Researchers and students from Aarhus University visit upper secondary schools all over Denmark to share their knowledge and give pupils a glimpse of university life.

Under the auspices of Det rullende Universitet (The Touring University), a bus filled with enthusiastic AU students, one researcher and one student counsellor is hitting the roads for the fourth consecutive year. On a spring day in April, the destination was Aarhus Katedralskole, an upper secondary school in the heart of Aarhus, where pupils have been given time off to attend sessions with the delegates from Aarhus University. The purpose of giving young people at upper secondary schools a chance to meet these the representatives from the university is to provide them with a taste of what studying at university is like. Jens Holbech, who heads the project, explains:
’It’s about giving young people a chance to find out whether going to university might be for them. Even if no one in their family has an advanced degree, and even if they do not normally move in academic circles. It’s important for us to make  young people feel they’re up to the challenge of going to university,’ he says.

Students as role models

’My name is Flemming, and I come from Gludsted, a small town in central Jutland.’ This is how Flemming Hüttel introduces his talk on student life at Aarhus University which he is giving to a group of very curious first-year pupils. The inclusion of a personal story is intentional, and it’s a regular element  in the  sessions taught by by the students,’ Jens Holbech explains.
’The students always start by introducing themselves, saying who they are and explaining what brought them to Aarhus University. This makes it easier for the young people to identify with them, and the students giving the talks suddenly become role models.’
This open approach seems to work. At least if you ask Benjamin Møller, who was among the audience when Flemming Hüttel gave his talk.
’As a teacher, he demonstrated completely different competencies because he was in the middle of his own studies. I have been given answers to a lot of the questions  our student counsellors can’t answer. I now have a pretty good idea about what everyday life is like at university and how you work with the various subjects,’ says the 17-year-old.

Something for everyone

When The Touring University stops by an upper secondary school, it has the full attention of all the pupils for the whole day. According to Jens Holbech, it is therefore important to make sure that a broad selection of learning experiences  is available, so that all students are sure of getting something out of the day. At Aarhus Katedralskole, the university student instructors taught a wide variety of subjects, from cryptological codes to identity formation in post-modern societies, while Assistant Professor Stefan Iversen (Faculty of Arts) lectured on testimonies from the Second World War.
’According to our evaluations, most of the upper-secondary students get a lot out of being taught by us. For many, it’s their first encounter with a university, and it’s therefore incredibly important that it is a positive one,’ says Jens Holbech of the extremely successful initiative, which is now in its fourth year.

Prospective students meet Aarhus University

Education is the key to the future, and Aarhus University is actively contributing to realising the Danish government’s target that 25 per cent of school-leavers in any one year should complete a higher education course. Through various activities, Aarhus University reaches out to prospective students to give them an opportunity to get acquainted with the various degree programmes on offer and about student life at AU.

u-days – an open house for education
u-days is an open house event co-sponsored by all of the advanced degree programmes at institutions of higher education in Aarhus. Here, upper secondary school students and other young people who are ready to start their studies can learn more about the various degree programmes the university offers and talk to student counsellors.

Researcher for a day
An event with a broad appeal for young people in lower and upper secondary school and at agricultural colleges. Individual groups get to experience experimental teaching tailored to their requirements and level of schooling.

Study internship
A chance to find out and experience what studying at university is like through a three-day internship. The study internship programme is targeted at young people who are in their final year of upper secondary school or who have already completed it.

The budding researchers project
An opportunity for upper secondary students with good ideas to do a research project in a university setting.

The Touring University
A mobile outreach service whereby students and lecturers from Aarhus University tour the country and teach a broad selection of subjects to groups of young people at upper secondary school for a day.