The long-standing Erasmus partnership between FHWien der WKW and the Dutch Hogeschool Utrecht was further strengthened in May 2025 through a reciprocal exchange on multiple levels. The focus was on the advancement of teaching, the exchange of best practices, and the initiation of joint research projects.
Professional exchange: Innovations in journalism training
From May 19 to 23, 2025, Gisela Reiter, Academic Expert & Lecturer at FHWien der WKW, visited Hogeschool Utrecht as part of the Erasmus+ Staff Training Program. During her stay, she met with researchers from the renowned Journalismlab, gained insights into current courses, and discussed the further development of teaching practices.
Both universities – HU Utrecht and FHWien der WKW – are united by a practice-oriented approach to journalism education. At the same time, they share the challenge of meaningfully integrating AI technologies into the curriculum. The visit served to exchange best practices for new teaching formats and to initiate future joint research projects.
Cultural Journalism in Vienna
The return visit didn’t take long to follow: Just one week later, from May 26 to 30, 2025, twelve international students and two lecturers from HU Utrecht were guests at FHWien der WKW. The focus was on working on journalistic projects related to the topic of Cultural Journalism — that is, journalism with a local cultural perspective. The guests conducted research in Vienna, carried out interviews, and prepared their stories in various formats.
In addition to working on their own projects, the HU Utrecht students also attended final presentations of multimedia projects in the Journalism & Media Management study program, visited the university’s in-house TV and radio studios, and thus gained insights into journalism education in Austria. A visit to the editorial office of Radio Radieschen, the training station of FHWien der WKW, rounded off the program.
Internationalization as a Future Strategy
This reciprocal visit marks the beginning of further collaborations: Joint courses, research projects, and new forms of internationalization in higher education are planned. In doing so, FHWien der WKW is making an important contribution to strengthening the European education area and to enhancing international networking in journalism education.