The Glasgow School of Art has a long participation in the Erasmus programme. GSA students should consult the VLE for an up to date list of partner agreements by department, and available exchange spaces, together with application processes.

Incoming students should consult with their exchange office to determine what subjects are available at the GSA for students from their institution as it is very rare that we have an institution-wide agreement in an effort to manage studio space.

ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT

Involvement in the Erasmus programme is viewed as part of a range of activities which help to enhance the School's international reputation. Exchanges form part of the School's broad internationalisation strategy and are a way of enhancing the student learning experience. Involvement in Erasmus helps to attract a diverse range of students to the School and this helps all students - those participating in mobility and those remaining at home - to broaden their awareness of European practice in their subject area, and view themselves, their culture and their practice in a wider European dimension.

Students participating on exchange programmes are expected to act as ambassadors of their home institution. This involves them in actively seeking to learn from and integrate with their peers at their host institution. Students are encouraged within their studio practice to view incoming students as a valual inter-cultural resources. For students and staff participating in mobility activities, experimentation with different learning styles is seen as presenting them with a challenge that will broaden their creative outputs and facilitate their future development as teachers, students and practitioners. Within the School itself we have a policy of maintaining an academic and cultural environment whcih encourages mobility.

The principal priorities of our engagement in Erasmus activities are the exchange of students and staff. Language learning is incorporated into the core curriculum of some programmes. Each year the School sends about 20% of its students out on exchange, most of these with Erasmus. Within most programmes students consider that their probable future working environment will involve them in international relationships.

All programme handbooks include promotion of Erasmus exchange opportunities and the International Office publicises the programme through its web pages, Virtual Learning Environment and briefing sessions to students. The possibility of participation in Erasmus is widely mentioned in the School's prospectus. Academic departments also promote exchange opportunities by engaging students in discussion about the benefits of exchange to their cultural development.

The School is devoted to the development and nurture of creativity in Fine Art, Design and Architecture. The pedagogic approach that underpins this has at its core the principles and practice that support the diversity and equality agenda. Equal opportunities, equity and diversity are aligned within the central purpose and values of our core educational activities and form the foundation from which we engage with and respond to the requirements of legislation relating to discrimination and equality. Our Equality Impact Assessment is a systematic analysis of the effects of a policy, procedure, plan or practice to identify whether it may have a differential impact on some people. It is also a means of identifying opportunities to promote participation and equality.

Quality in Mobility

Mobility has always been seen as an activity that should enhance the student's learning experience. All programmes fit within the SQF and an ECTS equivalent to SCOTCATS is awarded to all exchange students at the rate of 1/3 of the annual quota for each term. The same translation is given for outgoing students who gain ECTS abroad.
An approval policy is operated for students seeking to go on exchange. Students must seek approval from both their studio department and Historical and Critical studies. Both assess students' language abilities, academic maturity and standing before allowing the exchange. Students then prepare an application detailing their motivations, a portfolio and what they hope to gain, academically from the exchange. This includes a provisional learning agreement. Students are counselled about the exchange process by the International Office, and a library of partners' prospectuses is maintained, together with a digital resource providing links to partners' web-pages.

All incoming students are expected to provide a detailed application and portfolio, to ensure they are placed in a "best-fit" department. A series of induction briefings are held for incoming students at the beginning of terms 1 and 2, providing them with information on student support services (including English language tuition), academic study, and information about local services - eg health service. Student Services also provide information about accommodation to incoming students. At the beginning of each term an orientation trip is provided and a social activity is organised. All incoming students are allocated their own studio space, which directly integrates them with home students.
Staff mobility grants are advertised annually and academic departments select which staff will most benefit from a teaching exchange, according to their interests, relationships and teaching development needs. Additional funding is provided to staff and time off from normal teaching allowed.

Work Placements

The current approach to work placements is similar in scope to the student exchange policy, with both activities seen as contributing to the process of enabling students to have a broader outlook of their future. Students who take part in placements are encouraged to reflect on their experiences as part of their Personal Development Planning. The availability, scope and form of work placements vary across programmes and may form an integral or sometimes additional part of students' study, and take the form of Summer placements, Live project briefs, Term time placements, or a Professional Practice year.
Students are expected to gain from all stages of the experience - researching opportunities and making an application; adapting to, and learning from, a new environment; learning new skills and outlooks which they can apply to further study, practice or employment; reflection on, and putting into practice the experience.

Where the placement is a formal part of the curriculum the purpose of the placement and the rights and responsibilities of both student and employer are agreed in advance by the School. Generally, students are required to keep a learning diary, detailing experiences as they occur, write a reflective review of the experience at the end, and attend a review session with tutors after completion. This is to ensure that students are later able to verbalise and explain their experience.

During some placements students are formally employed, either on a job-shadowing scheme, or as a temporary employee by the company offering the placement. The academic department may contact or visit the student during the placement, and details of any problems encountered by students are recorded, in order to take measures to rectify these, or ensure no further placements are made with these providers. Live project briefs and term-time placements receive academic credit towards the student's degree programme in the normal way.