Using the arts in social work education for short- term European mobility: evaluating student experiences on an Erasmus+ blended intensive program

Abstract

European higher education exchange has been reinvigorated by financial support for shorter student mobility phases, with the new Erasmus+ blended intensive programmes (BIPs) combining virtual and physical mobility. Such formats have obvious advantages in social work education, with compact programmes of workshops, agency visits, and cultural activities promoting personal development in richly intercultural settings. The natural focus on experiential learning during such exchanges suggests pedagogies utilizing creative methods. This paper offers qualitative research on students’ experiences during music and dance-based BIP workshops. Thematic analysis was applied to participants’ comments from a written questionnaire and group interview session. Three thematic clusters were identified: (i) positive experience, play, and learning; (ii) communication, togetherness, trust, and relationships; and (iii) skill acquisition, professional development, and personal growth. Taking these together, and highlighting the first, it is argued that such an approach facilitates possibilities for more emotion/feeling-based learning about oneself, communication processes, and collective relationship-building. More specifically, the BIP format is shown to be temporally and spatially ideal for playing, thereby facilitating students’ willingness to learn by experimenting. The results are discussed with reference to play theorists such as Huizinga, Caillois, and Winnicott, suggesting that theorizing ‘playing’ offers potential for future research on arts-based social work education.