The sessions in Belgium and Greece showed the value of community voices in shaping the trajectory of Erasmus+ digitalisation.
The April and May national ESCI day and Training and Consultation events brought together higher education professionals to share experiences, exchange ideas, and reflect on the evolving digital landscape of Erasmus+ mobilities. These events are at the heart of the large-scale consultation process announced by the European Commission in January.
Discussions with the colleagues present made clear that the higher education community voices remain central to shaping the trajectory of the digitalisation. The insights collected during these sessions will thus inform future developments across the Erasmus+ digital ecosystem.
ESCI Day in Belgium
The 24 April event welcomed local participants as well as colleagues from neighbouring counties. The atmosphere was forward-looking and energetic, and at times outspoken.
Erasmus Without Paper Champions shared their experiences implementing EWP, and practical lessons they’ve learned. They emphasised the need for networking and how contact with colleagues helps in the digital transition. They highlighted the need to build on the momentum and current uptake as the administration becomes much easier when all HEIs are switching to digital workflows.
Participants welcomed the European Commission’s updates on strategic targets for 2025, and the opportunity to voice the daily realities of working with the current digital tools.
There was a shared sense of ambition around the processes currently being digitalised, with participants expressing excitement about the focus on digitalising Nominations in the near future. IROs also confirmed that the current infrastructure provides a strong foundation to build on. Stability is of paramount importance, as are clear and sensible timelines.
EWP community training and consultation in Thessaloniki
This 21 May followed in a similar spirit with a full day of training and consultations, as well as exchanges of good practices and a session from the EWP Champions. The meeting began with opening remarks by Prof. Alexandros Triantafyllidis and Eviridiki Athanasopoulou, project manager at the Erasmus+ Hellenic National Agency, who reflected on the progress made so far in digitalising higher education. The mood was constructive and curious, with breakout discussions delving into the procedural details that shape everyday workflows.
The event was so popular it attracted participants from 6 neighbouring countries, helping to demonstrate how valued the interaction between users and domain experts is.
Consultation and training sessions
IROs took part in consultations sessions at both events. They had important insights on their issues such as
- IRO priorities, challenges and opportunities when it comes to digitalisation of Erasmus
- practical suggestions on digital transition steps and simplification of the Erasmus administration
- ideas on enhancing transparency and creating a level playing field among institutions
Facilitators also led several hands-on training sessions on the roll-out of digital Learning Agreements targeting diverse user groups or IROs that work with the EWP Dashboard, in-house solutions or third-party systems. These training were geared to provide the support required to reach the 95% targets and featured many practical exchanges on how to overcome the remaining challenges.
Originally published on the ESCI portal.