First SuMoS project work package which was finalized and completed 100% was WP2: Institutional student mobility ecosystem (ISME) and the first finalized result is titled: Institutional Student Mobility Ecosystem (ISME) and recommendations for improvement.

The Institutional Student Mobility Ecosystem (ISME) model is focused on student credit mobility which can take several forms. Within the SuMoS project, focus is on so-called credit learning mobility (study semester exchanges), at partner institutions outside the country of origin. 

The ISME framework, focused on student credit mobility, integrates five key pillars:

  • Initiatives and Frameworks  –  Internationalization  strategies  with  Erasmus+  as  the  cornerstone, supported by financial mechanisms provided by higher education institutions  (HEIs), governments, and EU programmes.
  • Stakeholders  –  Students,  families,  friends,  HEI  management  and  staff  (IROs,  advisors, professors),  policy  makers,  accreditation  agencies,  and  society  at  large—all  directly   influencing the success of mobility programmes.
  • Supporting Mechanisms  –  Core  and  supporting  processes  (agreements,  promotion,  application,  preparation,  support,  recognition),  digital  tools  (EWP,  MoveOn,  MobilityOnline,  Beneficiary  Module)  and  key  documents  (inter-institutional  agreements,  learning  agreements,  transcripts  of  records)  that  enable  smooth  integration  and  successful  outcomes.
  • Student Decisional Factors  –  Motivations  (personal,  professional,  academic),  barriers  (personal  and  academic),  and  situational factors  (destination  city  &  country,  host  and  home institutional support).
  • Outcomes – Outcomes from student credit mobility are recognized for students, HEIs and society

ISME was developed by following steps: 


Proposed ISME elements:



Recommendations for improvement are divided into separate categories: 

  • Strategic approach to student credit mobility
  • Inter-Institutional Agreements
  • Promotion of credit mobility opportunities
  • Application to host university
  • Developing the Learning Agreement
  • Recognition
  • Tools

Each above mentioned category has challenges that were identified and SuMoS project team recommendations for addressing them. 

On the SuMoS page - RESULTS you can find Institutional Student Mobility Ecosystem (ISME) and recommendations for improvement document and read it. 
Moreover, on the SuMoS page - HIGHLIGHTS, you can find articles with graphics, you can explore student mobility ecosystem interactions with the KUMU tool and you can read the table with recommendations for ISME improvements. 


ISME are also published in the JIOS - Journal of Information and Organizational Sciences as an article titled: Towards the Institutional Student Mobility Ecosystem (ISME): model based on systematic literature review. Article can be also accessed through Dissemination on the SuMoS page - RESULTS.