The Global Graduate Programme is based on a points system, which means that we will issue certificates to all students, who have collected a minimum of a 100 points. You can gain points through participation in a variety of curricular and extracurricular activities. You will find a catalogue of activities and points to the right.  We estimate that one point in the Global Graduate Programme equals 25 work hours. This means that the average duration will be around two years for most participants. Accordingly, we recommend that you register for the programme either in the first year of your BA or first year of an MA course. Please note that you can only claim points for activities undertaken after your matriculation in your present programme at AAU. If, for instance, you are registered as an MA student, but have completed a course on Intercultural Communication as part of your BA education, you cannot claim points for this.

In the Global Graduate programme we have organised activities under five thematic categories:

1. International/intercultural Studies,
2. Multicultural teamwork (obligatory module),
3. Internationalisation at Home,
4. International Experience and
5. Intercultural Learning (obligatory module).

In acknowledgement of the AAU principle of Problem-Based Learning, we have made it obligatory to participate in some form of Multicultural Teamwork. In addition, we encourage a reflexive learning process by requesting that all global graduates participate in one of the activities listed under theme 5. intercultural learning. You will find a detailed description of the five themes below.

Part of the programme may involve ordinary coursework, but an equally important element is extracurricular activities. This is to acknowledge that intercultural communication and learning frequently happen outside the classroom. So what you may gain through the Global Graduate Programme is a formal AAU acknowledgement of voluntary work that you are already doing.

The Global Graduate Programme is currently offered to students from the BA programmes in Language and International Studies (LISE) and International Business Communication (SIV). If you follow other programmes, please contact your head of programme to check if the GGC programme is an option for you.

To participate in the Global Graduate programme you have to register. Please click here to access the online registration form.

Once you have registered, you will need to keep a log of the programme activities that you have completed. Please remember that it is your responsibility to collect documentation for your participation in a particular activity.

We recommend that you place all documents in a separate folder, which can be presented when you apply to have a Global Graduate certificate issued.  Make sure that you keep all documentation until you have received the certificate from us. Please note that we can only issue a certificate if you can document participation in activities equivalent to 100 points.

To obtain Global Graduate certificate you need to:

1. collect at least 100 points from 4 different modules
2. one activity must be participation in multicultural teamwork (module 2)
3. one activity should be related to intercultural learning (module 5)
4. collect documentation to be presented when applying to have a certificate issued.

The first component in the Global Graduate programme recognizes the insights into intercultural and international relations gained through formal/classroom learning, as well as the importance of skills in a variety of languages. You may earn up to 10 points through participation in obligatory and elective courses on topics such as international relations, globalisation and intercultural communication. In addition, we recognize your participation in in any foreign language classes that are not an obligatory part of your study programme.  Finally, you can gain points by participating in extracurricular academic activities such as film screenings, guest lectures and conferences.

International studies:

• Course on intercultural/international theme (5 ECTS) Point: 5
• Course on intercultural/international theme (10 ECTS)
  Point: 10
• Voluntary language class (15-25 class hours)
  Point: 5
• Voluntary language class (45-50 class hours)
  Point: 10
• Extracurricular academic activities (min. 5)
  Point: 5
• International events (min. 5)
  Point: 5

Courses on intercultural/international themes (max. 10 points)
Up to ten points can be gained if you participate in courses on intercultural/international themes. These courses may be part of your obligatory course activities or elective subjects. However, you will need to follow courses at your own academic level (e.g. MA courses for MA students, BA courses for BA students. Please click here for a list of courses that will gain you GGC points.

Documentation:
To document your participation in coursework you will need to include an exam transcript in your portfolio . If your course does not lead to an exam, please use the GGC attendance sheet to document attendance. Please note that you need to participate in at least 80 % of the classes to claim your points and collect signatures from all classes.

Language classes
You may gain up to 10 points from participation in language classes. However, language courses only qualify if they are not a part of your obligatory course programme. This means you can claim points if you partake in classes on languages not studied (e.g. German for a student of English) or by following Danish classes if Danish is not your first language. You can claim points for courses in several languages, provided your total number of points does not exceed 10. Please note that you will have to arrange your own language courses. Possible ways of doing so is by partaking in Evening Classes or the Danish courses offered by Aalborg Municipality.  

Documentation:
To document your participation in language classes, please include in your portfolio a certificate from your language school or a signed letter from your language teacher testifying that you have attended the class.

Extracurricular academic activities
During term you have the opportunity to participate in various extracurricular academic activities such as guest lectures, conferences or workshops organised by AAU research groups working with international or intercultural topics. These enable you to further your understanding of particular areas of international/intercultural studies, whilst gaining an insight into the research taking place at the university. You can gain five points for the GGC certificate by partaking in five different activities. If you partake in 5 activities both in the autumn and spring semester (i.e. a total of 10 activities), you can apply for ten points. You can claim a maximum of 10 points for extracurricular activities.

Documentation:
Please use the GGC attendance sheet to document participation. Please remember that you need to collect signatures from all five events that you partake in. You can submit the attendance sheet as part of your portfolio.

International events
The city of Aalborg hosts a number of international and intercultural events, including music festivals, movie screenings, theatre performances and debates. In the GGC programme we should like to encourage you to partake in such activities by awarding you five points if you can document your participation in five different events. If you partake in 5 activities both in the autumn and spring semester (i.e. a total of 10 activities), you may apply for ten points. You can claim a maximum of 10 points for extracurricular activities.

Documentation:
Please use the GGC attendance sheet to document participation. Please remember that you need to collect signatures from all five events that you partake in. You can submit the attendance sheet as part of your portfolio.

Employers frequently stress the ability to work in international teams as a key competence sought from new recruits, which ties in well with the AAU model for Problem-Based Learning.  We have therefore included as an obligatory component in the GGC programme multicultural project work. We expect that participation in multicultural teamwork will enhance your capacity to recognize and benefit from the possibilities that diversity presents in terms of language, socio-cultural insights and new disciplinary and institutional practices.  This is a core competence in the global workplace where it is vital that you can use linguistic and cultural differences as a resource for individual and organisational learning.

Multicultural teamwork

• Project work in multicultural teams: 40 points
• Experience report on multicultural teamwork: 5 points

Multicultural project work
This is an obligatory module for all GGC participants. As regards the meaning of ‘multicultural’, we realise that this can be understood in various ways (e.g. ethnicity, nationality, languages, academic disciplines, religion), and we will accept your team as ‘multicultural’ if you can explain to your supervisor why you believe your project group qualifies. As GGC participants we encourage you to engage in a dialogue with your team members and perhaps supervisor about multicultural teamwork and the importance of acknowledging the resources that diversity offers. However, please respect that your supervisor’s time and resources may be limited. You should note that in order to qualify your multicultural teamwork will need to involve a PBL element, including a joint written and oral assessment. You can only obtain points for multicultural teamwork once, but you have the opportunity to claim an additional 5 points by submitting an experience report (see information below).

Documentation:
A short account (max ½ page), written by you, which informs us of the team composition and why this is ‘multicultural’. This paper will have to be signed by the supervisor and enclosed in your portfolio. 

EXPERIENCE REPORT ON MULTICULTURAL TEAMWORK
You can gain an additional 5 points by producing a 1-2 page experience report about your multicultural teamwork. This is an individual statement and may include reflections on the nature of ‘multicultural’, how you used diversity in the planning/undertaking the project, any sources of noise or tensions in your group etc. Your report will need to be signed by the GGC coordinator. You can submit the report by using this mail.

Documentation:
To provide documentation, please enclose in your portfolio a copy of the experience report, signed by the GGC coordinator.

Learning more?
If you want to know more about multicultural teamwork, you may want to check the resource page for the project ‘PBL & Multicultural Teamwork’. Here you find information on a variety of themes incl. team formation, roles, diversity, and ‘Global English’. You can access the material through this link.

The third aspect acknowledges the learning opportunities that are available to you at an international campus or in a multicultural society. We will therefore award you GGC points for participation in a variety of voluntary activities, provided that these involve a meeting and engagement with people from other socio-cultural and linguistic communities. We believe such cross-cultural encounters are important because they enable you to develop your ability to respond appropriately to questions about your own cultural preferences and to listen and learn from stories about communities different to your own.  In addition, your participation in cross-cultural dialogue will often involve the use of a language that is foreign to you and your counterpart, which will train your ability to communicate in an explicit and inclusive manner.

Internationalisation at home activities
You can gain points for the GGC programme by partaking in a range of different activities, provided that they contain an international/intercultural dimension.  We have listed examples of common activities below, but we are aware that you may be involved in activities that are equally relevant to the GGC programme. If this is the case, you may apply to have other activities by following the guidelines below. You can collect points for an unlimited number of activities, but will need to provide information about the nature of your voluntary work and the hours spent. As a rule of thumb, you can claim 5 points for work amounting to 30-50 hours. However, if you are involved with an organisation for an extended period, you can apply for more points (up to a maximum of 15 points, if volunteering 30-50 hours per semester for 3 semesters or more). 

Documentation:
Please include in your portfolio a short account  (max ½ page), written by you, which contains a brief description of the activity for which you want to claim points. This will need to be signed by a representative from the organisation where the activity has taken place.

Examples of activities

• Intercambio (committee, organiser of events): 5 points
• Connect Intl. (committee, organiser of events): 5 points
• Buddy/tutor for international students: 5 points
• Volunteer, Student House (if unpaid and involving an international dimension): 5 points
• Language tutoring (e.g. Danish for refugees): 5 points
• Volunteer work  involving an intercultural/international relation (incl. international students volunteering as a sports trainer, scout leader etc.): 5 points
• AISEC language assistant (in local schools): 5 points
• Volunteer, International House: 5 points
• Youth Goodwill Ambassador: 5 points
• Involvement with UN Youth Society, AISEC or other voluntary organisations with an intercultural/international element (30-50 hours, incl. planning of events): 5 points
• Scouts of the World Award (completed training, 80 hrs. voluntary work + debriefing): 10 points
• Work experience (from multicultural/multilingual work environment): 5 points

New activities
If you are involved in activities not on our list, you can apply to have your voluntary work included. This you do by sending us a brief description (max. ½ page) to this address. Please make sure that you explain what constitutes the intercultural and/or international aspect of your activity and that you provide an estimate of hours spent. Your voluntary engagement will need to amount to a minimum of 30-50 hours to be recognised, and a maximum of 5 points can be gained from a single activity. However, an exception to this rule can be made if you can document a long-term commitment, investing a substantial number of hours over several years. Please note that you can not apply for points if activities are part of your internship programme.

The fourth component recognises the importance of experience to international and intercultural learning, enabling you to obtain points by going abroad on student exchange, as an intern or perhaps a volunteer.  What is important here is the learning that happens through your immersion into an unfamiliar socio-cultural, linguistic, institutional and organisational environment, and it is therefore the length of your stay that will determine how many points you are awarded. International experience is highlighted by employers because it shows that you can adjust to new circumstances and acquire the practical insights necessary to pass an exam or perform particular job routines. In addition, you will probably find that your period abroad will strengthen your linguistic and communicative skills.

International experience

• Study Abroad (one term): 30 points
• Internship abroad (3-4 months): 30 points
• Volunteering  abroad (2-3 months): 20 points
• Volunteering abroad (1 month): 10 points
• Summer school abroad (2 weeks): 5 points
• Report on studying in Denmark (int. students only!): 5 points

Study abroad
To gain points from ‘studies abroad’ you will need to partake in an exchange programmes at a university recognised by AAU. However, international students may apply to have points awarded if doing a mobility stay at another university in Denmark. Student exchanges may be official partnership programmes or mobility stays that you arrange for yourself. What is important is that you can document coursework equivalent to a semester at AAU (i.e. 30 ECTS points).

Documentation:
To document your study abroad, please enclose in your portfolio an exam transcript containing a list of courses taken at your host university.

Internships
You can obtain a maximum of 30 points towards the GGC certificate if you choose to do your internship in a country different from your country of origins. This means that international students will be awarded points if doing the internship in Denmark. Danish students can apply for 15 GGC points if doing an internship in an international company in Denmark, provided that your tasks involve international/intercultural activities and interaction. To apply for this, please send us a short description of your tasks, signed by your company supervisor. If your internship involves long-term trips to another country (min. duration 2 weeks), you may apply for points, even if your company or organisation is based in the country of origins. If this is the case, please follow the guidelines below.   

Documentation (internships):
Please enclose in your portfolio a letter signed by host company or organisation

Long-term travelling:
You can apply for points if your internship involves more than two weeks of travelling. To apply, you need to provide a travelling plan (with dates), signed by your host company or organisation. Two full weeks of travelling will gain you 5 points, 1 month will gain you 10 points, six weeks will gain your 15 points, while two months equal 20 points. If you can document that you have travelled more than 2 months, we will award you the same amount of points as for a full internship abroad.

Voluntary work
This category involves various activities such as voluntary work in refugee camps or for NGOs such as Greenpeace or Medicine sans Frontier.  What is important is that your activity work has a strong, international dimension (typically, being carried out abroad). The points will reflect the  length of the period that you spend abroad (i.e. 5 points for 2 weeks, 10 points for a month etc. up to a maximum of 30 points which you will gain by documenting three-month, full-time voluntary work abroad). However, we will also take into account the international dimension of your work.

Documentation:
Please include in the portfolio a brief account of activities (max ½ page), written by you and signed by the NGO. Please remember to specify what constitutes the international dimension to your voluntary work.

Summer schools
You may obtain points by participating in Summer Schools organised by universities in a different country. However, please note that you will need to document your experience so please try to look for programmes that issue a certificate stating the number of course modules or ECTS taken.

Documentation:
Please enclose in the portfolio a diploma or exam transcript from the university hosting the Summer School.

Report on studying in Denmark
We acknowledge that some of you are already studying abroad as you are not native to Denmark. We should like to offer you an opportunity to gain points for your GGC programme by writing a report about your experiences as an international student at a Danish university. We would normally award 5 points for an essay of around 4-6 pages.

Intercultural learning concerns your ability to reflect on and obtain from intercultural experiences theoretical and practical insights that you may draw upon in subsequent encounters. Reflexive learning is closely linked to the idea of ‘learning by doing’ and may depart from any activity that you engage in as part of the Global Graduate programme. What is important is that you focus on your learning process, trying to identify situations that puzzled you, as well as any solutions or interpretations that you came up with in response to these. We recommend that you keep a learning log, noting down for each activity how this helped you develop your understanding of international and intercultural relations. At the end you will be asked to provide a brief account of your intercultural learning, telling peers about the intercultural journey you took to become an AAU Global Graduate.

Intercultural Learning

• Presentation on intercultural/international experience: 5 points
• Poster on intercultural/international experience: 5 points
• A diary/written log about your experiences: 5 points
• An exhibition of objects illustrating key encounters or moments: 5 points

Presentation or poster on intercultural/international experience
Once you have collected activities worth 95 points or more, you can apply to have a Global Graduate certificate issued. We will announce 2 or 3 deadlines in Spring 2018 and you can choose any of these. However, please consider this in relation to your other activities, incl. exam schedules and MA thesis writing.

Once you have applied for the Global Graduate Certificate, you will need to submit your documentation for all activities that you have partaken in. Please submit your documentation as an online portfolio. We will check your documentation, and if this is approved, invite you to a special workshop for Global Graduates. Here we expect you will provide a short account of your international/intercultural journey and any critical moments that you experienced along the way. This will earn you the final 5 points and meet the requirement for the obligatory module on Intercultural Learning. You will subsequently receive the Global Graduate Certificate.

At the workshop you can choose between the following formats:

1. A oral presentation (10-15 minutes)
2. A poster containing pictures, keywords etc.
3. A diary/written log about your experiences
4. An exhibition of objects illustrating key encounters or moments

If you think other formats would work better for you, feel free to suggest that these be included. We also plan to develop a blog where you, as Global Graduates, can share stories and pictures about your intercultural encounters.

Workshop dates:
The Global Graduate programme will hold two workshops in Spring 2020 where you can collect your final points and receive your certificate. The two workshops are typically held in April and ´June. Please note that you can only partake in the workshop once you can document activities amounting to 95 points or more.

All students expected to graduate in 2020 will receive a mail from us, with information about deadlines for submitting your portfolio and the next workshops. However, please note that you can submit your portfolio as soon as you have finished collecting points. You will then be invited to the next workshop that we organise.

The Global Graduate portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of documents that you submit when applying to have a Global Graduate certificate issued. You will need to collect and submit documents that demonstrate your participation in activities amounting to a total of at least 95 points (the last 5 points you will gain through participation in the obligatory workshop on intercultural learning). You will find with the description of individual activities information on the type of documentation required to claim points for an activity.  You may also want to check the information on documentation provided below.

When submitting your portfolio please make sure you enclose an initial list of the activities undertaken, followed by scanned copies of your documentation in the order listed on your front page. Please click here for an example of a front page. You submit by sending a PDF version of your portfolio (incl. all documentation) to this address.

GGC learning log

A learning log is a diary that you maintain whilst following the Global Graduate Programme. Learning logs can be a physical book, a Word document, a Wiki, or blog  - basically, you can use whatever format that appeals to you (words, sounds, pictures, music . . . .). What is important is a learning log is your document, containing the loose ideas, observations and speculations that came to you as you were working on the Global Graduate Programme. 

Keeping a learning log means recording whatever activities you participate in as well as your immediate reaction (frustration, joy, wonder, anger). Subsequently, you may want to add the reflections that follow once you have had time to think more carefully about a particular situation or event. 

We recommend keeping a learning log because this is a very good way to capture a learning process that takes place over a longer period of time (in this case 1½-2 years). When you capture your experiences like this, you are able to revisit your experiences at a later stage where you may have gained new insights and therefore can offer a more nuanced interpretation of an intercultural encounter that initially seemed frustrating. Consider your perception of teamwork involving students who have recently arrived from a different educational background. Once you have yourself studied abroad, you are more likely to understand some of the challenges involved when learning to navigate and sit exams in an unfamiliar learning environment.

At the final workshop on intercultural learning you may choose to present your learning log rather than a poster, oral presentation or exhibition. However, please note that you will to come prepared to share your loose thoughts and subjective views with other students.

Forms of documentation
Attendance sheet:
A piece of paper that you bring to class or to the event for which you seek to claim points. You may use this template.  Attendance sheets are used to document the following activities

1. Attendance in class if you wish to claim points for courses that have no exam attached to them. Please note that you will need to bring your attendance sheet to all classes to have it signed by the lecturer (remember dates). To claim points you will need to attend at least 80 per cent of all classes involved in a course.
2. Attendance at guest lecturers, film screenings, conferences etc. If you want to claim points for your participation in extracurricular academic activities, please bring an attendance sheet to the event and ask the organisers to sign it. Please remember to provide a name and date for the event. To claim points you need to attend at least 5 events.

Exam transcript and diplomas:
If you receive an exam mark or a diploma upon completion of a particular activity, you may use a scanned copy of this to document participation. This form of documentation is relevant to

1. Coursework, if leading to an exam
2. Language courses, if you are issued with a diploma
3. Study Abroad where you receive a record/transcript of courses/exams taken
4. Summer Schools leading to an exam or a certificate issued by your host institution

Letter or written statement:
A short statement from a language teacher or internship mentor in the host company/organisation documenting your participation in a particular activity. Please remember to have this letter will need to be signed.  Written letters are relevant for the following activities

1. Language classes where no diploma is issued (should be signed by your language teacher or another language school representative)
2. Internships (signed by your contact person in the host organisation/company)

Written accounts:
Written papers, produced by you, are used to document the following activities

Multicultural project work:
A short account (max ½ page), written by you, which informs us of the team composition and why this is ‘multicultural’. This paper will have to be signed by the supervisor and enclosed in your portfolio. 

Experience report on multicultural teamwork:
A 1-2 page report, written by you, on your experiences working in a multicultural project group. The paper should be considered an individual statement on your learning process and may include:

1. Reflections on the nature of ‘multiculturalism’ in your team
2. How your group used group diversity in the planning and realisation of the project
3. Advantages and disadvantages of multiculturalism for your particular team
4. Personal reflections on your group work as an intercultural experience.

Your report will need to be signed by the GGC coordinator. You can submit the report by using this mail.

Internationalisation at Home activities:
A short account (max ½ page), written by you, which contains a brief description of the activity for which you want to claim points. This will need to be signed by a representative from the organisation where the activity has taken place (e.g. International Office, AISEC board, Student House volunteer coordinator, NGO). Remember to enclose one written account for each activity that you wish to claim points for.

Volunteering abroad:
A brief account of activities (max ½ page), written by you and signed by the NGO. Please remember to specify what constitutes the international dimension to your voluntary work. We also need to know in what location (s) and how many hours and days you have worked as an international volunteer.