On January 1, I embarked on my new role as the Dean of the Circle U. Open Campus, a familiar yet challenging journey ahead. My connection with Circle U. is long-standing, having been part of the “Circle U. family” from the outset as the Oslo Academic Chair of Global Health. In this role, I've witnessed firsthand the enriching collaboration Circle U. fosters: engaging teaching experiences with my peers and students, the birth of new collaborative opportunities and research avenues, guest researcher exchanges across our institutions, joint research projects with students, leading to successful new grant applications...
Yet, assuming the deanship of this pivotal hub within our ecosystem marks a significant new venture for me.
Approaching this role with humility and a keen sense of responsibility, I initiated a tour last month to visit our partner institutions within the Circle U. Alliance. My first stops were at Université Paris Cité and King’s College, followed by a visit to Université catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve) the subsequent week. These visits proved to be extremely enlightening, offering me a strong start in my new mission.
First stop Paris
At Université Paris Cité, Bjørn Stensaker, the head of the Management Board, and I engaged in detailed discussions with university management, deans, and vice-deans from various faculties, as well as with the Information Systems Department and the Head of the International Relations Office. Our dialogue centered on the aspirations and visions for the Circle U. Open Campus.
To bring our vision closer to reality, it is important to take a student perspective on what Circle U. might add to their experience. Hence, we shared a story about Anna, a fictional Bachelor student at the University of Aarhus, initially created by Berit Rossiné, the communication director at UiO, during her tour of Circle U. universities last year. Anna, driven to study abroad yet constrained by family commitments preventing a full semester away, finds a solution through the Circle U. Open Campus website. She discovers a course at the University of Humboldt, a perfect blend of online and on-site learning tailored to her needs. Successfully completing this course, Anna not only gains valuable credits but also secures a Circle U. Certificate, a significant addition to her resume. Anna's journey from discovering a course on our platform to earning a Circle U. Certificate exemplifies the direct impact and accessibility we aim to provide through our initiatives and might help identify the key steps and actions we need to take to assist our students in taking advantage of what Circle U. has to offer.
Our discussions evolved to emphasize the need for comprehensive guides and toolboxes to enable teachers to actively participate in Circle U. initiatives. Our discussions also emphasized the multilingual aspect of Circle U. activities and the critical need to offer activities in a diversity of languages.
London: Expanding Concepts
My journey continued to London (via train), where I was warmly greeted by my esteemed colleague, the Vice-Dean for the Chairs Programme, Vinicius De Carvalho. The day in London was packed with engaging discussions involving the Academic Chairs, coordinators, and Vice-Rector Funmi Olonisakin.
During the discussions in London, a captivating proposal emerged: the concept of a Circle U. passport, allowing students to accrue points by participating in various short-term activities, like Conversations and online seminars.
Reflections and New Directions in Louvain-la-Neuve
After a few days home in Oslo to digest my experiences, the roundtrip continued to Université catholique de Louvain. For the first time, I had the opportunity to discover this exceptional student village built entirely around the concept of a modern university with student residencies, cafes and bars, libraries, faculties’ offices and auditoriums intermingled!
Reflecting on my earlier conversations in Paris and London, I introduced a new hypothetical figure, Dr. Alexandra from Belgrade, an environmental humanities educator eager to collaborate with European peers to enhance her teaching methods. Upon examining the Circle U. teaching formats listed on the Open Campus, she finds her course to be a perfect match for what is categorized as an interdisciplinary sustainability module. While perusing the course catalog, she stumbles upon Dr. Hans from the University of Oslo, who oversees a similar course. Following their initial contact, they agree to enrich each other's courses as guest speakers. Consequently, both courses are awarded the Circle U. Label, making them accessible to the entire Circle U. community.
At UCLouvain, alongside the General Secretary Kevin Guillaume for several sessions, I had the opportunity to present my vision and participate in meaningful exchanges with the Rectoral Team, the University’s Teaching Council, as well as representatives from the Circle U. Teaching Innovation Lab (CU.til), the Multilingualism, Interculturality and Language Lab (CU.mil), the Master Programme in Public Governance, and the International Affairs Team. I gained insights into the experiences of establishing joint Master's programmes and delved into discussions on innovative ideas from the CU.mil and CU.til teams focusing on ways to connect staff and researchers across the Alliance and on fostering learning through interactive Bootcamp programmes. Not least, I had the invaluable chance to learn from Vice-Rector Dana Samson about her unique journey in shaping Circle U., from its initial concepts to its current form.
Thank you to everyone who played a part in making these visits so remarkable. I eagerly anticipate the upcoming trips, with Berlin and Pisa already on the agenda for later this spring. The development of the Circle U. Open Campus thrives on our continuous dialogue and shared learning experiences.