International Week

Dear Partner,

South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk) has a pleasure to invite staff, teachers and other specialists as well as students from our partner institutions to the International Week on Xamk’s Savonlinna campus in the spring of 2025.

There is no participation fee for the International Week but the participants are expected to cover such costs as travelling and accommodation themselves. Erasmus+ teacher or staff exchange support may be available from the sending institution.

The maximum amount of participants for the week will be 50.

Enrolments for the week should be done through this link: International Week.

The deadline for the enrolments is 1 January 2025.

Please, do not make any travel arrangements before you have received confirmation information from the international coordinator of the Savonlinna campus.

Modes of participation

Guests are invited to give lectures on their own area of expertise or research, and we would wish the teaching to be more practice-oriented, i.e. to be arranged in a form of a workshop, group work or other methods. ​

If you wish to have lectures during the week, please, provide us with the abstract of your lecture at the same time with your enrolment and describe the way of your teaching (lecture, workshop, group work, etc.), wishes for room conditions, materials you would need as well as the preferred group size (our normal group size is between 20-40 students). In addition, please, describe how you wish to divide your teaching hours (e.g. 2 hours of lectures and 4 hours in a form of a workshop, group work, etc. = a total of 8 hours, which is the minimum amount in Erasmus+ teacher exchanges, STA). Our lessons consist of 45-minute sessions, i.e., for instance, 1.5 hours is calculated as two full teaching hours.

You may also participate in the week’s programme without giving any lectures, for instance, through Erasmus+ staff exchange (STT). However, we would appreciate if all participants were ready to give a short presentation of their own institution.

Along with teaching, the International Week is a great opportunity for networking with new international partners and discussing future cooperation possibilities (research and development, projects, exchanges, development of pedagogical methods, online courses, etc.).

You are also welcome to bring students (max. 10 students/group) with you to participate in the week. Students are also expected to enrol for the week. Please, note, however, that we will not be able to award students any credits for their participation.

Programme of the International Week

The international week will be organised on Xamk’s Savonlinna campus on 11-13 March 2025 (Monday 10 March and Friday 14 March meant for travelling.)

The International Week will be arranged by the Department of Social Services, Health and Sports in Savonlinna, i.e. by the following programmes: ​

  • Nursing
  • Physical Education 
  • Physiotherapy
  • Podiatry
  • Social Services

You are warmly welcome to take part in the International Week!

savonlinna_keskusta

Savonlinna

Savonlinna

PROGRAMME

Accommodation in Savonlinna

In the following you can find a few options for accommodation in Savonlinna:

All the above-mentioned hotels are located only 1-1,5 km from the campus.

Nowadays, there are also several Airbnb accommodation options available in Savonlinna.

Travelling to Savonlinna

The distance from Helsinki to Savonlinna by road is 335 km.

By Coach

  • Depending on the route, the coach travel from Helsinki to Savonlinna takes 5 to 8 hours. Most coaches to Savonlinna leave from the Helsinki city centre but there may also be some coaches leaving directly from the airport. For coach timetables and fares, please see Matkahuolto and Onnibus.

By Train

  • An express train journey from Helsinki to Savonlinna takes about 5 hours. If you take a train from the airport, you will have to change the train twice, at Tikkurila and at Parikkala. Please, note that there are two train stations in Savonlinna: Pääskylahti station and Kauppatori station (the end stop in the centre of Savonlinna). If someone is coming to pick you up from the station, tell them at which train station you will get off. Please, also note that it is not possible to purchase tickets on trains but they should be bought beforehand. Information on the timetables and fares can be found at VR.

By Plane

  • There are flights between Helsinki and Savonlinna from Mondays to Fridays. Flights can be booked without a service fee at norppa.aero or at Finnair (if your trip includes a connecting flight from Helsinki by Finnair).

Weather in Finland

The weather in March in Finland may vary from -15°C to +10°C. It can be freezing, windy, snowy, icy and very slippery or then it can be beautiful, sunny temperatures with a nice spring breeze.  Good shoes & warm clothing is recommended.  ​

​The guests in Savonlinna will be offered a possibility to have a hot tub and sauna bath as well as to try ice swimming on Tuesday evening.

Please, check the weather forecast approximately one week before your arrival in Finland.​ You can find information on the Finnish climate and check the current forecasts on the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Lea Reponen, International Coordinator, +358 50 312 5072, lea.reponen@xamk.fi, Savonlinna Campus – Xamk