“Virtual International Exchange and Learning (VIEL) Kenya-Ireland-Germany”is part of the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Students – BWS plus, a programme of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. The project runs from October 2021 until September 2024 and is financed with an amount of 145.000 €.
Virtual workshops: Professional exchange and interdisciplinary learning content
The fifth round of the VIEL project started in October 2023 with the participation of a total of four students from the participating universities. In a virtual kick-off event on October 19, 2023, the new VIEL students were welcomed by Prof. Sissi Closs and the project team and prepared for the VIEL semester. In order to expand their knowledge in the field of technical communication or to familiarize themselves with it for the first time, the students take part in monthly virtual workshops, which are organized alternately by the participating universities. The following workshops were held in the fifth round of the VIEL project:
Content of the workshop | Date | Lecturer |
How to make a podcast | 26. October 2023 | Dr. Yvonne Cleary |
Intercultural aspects in communication | 30. November 2023 | Dr. Rukiya Swaleh |
Visualisation basics | 18. January 2024 | Belinda Oechsler |
After the workshops, the students were given small homework assignments. The aim of the tasks was not only to apply the technical skills they had learned, but also to exchange ideas about the respective cultures. One task, for example, was to create podcasts in which the students interviewed each other and brought their cultures closer together.
During the Christmas break, the students were given a special task: to share their Christmas celebrations and traditions with the others. The students had the freedom to choose the type of preparation themselves, so there was, for example, a whole video diary depicting the holidays or a description of a typical Kenyan holiday service including video material.
These joint projects not only enabled the students to develop a better understanding of each other, but also to develop their technical communication skills and gain experience of working in an intercultural virtual environment.
Personal exchange and virtual friendships
n addition to professional exchange, the project has a strong focus on personal relationships. To this end, there is a central contact person who initiates the personal exchange. The VIEL students communicated lively in a WhatsApp group and met weekly for small virtual Zoom meetings to discuss their everyday lives and get to know each other better on a personal level. Previous rounds have already made it clear how important and, above all, popular these private meetings are for building trust, making friends and getting to know each other's cultures. This was also evident in this round, and the weekly meetings, which were actually only planned for half an hour, sometimes even lasted up to two hours.
The “VIEL family” meets up in Kenya
At the end of each VIEL semester, a short-term stay at one of the universities is planned. The conclusion of round 5 took place at Pwani University in Kilifi. Here, the students were able to get to know each other after the virtual semester and strengthen their friendships. The students had an exciting time together and got to know not only the people, but also the traditions and customs of the country better. Among other things, the students visited an elementary school and a large traditional cooking event was held with women from the surrounding villages (watch the video here). Leisure activities with the Kenyan VIEL students were not neglected either, for example a sunset boat tour was organized. The stay was also used to present the work of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. At a large event on February 23, 2024 at Pwani University, the VIEL students shared their experiences from the previous semester in front of a large audience and gave short keynote speeches on technical communication topics.
The stay in Kenya had another special feature in store: Two students from the 4th VIEL round had decided to take part in the trip privately. The short-term stay of the 4th round had taken place in Karlsruhe, Germany, in May 2023. Unfortunately, two of the six VIEL students were unable to take part in the trip due to visa problems and other personal circumstances. However, because the group remained in close contact beyond the VIEL semester and still wanted to get to know each other, Neil Davie and Linda Gormally from the University of Limerick decided to join the travel group in February 2024 to meet and get to know their Kenyan VIEL classmates again. Linda Gormally states: “Despite not being able to all meet in person we had a really strong bond and had continued to keep in regular contact, even after the official VIEL meetings ended. By the time we finally met we had been firm friends for over a year! I learned so much about Kenyan culture during the virtual exchange I was very excited to visit the country. The trip was the experience of a lifetime but getting to spend more time with my VIEL family was definitely the highlight!”
As a delegation from the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung was traveling to Kenya at the same time, some VIEL project members took part in a 3-day visit to the delegation in Nairobi during their stay. The detailed report can be found here.
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About the VIEL project
In March 2024, the sixth and, for the time being, last round of the popular VIEL program started. “Virtual International Exchange and Learning (VIEL) Kenya-Ireland-Germany” is a trinational project initiated by Prof. Sissi Closs from Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with Pwani University in Kenya and the University of Limerick in Ireland. The project started in October 2021 and will continue until September 2024. Each semester, two students from the participating universities have the opportunity to take part in the hybrid exchange round. The aim of the project is to enable a cultural and professional exchange for students in a future-oriented, virtual setting. Students acquire important skills in the field of technical communication and gain valuable experience in intercultural exchange. The experience reports of VIEL students can be accessed on the joint exchange and learning platform karlifi.org.
All further information on the VIEL project can be found on the karlifi.org-Lernplattform and on Instagram.
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Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM
The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM supports the international exchange of students and vocationally qualified people. Since 2001, it has enabled more than 28,000 young people from Baden-Württemberg to gain experience abroad and allowed scholarship holders from other countries to visit Baden-Württemberg. Approximately 1,500 young people receive a Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM each year.
Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Cooperations – BWS plus
With the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for University Cooperations – BWS plus, the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung supports joint projects between universities from Baden-Württemberg and their international partners. The programme is endowed with approximately 1 million Euros annually. Since 2011, more than 130 BWS plus projects have been supported at universities in Baden-Württemberg.
The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung
advocates a vital Baden-Württemberg with a high quality of life for all its residents. It helps pave the way for advanced technological progress, high quality education, and a responsible relationship with fellow human beings. The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung is one of the major foundations in Germany. It is the only foundation which exclusively and above party lines invests in the future of the state of Baden-Württemberg – and thus in the future of its citizens.