Internationalisation Strategy

Internationalisation is a central element of the mission statement of Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE). It represents a strategic opportunity for the further development of the entire university. Against the backdrop of an increasingly interconnected world, internationalisation at LUE aims to educate students to become interculturally competent actors and to enable them to gain international experience. Our graduates have an important role to play as cultural disseminators, especially since more than two-thirds of our students are prospective teachers who will be teaching an increasingly diverse student body in their future careers. By 2026, LUE aims to develop further its international and diverse profile: to live diversity and to ensure that this diversity is particularly beneficial for students, teachers and staff and that they can help shape it.

Partnership Networks

LUE aims to consolidate, deepen and strategically expand its existing partnership network of over 90 institutions in almost 40 countries.

Regional priorities are the English-speaking world (Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America; together with India and South Africa) and the Nordic countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden) due to their educational expertise and the strong educational foundation of their teaching professions and research. The aim is to achieve equivalence in mobility figures by 2025 (see Studies).
Readjustment of traditionally strong relations with South-Eastern and Eastern Europe in view of the declining number of learners of the German language (especially in Romania and Serbia).
Expansion of strategic partnerships with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (USA) and Beit Berl College (Israel), as well as the long-term establishment of strategic partnerships with European universities, including participation in the EU programme ‘European Universities’.

In the Context of LUE’s Degree Programmes: Virtual and Physical Mobility and International Competence

In the age of digitalisation with blended mobility concepts, mobility indicators in the area of outgoing and incoming mobility are becoming less significant. Our goal is to make international experiences as climate-neutral as possible in all dimensions of higher education, both virtually and physically (e.g. by arranging mixed virtual learning groups, in which a teaching tandem from LUE and an international partner university leads a binational learning group).

LUE plans

to expand by 2027 virtual exchange formats, such as the DAAD-funded projects ‘International Network for Virtually Improved Teacher Education’ (INVITE) and ‘The International Digital Education Network’ (IDEN), so that from 2023 onwards, 30% of all Erasmus+ teacher mobility will be realised using virtual formats.
to establish a reliable English-language semester programme comprising at least 20-30 ECTS, ideally starting with the compulsory undergraduate courses for all LUE students, in particular for Bilingual Foreign Language Teaching (Europalehramt) students and incoming students.
as part of its digitalisation strategy and its implementation plan for Erasmus+ without Papers (EWP) set out in the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027, to enable all students to participate in a Digital Student Journey by 2025 (2022 creation of EMREX and HISinOne interface, 2023 introduction of the European Student Card Initiative)
to focus on shorter-term exchange formats to facilitate the internationalisation of degree programmes in modular form, due to increased demand.
to establish further mobility windows by revising the study and examination regulations by 2027 and continuing and further developing our successful recognition policy.
to expand the range of courses offered for international off-campus students to include micro-credentials anchored in continuing education.

In the Context of LUE’s Degree Programmes: Diversity, Social Participation and Sustainability

The Erasmus Generation 2021 to 2027 aims to strengthen particularly the mobility of a) students, teachers and staff with disabilities, with children or from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, b) first-generation academics and c) people with multicultural experience in their biographies. This will be achieved through the following measures:

Regionalisation and sustainability: Participation in a Green Partnership Network with partner universities in neighbouring countries to create financial incentives for mobility using more environmentally friendly means of transport through Erasmus+.
Greater social participation and equal opportunities through special preparation for selection interviews from 2021 for disadvantaged students and top-up scholarships from 2022/2023
2021-2023 Evaluation and further development of strategy-finding measures for disadvantaged university members in consultation with the Equal Opportunities and Disability Officer.

Internationalisation in Teaching and Research

The integration of English-language content into the curriculum is to be expanded in line with the Language Strategy. There are also plans to increase research output.

Based on the Ludwigsburg International Classrooms (LICs) guest lecturer programme, an International Teaching Week will be established from 2021 onwards.
Expansion of international (virtual) teaching in core subject areas/Major Topics (Digitisation, Diversity, Inclusion, Migration, Sustainability)
Strengthening research output within the framework of symposia with strategic partner universities through joint publications in peer-reviewed journals
Strengthening the international research dimension through closer integration of EU research funding within the KA1 and KA2 programmes of Erasmus+
Increasing the doctoral degree rate through cotutelle de thèse (binational doctoral) procedures with partner universities
Expanding binational research groups in core subject areas (e.g. via DAAD-PPP)

Services Offered in the Area of Internationalisation

To ensure that internationalisation is accessible to all members of the university – students, administrative staff, and research and teaching staff – the focus is on low-threshold services and establishing internationalisation as a cross-cutting task. In addition to the Language Teaching Centre, Student Services and Research Support, an important service unit here is the International Office, whose role is increasingly shifting from that of a mobility organiser to a coordinator of international activities.

LUE plans to

expand the language course programme at the Language Teaching Centre and development into a university language and testing centre.
expand international opportunities for administrative staff, including continuation of the biennial Staff Training Week, and to include international experience in job advertisements and, where applicable, annual reviews.
expand the target group-oriented English-language website by 2022, including at the departmental level.
as a cross-departmental task: increase cooperation in the IO with other work units at LUE, especially in the area of digitalisation (including campus management, digitalisation staff unit, MIT).
add incentives for implementing the strategy through regular calls for proposals from the Internationalisation Fund.

Approved by the Senate of the Ludwigsburg University of Education at its meeting on 8 December 2022.