In June, the dean of the faculty, Eduardo Hipogrosso, paid an academic visit to the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS, Amsterdam, Netherlands). “Beyond strengthening our ties, we aim to address the need that the Bachelor’s Degree in Global Communication will create: to provide our students with the opportunity to take a year of courses in English.”
“The Communication and Creative Business program at AUAS offers nine communication-related minors at various levels, ‘which align perfectly with the goals of the international year we’ve designed for Global Communication,’” noted the dean, referring to the third year of the bachelor’s degree program recently launched by the School of Communication and Design.
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Bachelor's Degree in Global Communication
Multimedia and Global Communication: Opportunities for Exchange
Hipogrosso met with, among others, the dean of the Faculty of Digital Media & Creative Industries at AUAS, Dr. Frank Kresin, as well as Marleen Henny, Policy Advisor for Internationalization at the same faculty. AUAS expressed interest in reaching an agreement with ORT to enable the exchange of students for periods ranging from six months to one year.
Alejandro Erramún, MFA, academic coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in Animation and Video Games and the Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia Design, also participated in this trip; he stated that in Uruguay “we are on an international level.”
Thanks to Erramún’s presence, they learned about AUAS’s Communication and Multimedia program, seeing an opportunity to establish reciprocal exchange programs. They also discussed the Master’s in Digital Design, which—in Hipogrosso’s words—is closely related to the Specialization Diploma in Creativity and Innovation. “We are exploring the possibility of our students gaining international experience by taking an intensive elective course in Amsterdam, just as we currently do in the Master’s in Communication and Marketing Management through our agreement with the BSM at Pompeu Fabra University (Spain).”
This visit was part of the Erasmus+ International Academic Mobility Project carried out by Universidad ORT Uruguay AUAS. It was organized by ORT’s School of Communication and Design and the Office of Academic Projects.
A university connected to industry and society
The dean highlighted the collaborative efforts of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in support of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly sustainability, digitalization, and diversity and inclusion.
“AUAS has developed a kind of strategic plan based on certain values, values that it has incorporated into all of its degree programs,” he noted. Its ties to industry and society are reflected in several departments:
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Digital Society School, where they focus on topics related to innovation, creativity, and digital transformation as they relate to society as a whole. Hipogrosso highlighted projects related to the environment, recycling, and energy use.
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Green Office, which is responsible for linking the SDGs to each of the university's academic disciplines.
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The Tree House, where they carried out all their artistic activities in “giant workshops.” There, they work on graffiti and video mapping, among other projects.
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Makers Lab, a space designed for conducting experimental trials. In fact, during their trip, Erramún and Hipogrosso met a graduate of the Fashion Design program who is working with new materials: “She recycles coffee grounds along with certain other materials to create a rubber compound that is used for shoe insoles.”
At AUAS, they collaborate with companies as early as the course level—not just as a final project, but as an integral part of the curriculum. In fact, companies have a great deal of freedom; they come to the university and say, “Look, I have a project.” There is an ongoing dialogue. Furthermore, as part of their involvement, they serve as donors.
Regarding the graduate program portfolio, the dean noted that they found the most up-to-date topics covered in Amsterdam to be “almost identical” to those at ORT: digital transformation, entrepreneurship, data analytics, data visualization, artificial intelligence, and user experience. “We’ve observed that we’re identifying the same need to develop graduate programs in the same fields of study. Since we’re in touch with the industry, the industry is more or less asking us for it.”
Following in Portsmouth's footsteps
After visiting Amsterdam, the dean traveled to the University of Portsmouth (Hampshire, England). During his stay, he met with Trevor Keeble, Dean of the School of Creative and Cultural Industries; Martin Andrews, Associate Dean (Global Engagement & Education Partnerships); Susana Sampaio-Dias, Academic Coordinator of the School of Film, Media, and Communication; and Marjorie Huet-Martin, Senior Teaching Fellow in French. During this meeting, emphasis was placed on the opportunities opened up by ORT’s Bachelor’s Degree in Global Communication, given that Portsmouth offers its equivalent in the BA in Global Communication and Media.
The dean had the opportunity to visit the English university’s Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality, the UK’s first integrated facility dedicated to supporting innovation in creative and digital technologies related to virtual, augmented, and extended reality. “They’ve invested seven million dollars in equipment there: these are facilities that would be nearly impossible to acquire in Uruguay—I’m not sure about South America.” This opens up another possibility: not only hosting students from Portsmouth on exchange programs, but also having ORT students travel to England to take specific courses, possibly in July, when Europe is on summer break and Uruguay is at the end of the semester.
“We’re on the same path, so there’s a kind of exchange we can establish with them,” Hipogrosso said. “Their graduate program is fairly new—it’s only been around for a year—and there’s also the possibility of exploring an exchange program so students can earn credits at both institutions.” The key to making this happen, Hipogrosso explained, is that ORT offers courses taught entirely in English—courses that will serve as electives for local students. “That’s the direction we’re heading in.”
They are very interested in internationalizing their programs: they want their students to be able to study abroad and learn more about the world. And we are the only university in South America with which they have an agreement.
The host institution reserves the right to grant final approval for the admission of a student from Universidad ORT Uruguay.