University of Kassel establishes exchange with Kibbutzim College in Tel Aviv, Israel

A long-standing cooperation on the topic of digitization in teacher education between Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner (University of Kassel) and Dr. Miri Shonfeld (Kibbutzim College) is developing into a solid university collaboration that offers the opportunity for exchange for all. The peacemaking project contributes to an important intercultural exchange in turbulent times. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities was officially signed by University President Prof. Dr. Reiner Finkeldey and Kibbutzim College President Prof. Dr. Zipora Libman on May 15, 2018.

Since 2013, Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner and Dr. Miri Shonfeld have been working together in an international online cooperation. The seminars bring together both Kassel students and Israeli students, including both Jewish and Arab participants. This project is now to be expanded into a permanent exchange, which is why Dr. Shonfeld is staying at the University of Kassel as a visiting scholar during the current summer semester.

This was preceded by numerous reciprocal visits by female scholars from both institutions to Germany and Israel. In July 2017, a six-member Israeli delegation visited the University of Kassel and met with Vice President Prof. Dr. Ute Clement. In addition to getting to know each other first, the meeting served as an exchange about the respective educational systems as well as a debate of opportunities and challenges of e-learning programs. The Israeli side already brought concrete ideas for intensifying the contact - for example, international conferences, the exchange of students and staff, and the presentation of a bi-national master's program.

At this year's meeting of the university president Prof. Dr. Finkeldey with the delegation from Israel, the focus was also on the future expansion of relations. Conceivable areas of cooperation would be, for example, the natural sciences and the arts. The mutual focus in the field of teacher education is confirmed in the current Memorandum of Understanding by the participation of the Department of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Research & Intercultural Communication of Prof. Dr. Finkbeiner and by Prof. Dr. Bosse of the Center for Teacher Education (ZLB) of the University of Kassel.

On May 24, 2018, the 22nd Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) was held at the University of Kassel. This modeled the digital online cooperation between the two universities in a three-hour workshop for teachers from the region. The workshop met with a great response, especially due to the high demand for further training of teachers in the field of digitalization.

As part of the currently running seminar International Cooperation via Innovative Online Learning Environments under the direction of Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner and Dr. Miri Shonfeld, an excursion with a total of 22 students as well as two other researchers, Dr. Schude and Dr. Siedenbiedel, will take place to Israel in June.