ERASMUS+ IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE EXPERIENCE OF INCOMING STUDENTS AT A BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION SCHOOL IN PORTUGAL

Erasmus+ is the most widespread student short-term mobility programme in the EU and it has become mandatory in some of the business degrees. The main aim of this study was to analyse Erasmus incoming students ‘expectations and competences developed. The students were enrolled in a course in the field of Organisational Behaviour at a Business School and Administration School of a University of Applied Sciences. Methodologically it consisted of a qualitative study carried out in two stages: a first questionnaire was applied to the 30 students present in the opening class and a second questionnaire was applied to the 35 that wrote the final test of the course. At the beginning of the semester students were asked about their motivations and expectations for Erasmus and the course, at the end of the semester students were asked the competences they perceived they developed and their experience. Students were from the bachelor and master’s degrees and all of them were from western and eastern European higher education institutions. Our main findings were that Erasmus students’ motivations for the course, and the Erasmus experience, were related to “vacational”/leisure reasons and the opportunity to develop competences associated with culture awareness and working in multicultural groups, followed by the motivation to improve their proficiency in English. Personal development and independence were also mentioned but less salient. As to the competences they perceived they developed, culture awareness and the ability to work in multicultural groups are the most salient but it was followed by independence, sense of initiative and autonomy. The perception of competences to work in international assignments is also mentioned but it is not very salient