Academic mobility – a possibility for personal growth and improvement of competences and intercultural dialogue

Vice-rector for international cooperation at the Economics faculty of the University of Montenegro, prof. dr Boban Melovic shared his experience from the last academic exchange in Poland and Bulgaria.

Mobility is a part of professional development, whether you are a professor or a student. Twenty years ago, when I was a student, possibilities for exchange were limited. However, today the situation has significantly improved. Thus, in 2019, I had an opportunity to stay at the University of Applied Sciences in Poland and D.A. Tsenov Academy in Bulgaria through Erasmus+ mobility programme. Besides numerous lectures for undergraduates and postgraduates in the area of brand management and entrepreneurship business, mobility programme included many other activities. Therefore, I had a chance to participate in Erasmus+ Staff Training Week and represent the University of Montenegro and Economics faculty, as well as to hear and learn new information about universities from more than 20 European countries that participated in the event. 

Experiences from these and similar exchange programmes are highly important. These mobilities are, undoubtedly, a great chance to hear different ideas, work organization, and compare them with our ways of working. It was important for me to feel the working style in another country that has a different system of education and establishment.

I learned a lot about practical learning and how it should be implemented. On the other hand, the experience in Bulgaria showed that with targeted strategy that puts focus on the international exchange, small and pretty undeveloped facilities of the university can provide recognition and competitiveness in a wider area and have guest professors and students from all over the world.

I passed my many year experience to students and in exchange, I received positive energy that motivated me to continue my work. Besides that, I met and kept in touch with a lot of my colleagues – professors, not only from host institutions but also with those who were there on the exchange. It is nice to be in touch with colleagues from Turkey, Germany, Austria, Chez Republic, Lithuania, Denmark, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and also, from South Africa and Morocco. What contents me the most is that, within the programme, we initiated new partnerships with exchange universities and established cooperation on writing academic papers.

The best part of the exchange was the opportunity to get familiar with learning programmes, new disciplines, and modern equipment of university library, which has a completely digitalized platform adjusted to its users. It significantly improves research possibilities and academic community.

Mobilities showed that it is possible to improve the ways of working and curriculum of subjects, but also to enhance process of internationalization through virtual communication, exchange of ideas, including foreign colleagues in work with our students or conducting mutual research.

As a university professor, you have a chance to prove that our professors keep up with ongoing changes in the EU and other developed countries. Also, mobility enables you to improve yourself and cooperate with foreign colleagues. That is exactly why I recommend academic mobility as a great chance for personal growth and improvement of professional competences and intercultural dialogues. Erasmus + mobility is, undoubtedly, a great academic, professional, and life experience!