participated in a rather intense test run of the train-the-trainer course, serving as enthusiastic guinea pigs. This module aims to ensure that colleagues who want to implement PADMICA at their own institutions feel confident, informed, and able to adapt the materials to their specific contexts. The TTT focuses on two main aspects: becoming familiar with the content and methods of the modules, as well as strengthening presentation and facilitation skills. We expect to announce the first public TTT in late spring, so if you want to stay in the loop, make sure you’re on the PADMICA mailing list!
More updates are coming soon, stay tuned!