MOTVATE! is a program in which students from Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, South Africa and Austria work together over one academic year (October-June) and get the chance to explore exciting topics related to school systems, profession and society in a comparative perspective.

MOTIVATE! stands for “Mobile and online tandems for international vocational teacher education” and is based at the Institute of Educational Science at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin). As a subproject of MOVE IT! it contributes to the internationalisation of teacher education training at the TU Berlin and cooperates with partner universities abroad that also train teachers and aim to make their teacher education trainings more international.

A Tandem+ is a team of two to three people. After your application, we put together permanent tandems – based on your interests and your field of study. The tandems then work together from October till June. This offers you the opportunity to get to know each other on a personal level, develop a joint working mode and establish close contact abroad.

MOTIVATE! is a subproject of MOVE IT! at the chair of General and Historical Educational Science at the TU Berlin under the lead of Prof. Dr. Susann Fegter, vice director of the School of Education SETUB and owner of the chair of General and Historical Educational Science. The central contact person for MOTIVATE! is Sinah Nischwitz.

MOTIVATE! is part of the project MOVE IT! and as such funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD). Specifically, it is part of the DAAD programme Lehramt.International funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)).

The TU Berlin is currently cooperating with NTNU in Norway, PH FHNW in Switzerland, Akdeniz University in Turkey and PH Tirol in Austria. A further cooperation is currently being established with Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. You can find more information on our partner universities here.

The project addresses students from teacher education programmes at TU Berlin in Germany and our partner universities. Participation is possible at any point in the course of study. In the future, we plan to involve further partner universities and status groups.

You would like to join? Find more information in the section “How can I participate in MOTIVATE! ?” below.

The project has great value for student teachers. By participating you have the opportunity

• to gain international experience without leaving home,
• to practice your English in a supportive environment – all levels are welcome,
• to take part in workshops addressing real-world challenges in education
• to enrich your perspectives on education, teaching and didactics through different educational contexts
• to explore and try out teaching ideas and grow through peer feedback
• to create your own international network (that you can use later for example to organise student exchanges)

The participation in MOTIVATE! also secures you a place at our annual international Summer School, where students from all participating universities come together for a week and at alternating locations.

In addition, after completing the programme, you will receive a certificate confirming your participation that demonstrates your future employers that you have valuable experience in international cooperation. At some universities (e.g. TU Berlin, FHNW), students may also receive up to 3 ECTS upon request.

Our last cohort has started in October 2025 and the programme extends over one academic year which is approximately 9-10 months. To ensure a rewarding time for all, by participating you agree to be part of the programme for the entire period.

The time schedules of semesters and lectures and the general study structure differ greatly between different countries and universities. In order to implement joint projects like MOTIVATE! we have to find compromises. This also means that the timetable differs slightly from the semester times of all participating universities.

However, the programme is designed in such a way that for example examination times are taken into account. In general, the programme is very flexible. You and your tandem partner(s) can decide when you meet and thus take individual needs into account. The only fixed dates are the joint meetings (workshops and House Sessions).

The programme focuses on exchange in the Tandem+ (multinational teams of two to three people). Therefore, during the year several exciting topics related to school, education and society are covered on a monthly basis. These topics are respectively introduced in a joint session (a workshop or a so-called House Session) in which all tandems participate. However, the focus within these sessions isn’t an extensive lecture but the exchange and joint reflection of the experiences and interests of the students. For the following weeks, the students are given a little input that encourages them to deepen the new topic independently in their tandem.

During the programme, we will explore a range of engaging topics such as well-being and resiliance for teachers, group dynamics management, diversity in education and peer counselling.

In addition, the tandems have the valuable opportunity to contribute their own education-related topics in the so-called “House Sessions”. Each tandem is responsible for designing and facilitating an interactive session for the group, based on a topic they consider relevant to their educational context. This process allows participants to engage deeply with their chosen subject while gaining meaningful experience in both content development and teaching methodology.

Participation in the programme includes your regular attendance at the joint sessions once or twice a month as well as independent exchange in your Tandem+. This also includes contributing to our MOTIVATE! blog in turn so that others can benefit from your experiences. Overall, the programme is designed to fit realistically into your regular study schedule.

The tandems meet independently and can organize their meetings flexibly. In addition, there are monthly digital meetings with all tandems. So that there is no overlap with other courses, this joint sessions take place in the evening.

MOTIVATE! is conducted in English. All events in the overall group as well as workshops and Summers Schools take place in English.

Note: Not sure if your English is good enough? No problem – all levels are welcome! The program offers a relaxed, mistake-friendly environment to practice and improve=)

MOTIVATE! is a voluntary program and participation does not require earning ECTS credits. However, at some universities (such as TU Berlin and FHNW Switzerland), students have the option to receive up to 3 ECTS for their participation. At TU Berlin, for example, this can be credited within the “freie Wahl” area. In this case, an additional, manageable assessment in the form of a reflection report is required, based on guiding questions related to the joint sessions. If you are interested in earning ECTS, please contact the responsible contact person at your university.

Regardless of this option, all participants receive a certificate upon completion of the program, documenting their engagement and providing valuable proof of international and intercultural experience for their future careers.

Thanks to a temporary funding from the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, we are currently able to offer the participation in MOTIVATE!, including all the workshops it contains, free of charge. This also applies to participation in the international Summer School.

At the end of the programme year, the students receive an official certificate signed by all participating universities. Precondition for this certificate is the regular, active participation in the programme for the entire course.

The project addresses students from teacher education programmes from all levels at TU Berlin, NTNU, PH FHNW, Akdeniz University, PH Tirol and NMU South Africa. Due to the high flexibility it is also possible to attend the programme during an internship semester. We particularly invite students from vocational subjects to apply.

To participate in MOTIVATE!, students should have a B1 level of English. With the attainment of university admission, students usually have English language skills at this level.

Basically, we want to encourage you not to let fears of insufficient language skills hold you back, but to see the participation as an opportunity to train and expand your language skills in a relaxed environment.

You can apply via the application form. Please fill in all fields completely and take enough time to do so.

The application period ends at the end of May. After the application deadline, all applications are reviewed and tandems are put together. If there are more applications than places, selection is based on the best possible matches.

Note: If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time – even if the application period has already expired. We will be happy to put you on the list and contact you in case we have remaining seats or as soon as we can invite you to apply for the next round.

We try to find the best possible Tandem+ partner(s) for you according to your expectations, your field of study and your interests. In case that there are more applications than seats, the selection will be based on the the best possible matching.

You will be informed at the latest three weeks after the end of the application period if you can participate in MOTIVATE!.

Technische Universität Berlin: Sinah Nischwitz (contact form)

Norwegian University of Science and Technology: Katrine Dalbu Alterhaug (email)

Pädagogische Hochschule Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz: Markus Cslovjecsek (email)