A full room, lively discussions and strong interest in practical approaches to intercultural learning: PADMICA’s session at the 2026 EAIE Conference in Glasgow clearly struck a chord.
On 9 September, the PADMICA team presented “The Missing Beat: Revolutionising Mobility through Intercultural Preparation and Debriefing” to an audience of more than 50 international education professionals. The session was fully booked, and we even had to turn away a small crowd of interested participants.
The session focused on a central idea behind PADMICA: international experience alone does not automatically lead to intercultural learning. Intentional preparation before departure and structured reflection after return can help students make much more of their mobility experience. PADMICA therefore offers institutions a practical blueprint for setting up intercultural preparation and debriefing for outgoing students – because even small, intentional interventions are better than leaving intercultural learning entirely to chance.
Rather than simply presenting the project’s results, the team invited participants to experience parts of the PADMICA methodology themselves. Thibault Hoogstoel introduced the project and its rationale, Karen Wouters guided participants through activities from the Intercultural Preparation Module, while Lisa Kattinger from the University of Marburg introduced the Post-Mobility Reflection Module and its Story Circle methodology.
Fabienne from ESN added an important student perspective, sharing how preparation and reflection can help students approach their mobility experience more consciously and turn it into meaningful learning.
The response from the audience was particularly encouraging. Many participants indicated that they would like to try the PADMICA modules at their own institutions. Several stayed behind after the session to continue the conversation – including experienced intercultural trainers interested in the project’s approach and materials.
For the PADMICA team, this strong engagement was a welcome confirmation that the need for practical, scalable intercultural preparation and reflection tools is widely recognised across European higher education.