Hof University of Applied Sciences has been organizing the International Teaching Week (ITW) every two years for over ten years. Lecturers from all over the world come to Hof for this event. For one week, the international lecturers hold lectures and workshops in their respective subject areas. The ITW is a great opportunity for students at the university to gain international experience and further their education, even without a stay abroad.
The university’s more than 130 partner universities also regularly offer similar formats for lecturers to hold guest lectures or for university members in general to further their education in a subject area. Martin Lochmüller, research assistant at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, took advantage of an offer from Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania, from May 5 to May 9, 2025 and took part in the International Teaching Week there.
The “campuls-digital” editorial team spoke to Mr. Lochmüller about his impressions and experiences in Romania.
Mr. Lochmüller, how did you hear about the opportunity to take part in the International Teaching Week at Babeș-Bolyai University?
As you know, Hof University of Applied Sciences maintains many international relationships with colleges and universities not only in the EU, but all over the world. These relationships should not only exist on paper, but also be filled with life. As far as the professors and teaching staff are concerned, the ITWs are an important forum for maintaining and deepening these relationships. In addition, they are also a platform for forging new relationships, which may one day lead to a research collaboration. For this reason, the International Office encourages participation, communicates dates, advises and provides organizational support.
What did the ITW program look like?
First of all, ITW means holding courses on site. The topic and content are agreed in advance. In other words, you apply with a proposed topic and a teaching concept. But ITW also means networking. This means getting to know many colleagues and exchanging ideas. To make this possible, those responsible at UBB Cluj put together a program that included a city tour with a welcome dinner, a visit to the opera and an excursion to Alba Julia on the last day with a company visit and a tour of the city. Of course, the program also included a guided tour of the campus.
How many participants did the ITW at Babeș-Bolyai University have and where did they come from?
I was surprised that so many international colleagues took part in the ITW. Maybe it was because it was a small anniversary. It was the 10th ITW. A total of 17 guest lecturers took part on site. There were also others who were connected online. I was the only one from Germany who was there. The colleague from Colombia probably had the longest journey. There were also participants from France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia.
What was your task on site? Which lectures and seminars did you give or which projects and research projects did you focus on?
My lectures dealt with psychophysiological methods in consumer behavior research. We have a well-equipped market research laboratory here at the university under the direction of Prof. Dr. Joachim Riedl. So it made sense to talk about our experience with methods such as eye tracking or skin resistance measurement.
How have you personally benefited from the ITW?
Of course, the focus was on new contacts and exchanging experiences. I am currently thinking about a joint project with a colleague from Riga.
How would you describe Babeș-Bolyai University, the largest Romanian university?
More than 40,000 students are enrolled in 21 faculties at BBU. The university is multilingual. In addition to Romanian, it also offers courses in Hungarian, English and, surprisingly for me, German. This is because Cluj-Napoca, as Klausenburg, also has a Habsburg past.
I was surprised by the modernity and equipment of the business faculty building. Although it is a state university, there are corporate partnerships, such as a Kaufland lounge or the involvement of BOSCH. There are also curiosities such as a book disinfection system that was purchased during the coronavirus pandemic.
What impressions and experiences will you take away from your stay in Romania?
When you come to Transylvania for the first time, there are many preconceptions about a rather backward country. We think of vampires and farmers on horse-drawn carriages. These preconceptions have been completely overturned. Digitalization has come a long way, cash payments are uncommon and the doors to lecture halls are opened with an app. Industrial robots are used where cheap labor is expected. In the shopping mall near my hotel, the well-known fast food chains have set up store. The pubs and café scene are similar to ours.
To be fair, I have to qualify my assessment by saying that I only experienced a “section of Romania” during the ITW.
What was your personal highlight?
In addition to many positive experiences, I would like to emphasize two highlights: As someone who comes from Upper Franconia and is somewhat familiar with the porcelain industry and its decline, it was the visit to the porcelain manufacturer IPEC in Alba Julia. The company was founded as a start-up in 1990 after the Ceausescu era and is now one of the largest manufacturers of cups and plates in the world, supplying IKEA, for example. The advanced automation of production is remarkable, with more industrial robots than people. At the same time, the company is thinking intensively about energy autonomy in the form of its own solar park.
The leisure highlight was a visit to the Steampunk Museum in the city center of Cluj-Napoca. Probably the most bizarre museum I know. Inspired by the books of Jules Verne and his fantasy world, a dream landscape with all kinds of strange devices was created from scrap metal and antiques. For example, there is a smartphone scrolling machine or a time travel machine.
Thank you for the interview!
