Erasmus Report
National Univeristy of Ireland,
Galway
August 2014 – December 2014
Claudia Smit
General report
Host institution and exact dates of semester abroad
As soon as I found out I was going to study a semester in Galway, I started looking for
accomodation immediately. My apartment was part of a residence called Donegan Court. This
residence has a very central location, the university campus and the city centre are a ten
minute walk away.
The introduction was on the 4th and 5th of September and the actual lectures started on the
8th of September. The first two weeks of the semester, you can take every course you want
and just try it out. The 22nd of September I had to registrate my final courses. Teaching
ended on the 28th of November, followed by one study week. The exams took place from the
8th of December till the 19th of December.
Contact with home faculty, preperation and journey
The contact I had with the home faculty, was mainly about the learning agreement. They
response quick to questions you send them and they try to help you with everything.
After I was nominated to go to Galway for a semester, I immediately started to look voor
accomodation. In the beginning of March I applied for a place at Donegan Court and I was
able to get a place in this residence. The preparation also included filling in the learning
agreement and Erasmus form. A month before leaving, I started to make travel plans.
I flew by Ryanair (departing from Eindhoven) to Dublin on the 27th of August and then I had
a three hour busdrive (with GoBus) To Galway. Citylink is another great option for travelling
between Galway and Dublin. This bustrip costs approximately 17 euros. Once I had arrived in
Galway, I took a taxi to my accomodation. Since I had my last exam on the 17th of
December, I flew back to the Netherlands on the 18th of December. I flew back from Dublin
to Amsterdam by Aer Lingus, because this allowed me to take 40 kilos of luggage with me.
Residence abroad
Arrangements visa/residence permit: Since I was a student from the European Union, I did
not need a visa or a residence permit.
Arrival and departure dates: I rented my place at Donegan Court from the 26th of August till
the 23rd of December. I arrived in Galway on the 27th of August and I departed on the 18th
of December.
Accomodation: A lot of residences only take full year students and since I was only going for
one semester to Galway, it is harder to find accomodation. You should start as early as
possible with finding an accomodation. My accomodation was in a residence called Donegan
Court. It is a ten minute walk to the university campus and to the city centre as well. Also,
you only have to walk five minutes to start a walk along the Atlantic Ocean. I had to pay an
amount of 1445 euros for a shared room. The 300 euros deposit is not included in this
amount, as wel as the 150 euro utilities charge. Electricity bills are also excluded, but it is an
amazing located in a great part of the city.
Reception and Introduction: Irish people are very helpful, so they are always willing to help
with anything. Also, reading the previous student reports about studying in Galway, helped
me planning my journey.
Student life, culture and leisure: There are a lot of pubs and nightclubs in Galway, so it is
definitely a good town for students. It is possible to go out every night of the week. Also,
there are a lot of societies and sportsclub which you can join, they organize great events as
well. There are companies like the Galway Tour Company and Lally tours which provide
daytours to touristic must-sees. This is a great activity to do in the weekends for example.
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Language: The main language spoken is English, but a lot of the Irish people who live in or
around Galway speak Irish/Gaelic too. It is possible to take extra English classes at NUI to
improve your English.
Grant
Amount: I received the first 70 percent, which was 749,70 euros, and the other 30 percent,
when I got back home.
Information on the adequacy of the grant: I think the amount of Erasmus grant I received did
cover the extra costs of living abroad. So the grant I received is adequate.
Expenses abroad: The cost of living (groceries) is slightly higher in Ireland. Travelling is
mostly by bus or by tourcompany. On average, you have to pay 20 euros for a daytour and
busses to Dublin or Cork are approximately 17 euros for a single trip. But you can make use
of student discount.
Study (general)
Introduction and general advice: There were 2 introduction days (4th and 5th of September)
at which they gave you every information you needed. They gave information about where to
go to when you have health problems or where you can find the police, but also practical
matters (like where to buy a bike). The second day was mainly about acadamic procedures, so
everything gets clarified immediately.
Dates of beginning and end of lecture series and examination period: The actual lectures
started on the 8th of September and teaching ended on the 29th of November. The
examination period began on the 8th of December and officially ended on the 19th of
December.
Remarks on the organization of the study program: Overall the study program was well
organized and there are a lot . The only remark on the program is that the exam schedule is
released late in the semester. We got it on the 17th of November, which was only two weeks
before the start of the exam period.
Level of education: I would say that the level of education is slightly less compared to the
level we have at the University of Groningen. At NUI Galway, you get a pass at 40 percent,
so that is less than the level one has to reach in Groningen.
Study facilities: At the National University of Ireland, there is a big central library, which is
very accessible. Furthermore, important offices you will visit, like the international office, are
all on campus. It is good to have everything in just one location.
Summary of subjects taken: During my semester abroad, I had to get 30 ECTS, this equals 6
courses of 5 ECTS each. I took 5 courses that relate to business and economics: Management,
New Enterprise Development, Web & Interactive Media Design, Money & Banking and
Contemporary Project Management. Also, I took a course called Thinking Differently:
European Women Studies.
Other relevant info
The most important thing is to get accomodation arranged as soon as possible, since it can be
hard to find it. Furthermore, just enjoy it all. Enjoy the new culture, the new university, the
new city and the new country.
Summary impression
My four months in Galway have been amazing. I have seen a lot of Ireland and I have met
wonderful people. My English is improved and as a person, I became more independent and
mature. I have learnt so much and I would recommend this to everyone, because it is an
enriching experience.
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Specific report
New Enterprise Development
Host institution and study period
National University of Ireland, Galway. Autumn semester of study year 2014-2015, from
the 8th of September till the 19th of December.
Lectures and literature
There were 12 weeks of lectures and each week there was a two hour lecture for this
course. This equals to a total of 24 lecture hours.
The core textbook used was ‘Enterprise in action’ by Gorman and Cunningham. Also
there were some additional articles to read.
Overview of lecture program, contents and lecture-related activities
Week
1
2
Topic
Readings
Other activities
Course introduction
Entrepreneurship and the
entrepreneur
-
3
4
Same as week 2
Start-up strategies
5
Creativity and idea generation
6
Business models
7
Writing the business plan
8
9
Financing the enterprise
International entrepreneurship and
born globals
10
11
Technology entrepreneurs
Corporate entrepreneurship and
subsidiary innovation
Course review
Chapter 1, 2 & 3
Articles: The entrepreneurial
mindset; CPA report on
entrepreneurship in Ireland
Same as week 2
Chapter 5 Articles; Test for
the fainthearted; The
questions every entrepreneur
must answer
Chapter 4 Articles;
Creativity in the
entrepreneurship classroom
Articles; The entrepreneurs’
business models; Business
models: business strategy
and innovation; Blue ocean
strategy
Chapter 6 and 7; article:
Setting the price
Chapter 9 and 12
Articles; Defining
entrepreneurship and
modelling the speed of
internationalisation; The
internationalisation of born
globals: an evolutionary
process?
Chapter 13
Articles by guest lecturer
-
-
12
-
-
-
-
Relevance to Groningen study program
This course was about starting new businesses, whereas in Groningen most courses are
about managing parts of businesses. So it provides a different view of businesses. I would
recommend this course.
4
Study load
Lecture hours:
Independent study:
Total:
24 hours
76 hours
100 hours
If one keeps up with studying, the study load is not high during the whole course. There
was an exam at the end of the semester, which provided 100% of the grade.
Assessment in Groningen
5 ECTS; coordinator was Adele Smith.
Web And Interactive Media Design
Host institution and study period
National University of Ireland, Galway. Autumn semester of study year 2014-2015, from
the 8th of September till the 19th of December.
Lectures and literature
There were 12 weeks of lectures and each week there was a two hour lecture for this
course. This equals to a total of 24 lecture hours. Also this course had 2 tutorial hours for
a duration of 10 weeks, so this is 20 hours in total. These were not compulsory.
No core text was necessary.
Overview of lecture program, contents and lecture-related activities
Week
1
2
Topic
Readings
Other activities
Course introduction
Image development: Fireworks
-
3
Image development: Fireworks
4
Photoshop
5
Web design: Dreamweaver
6
Web design: Dreamweaver
7
Web design: Dreamweaver
8
Animation: Flash
9
Animation: Flash
10
Structuring projects: Flash
11
Video and sound: Flash and
Goldwave
Publishing content
Class notes
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
Class notes and material on
Q-drive
12
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Relevance to Groningen study program
This course was about how to create webpages or applications using several software
programs. It is always good to learn skills like these, since one might needs them in one’s
future career. I would recommend this course.
5
Study load
Lecture hours:
Independent study:
Grouped assignment work:
Tutorial hours:
Independent assignment work:
Total:
24 hours
16 hours
40 hours
20 hours
25 hours
125 hours
If one keeps up with the tutorial lessons and goes to the lectures, the study load is not
high during the whole course. There is no exam for this course, just two assignments.
The first assignment is about creating a webpage (60%) and the second assignment is
about creating something with Flash (40%).
Assessment in Groningen
5 ECTS; coordinator was Murray Scott.
Management
Host institution and study period
National University of Ireland, Galway. Autumn semester of study year 2014-2015, from
the 8th of September till the 19th of December.
Lectures and literature
There were 12 weeks of lectures and each week there was a two hour lecture for this
course. This equals to a total of 24 lecture hours. The core text for this course was
Modern Management by Tiernan and Morley.
Overview of lecture program, contents and lecture-related activities
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Topic
Readings
Other activities
Course introduction
Management concepts and
evolution
The development of business in
Ireland
Examine the business environment
Planning
Decision making
Organizational structure and design
Leadership and motivation
Organizational culture
Organizational control
Contemporary management issues
Course review
Chapter 1
-
Chapter 2
-
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 8 and 9
Chapter 3
Chapter 10
Chapter 13
-
-
Relevance to Groningen study program
This course was about general practices of management. It was a great course to
summarize all the things I had learnt in Groningen for the past 2 years. I would
recommend this course.
Study load
Lecture hours:
Independent study:
24 hours
100 hours
6
Exam:
Total:
2 hours
126 hours
If one keeps up with the tutorial lessons and goes to the lectures, the study load is not
high during the whole course. There is a 100% final exam for this course.
Assessment in Groningen
5 ECTS; coordinator was Josephine Igoe.
Contemporary Project Management
Host institution and study period
National University of Ireland, Galway. Autumn semester of study year 2014-2015, from
the 8th of September till the 19th of December.
Lectures and literature
There were 11 weeks of lectures and each week there was a two hour lecture for this
course. This equals to a total of 22 lecture hours.
The text used was Information technology project management, by Schwalbe.
Overview of lecture program, contents and lecture-related activities
Week
1
2
3
Topic
Readings
Other activities
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 6 and 7
-
Chapter 9 and articles
-
Articles
Articles
-
Articles
-
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Course introduction
IT projects and the organization
Project cost and schedule
management
IT projects human resource
management
Guest lecture
Agile information systems project
management
Agile information systems project
management
Class presentations
Presentation material
9
10
11
12
Class presentations
Class presentations
Procurement managment
Course review
Presentation material
Presentation material
Chapter 12
-
Submit report
and presentation
slides
-
4
5
6
7
Relevance to Groningen study program
This course gave me an insight in the bridge between IT and business. And since this is
the future, I would definitely recommend this course.
Study load
Lecture hours:
Seminar hours:
Grouped assignment work:
Independent study:
Examination:
Associated time:
Total:
22 hours
2 hours
30 hours
60 hours
2 hours
9 hours
125 hours
7
I found this course very interesting, so as long as one does the work involved, it is not
that hard. There is an exam at the end of the semester, which will give you 60 % of the
grade. One gets 30 % of the grade by making a report and the other 10 % by doing a
presentation based on that report.
Assessment in Groningen
5 ECTS; coordinator was Sharon Coyle and Chris Barry.
Money And Banking
Host institution and study period
National University of Ireland, Galway. Autumn semester of study year 2014-2015, from
the 8th of September till the 19th of December.
Lectures and literature
There were 12 weeks of lectures and each week there was a two hour lecture for this
course. This equals to a total of 24 lecture hours.
The core tekst used was The economics of money, banking and financial markets, by
Mishkin. This book also comes with a license for MyEconLab, a course webpage.
Overview of lecture program, contents and lecture-related activities
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Topic
Readings
Other activities
The study of money, banking and
financial markets
An overview of the financial system
Behaviour of interest rates
The stock market, theory of rational
expectations and efficient markets
hypothesis
Financial crisis in advanced
economies
Financial crisis in emerging
economies
Central banks: a global perspective
The conduct of monetary policy:
strategy and tactics
The foreign exchange market
Aggregate demand and supply
analysis
Monetary policy theory
The role of expectations in
monetary policy
Chapter 1
-
Chapter 2
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
Chapter 9
Test 4
Chapter 10
Test 5
Chapter 14
Chapter 17
Test 6
Test 7
Chapter 18
Chapter 23
Test 8
Test 9
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Test 10
-
Relevance to Groningen study program
This course was about how to create webpages or applications using several software
programs. It is always good to learn skills like these, since one might needs them in one’s
future career. I would recommend this course.
Study load
Lecture hours:
Independent study:
Homework tests:
24 hours
90 hours
10 hours
8
Total:
124 hours
If one keeps following te lectures, this course will not be hard. There is a 70% final exam.
The other 30% can be received by doing the weekly tests. If one has a score of over 75%
on the test, one will receive a 100% mark for 30%.
Assessment in Groningen
5 ECTS; coordinator was Hugh Kelley.
Thinking differently: European Women Studies
Host institution and study period
National University of Ireland, Galway. Autumn semester of study year 2014-2015, from
the 8th of September till the 19th of December.
Lectures and literature
There were 12 weeks of lectures and each week there was a two hour lecture for this
course. This equals to a total of 24 lecture hours. There was no core text for this course.
Overview of lecture program, contents and lecture-related activities
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Topic
Readings
Other activities
Introduction and contexts
Imagining inequalities and power
Democratic citizenships: acquiring
rights
Democratic citizenships: practicing
rights
Democratic citizenships and
European diversities
Hidden and hard labour
Wars and peace
Life stories: who is an ordinairy
woman?
Class debates: differences
Prostitution and trafficking
Visual archives: art and film
Final session
Blackboard readings
Blackboard readings
Blackboard readings
-
Blackboard readings
-
Blackboard readings
-
Blackboard readings
Blackboard readings
Blackboard readings
-
Class findings
Blackboard readings
Blackboard readings
-
-
Relevance to Groningen study program
This course had nothing to do with business, but it gave me a good insight in inequalities
between men and women in Europe. I think this will help me in my future career. I
would recommend this course.
Study load
Lecture hours:
Independent study:
Essay work:
Total:
24 hours
76 hours
25 hours
125 hours
This course is quite easy since examination is a 100% essay. And one can pick any topic
one wants, as long as it is related to women studies. The lectures are very inspiring and
can be used to find background information for the essay.
9
Assessment in Groningen
5 ECTS; coordinator was Mary Clancy.
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