Calling Brussels: An Innovative Teaching Project

This innovative teaching project brought students and professionals working at or with the European Union (EU) together via video-conferencing. The idea was that by having students talk to policymakers this would add to their understanding of the EU and allow them to practice their interview skills. These interviews would be incorporated in a regular first-year course on the political system of the EU. Students had to do the necessary research and prepare questions beforehand. Introducing this activity to the course made it more interactive, gave students a more practical orientation and added yet another international element to the already international group of students. In political science and legal courses there is rarely time for field research. Including long-distance interviews added an element of qualitative research with real persons, who are involved in EU policy making. Students not only had to prepare for the interviews but also practiced their research skills under realistic conditions (with a stranger who is an expert on a certain subject). It also contributed to the fulfillment of the Bologna agenda goals of internationalization and digitalization.