Record number of exchange students joined redesigned introduction events
This semester we welcomed more exchange students than ever before. A record number of 219 attendees joined our introduction events, organised by UniBE International. They benefited from an improved welcome offer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team at UniBE International turned the challenges of the pandemic into a project to improve the student experience by leveraging technology and introducing modular events.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of exchange students dropped significantly. This was not an easy time for exchange students. Some could not come, whereas others had to deal with constantly changing travelling rules. Organising welcome events for 70-120 students with certificates from many different countries was a tremendous challenge for the UniBE International team.
Redesigning the introduction experience
Image: Michaela Soltan
Our orientation programme is designed to provide exchange students with all the information they need for their studies at the University of Bern and for their stay in Switzerland. They learn for instance about ILIAS, the library, Unisport, immigration and Swiss health insurance. Social activities, such as a guided tour of Bern and an outing to the countryside, are also important parts of the introduction activities.
Michaela Soltan was tasked with changing the traditional “introduction week” to suit the requirements imposed by COVID-19. She soon discovered that this was a golden opportunity to adapt our welcoming and introduction events to a new generation of students. The current cohort of exchange students are mostly of generation Z – colloquially called “Zoomers” – defined as the children born between 1997 and 2012.
“The pandemic led to many improvements that we would never have thought of before Corona.”
Michaela Soltan
Michaela reflected: “the pandemic led to many improvements that we would never have thought of before Corona”. For instance, “in the past, all exchange students ran through a one-week programme of presentations and seminars. During this week, they learned a lot about the administrative side of registering for their courses, but some information came almost too late in the enrolment process and there was a risk of information overload,” continued Michaela.
Flexibility and technology
The new introduction programme consists of modules, some of which are compulsory, whereas others can be taken at the students’ discretion. “We wanted to make the experience of the introduction programme less linear and more flexible,” explained Michaela. In-person events have not disappeared. The new introduction programme blends online sessions with events on campus.
New technologies are helping students to get the most out of their experiences. An online sign-up tool and an interactive orientation guide created a space where all information was available at one glance and replaced several e-mails. The students can see their deadlines, enrol themselves with the click of a button and get any updates quickly.
The feedback from students has been very positive. Exchange students appreciate the space for social interaction and the chance to buddy up with other students before coming to Bern. They also enjoy the flexibility of tailoring the experience to their own needs.
Getting ready for Bern
Under the new format, exchange students can join a Q&A session on Zoom called “getting ready for Bern”, which they attend six weeks before the start of the semester. If they don’t have time to join, they have the option to watch a recording later. In the autumn semester of 2021, this video was watched 142 times, which shows that students value this format.
Meeting other international students online is useful “if a student is stuck in quarantine or for those who want to meet other exchange students before coming to Bern,” said Michaela. Maybe, knowing someone who is also going to Bern alleviates some of the fears of arriving in Bern without knowing anyone else.
Looking back, Michaela believes that “the changes imposed on us by Corona turned into useful innovations that help our exchange students when they start the semester in Bern.” No matter how long we still have to live with COVID-19, the students of generation Z have shown that they appreciate the modularity and use of technology in the new introduction programme.
About Michaela
Michaela Soltan, International Relations Officer at UniBE International, organizes the introduction events for exchange students at the University of Bern. She is one of six people at UniBE International who look after our incoming exchange students.
Text: Caspar Bienek
Images: Sylvia Löwe and Michaela Soltan