On 1st June 2016 we announced the winners in our student essay competition focused on various topics related to Digital Society - LIBRe Essay Contest 2016. The first prize was the opportunity for a free participation in the 3-week international ICT summer school organised by Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. Here is the feedback from our winner following her participation in this year’s edition of the initiative which took place between July and August 2016!
“The ICT summer school organised by Leibniz Universität Hannover is an exceptionally interesting platform for professional development and education, and for establishing business contacts. Here are my five reasons to believe so:
The Participants
The Summer School is definitely an opportunity for every student or young specialist to meet a varied range of professionals – each having their typical (or not) interests, views, culture, perceptions, and professional endeavours and occupations. It is important to notice that not all participants have legal background – some of them practice in the ICT field (such as developers of software and online trading apps) or have started their own businesses and are interested in the existing legal opportunities and restrictions. In general, the more people, the more reasons for participation in the ICT summer school.
One of the greatest feelings within this environment is the lack of any types of prejudice. The main reason for that – members from all over the globe have gathered in the heart of Europe. The courses are typically attended by people from almost every EU country and also from China, Japan, India, Pakistan, even from the Philippines.
The Lecturers
When it comes to the lecturers, it should be noted that their approach towards the students is very dynamic which considerably differentiates from the methods adopted by the Bulgarian universities. Information is presented in an entirely interactive and learner-targeted manner in such a way that the audience are not just ordinary listeners but are challenged to think, participate in the discussions and raise questions. Here comes the aforesaid cultural diversity again which provides the participants with the opportunity to get acquainted with (sometimes many) different legislative approaches and practical solutions as well as to learn more about current legal issues worldwide.
Regarding the speakers - most of them are not exclusive members of the academia. Summer School students have the opportunity to meet people from different business fields whose everyday job is inevitably linked with ICT law (i.e. consultants to software companies, developers, legal specialists at IT companies, etc.). The teachers are very open to (and intrigued by) course participants without erecting any professor-student barriers. Thus the Summer School contributes to the establishment of business and personal contacts not only with the other participants, but with the speakers as well.
The Lectures
The lecture process is considerably different and more compelling compared to the established practice in Bulgaria. Apart from presenting the current situation, teachers are trying to focus students' attention to problems encountered in their everyday practice, the solution to which is still to be found. In general, the idea is for students to overcome the perception of themselves as purely passive listeners in the auditorium - on the contrary, they are encouraged to think, come up with discussion questions on their own, and provide solutions. Part of this process is the organization of ICT-law forums where current legal issues are discussed. In this year's edition points of discussion were some extremely interesting topics, such as whether protection of personal data exists in India and also how, if at all, the fields of of human rights, competition law, and intellectual property interact (it turns out that these seemingly unrelated legal spheres interweave significantly more often than expected).
The lectures accentuated on the protection of personal data in the light of the recently adopted EU legislation, as well as the protection of intellectual property rights. Other topics included in the course come from the fields of private international law, e-commerce and consumer protection, digital content and virtual currencies, blockchains, cybersecurity, and competition law matters. The level of the topics in focus varied from beginner to intermediate, as lecturers were constantly trying to engage the attention of students who had never encountered ICT law before (and they are many) as well as practitioners whose incentives for participating in the Summer School were the opportunity to find solutions to unresolved problems they have encountered and learn more about the current EU legislative initiatives in ICT law. In this sense, the courses provide "food for thought" for each of the participants and contribute to their future professional development, focusing their attention on various pending legal issues.
The Trips
Each year the organisers put a lot of effort in the organisation of interesting trips and events. Visits to different cities and sightseeings in Germany are initiated (such as a few day trip to Berlin, a trip to the Marienburg Castle, a workshop at Google's office in Hamburg with representatives of the marketing and legal departments of the company). To put it short – trips are inspirational!
The Entertainment
There is no doubt that the overall atmosphere of the summer school (being a mix of people, places, discussions, and time) leads to organising different kinds of entertaining activities. To summarise, I could say that Hanover ICT Summer School seems like an intensive Erasmus experience which takes place throughout only 3 weeks but leaves the feeling of at least 3 years spent with the participants.
In Conclusion
The ICT Summer School is a Must-Have Experience!"