During my interactive sessions on digital communication strategy, the students applied their experience as communicators alongside content strategy concepts to develop core objectives and brand messages for their semester projects — including, for example, a short film festival for the Basque Country (Huhezinema Festival), which is planned and executed exclusively by fourth-year students of the Audiovisual Communication programme. It was fascinating to see how the students connected their project work with local companies and organisations as well as Basque culture, which is also an important identity marker for the university itself.
Mondragon University’s distinctive educational model based on active learning and immediate application in the classroom fosters an environment where theoretical concepts are directly put into practice. This approach provided valuable comparative insights for our own teaching and for curriculum development at FH JOANNEUM, particularly regarding the use of AI in teaching and the design of work-integrated/part-time programmes. In addition, further networks were established for student and research exchange.
Beyond the formal academic settings, the exchange offered deep insights into the unique cooperative culture of the university itself, as well as the cooperative and solidarity-based culture of the Basque Country as a whole. Dialogue with students and colleagues conveyed a fascinating picture of how cooperative principles shape regional development, civic engagement, and institutional leadership — perspectives that can serve as a model for us as a university.
I would like to express my sincere thanks for the exceptional hospitality and the deep, enriching discussions: Eskerrik asko!
