Research students

As you have learned, study visits can be arranged as individual and partnership scheme. There can be collaborative research as well. The collaborative research model is a flexible method for engaging student teams in research.


A successful exercise of the collaborative research model will depend on your careful planning of the course content, duration of the course, number of students, course learning outcomes.
You’ll need to make decisions about: how to establish the problem for exploration (whether to use a single common problem or an umbrella topic with related problems); how learning teams will be established and maintained.

Students’ experience and testimonials


Here are some testimonials of students who have been involved in student exchange programs. Other testimonials could be read on the websites of universities that offer these programs.

“I spent the semester at the University. I had been studying Spanish prior to going to Mexico but for some reason just could not manage to say a word. For me the best decision I made was to stay with a host family. Together with my host family and my Spanish teachers I was soon speaking Spanish. It was beneficial that classes were small and help was always available. What I enjoyed most about my whole time in Mexico were the wonderful people I met and the new culture I was able to experience.”

“I would definitely recommend a study program to motivated students, but I would emphasize that the success of an exchange depends mostly on yourself and your attitude. A positive attitude and a willingness to adapt and learn are crucial to making the most of your time. And don’t be afraid to try new things or befriend people you wouldn’t expect.”

“Being on exchange… forces you to explore, experiment, to change, grow, and develop. One of the greatest benefits of my participation in the AIIU exchange program was the independence and understanding that I gained while learning to navigate and enjoy a culture and country so different from my own. Whenever I look back on my experience I can’t imagine where I would now be in life and who I would be as a person if I hadn’t participated.”

(Australian Institute of International Understanding (AIIU) Exchange program with Japan.)

“I am studying for the Diploma in Economic Development at the department of Economics. It is a one-year course which consists of lectures, seminars, essay writing, and an examination at the end. I started the course at the beginning of October this year; it will finish in June next year.

So far, I have enjoyed the course. However, I have had two kinds of difficulties: one is following some of the lecturers – they speak quickly and not very clearly; the other difficulty is caused by the use of mathematics in economics. I have difficulty in understanding and doing some of the equations.
This term I have done two essays: they were quite long, and required a lot of reading in the library. Although I found it rather difficult to write the essays, I learned a lot, and received good marks for them. Next term I will have to write another essay.”