Representatives from the management of Ludwigsburg University of Education visiting OsloMet's Makerspace. From left Christine Bescherer, Notto J.W. Thelle at OsloMet's Makerspace, Rector Jörg-U. Keßler, Pro-rector Elke Grundler, Petter Øyan at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, and Minke Jakobi.
Visit from a partner university
On December 2 to 4, OsloMet welcomed representatives from the German partner university, Ludwigsburg University of Education.
In 2023, OsloMet entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Ludwigsburg University of Education (ph-ludwigsburg.de), after several years of collaboration from academic communities at the Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies, and the Department of Aesthetic Studies at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design.
Together with the rectorate, representatives from both faculties welcomed a delegation from the German partner university from December 2 to 4.
The aim was to strengthen the knowledge between the universities and the individual academic communities, and to discuss further development of project and research collaboration.
Pro-Rector for Education at OsloMet, Silje Fekjær, signed the agreement last year on behalf of the rectorate.
"I have great faith in international cooperation driven by staff and students. OsloMet already has a successful and extensive collaboration with Ludwigsburg University of Education which will be further strengthened with more joint projects in the academic communities." says Fekjær.
Professor Petter Øyan at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, led the program for the visit and showed the delegation around the university.
"It has been nice to introduce our partners to more academic communities at OsloMet, and to develop concrete plans for more projects going forward", says Øyan.
Collaboration on teacher education
OsloMet's cooperation with Ludwigsburg University of Education has so far been about research and student exchange, and has, among other things, been linked to the international cooperation project on teacher education - INVITE.
At the Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies, the preschool teacher education has for several years received exchange students from Ludwigsburg in their English-language courses. The German university is now planning to develop its portfolio of teaching in English to facilitate the reception of primary school teacher students at OsloMet for an semester of exchange.
At the Department of Art, Design and Drama they have developed an international semester of exchange that is taught in English at the master's program in Teacher Education in Practical and Aesthetic Studies together with Ludwigsburg University of Education. The first students from Ludwigsburg are expected in the spring semester of 2025, and will receive integrated teaching practice for example in museums, makerspaces or libraries.
In 2023, a group from the Department of Art, Design and Drama and OsloMet Makerspace presented an abstract on makerspaces as learning spaces at the INVITE conference in Ludwigsburg, and the two universities share a common interest in developing makerspaces in teacher education.
The next project related to the Department of Art, Design and Drama is aimed at collaboration between the drama and drama pedagogy educations at both universities.
