Helton Jossias: My experience at Tallinn University
Coming from Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique, Master's student Helton Jossias just finished his two months in the School of Digital Technologies as an exchange student. His mobility was financed from the Erasmus+ KA171 International Credit Mobility project's funds - a project lead by professor David Lamas. Helton was the first student using this opportunity and already in Autumn up to 8 PhD and Master's students will follow his example to study here during three months.
My stay at Tallinn University was an incredibly enriching experience, both academically and personally. During two wonderful months, I had the opportunity to interact with colleagues from the School of Digital Technologies, especially Gabriela Beltrão and Débora Sousa, with whom I exchanged ideas about culture, research exchange programs, and various research initiatives taking place at the university.
Upon arrival, I had two main goals. The first was to focus on my master’s research on the intensities of tropical cyclones in Mozambique, for which I received valuable support from Professor David Lamas. I also had the opportunity to join PhD students in the Designing Human Technologies 11.0 program, where we explored important topics such as Shifting Participatory Design Frames and General Tools for PhD Work. These topics were highly relevant and adaptable to my master's research and greatly contributed to its development.
The second goal was to improve my skills in best practices for using WordPress, with direct support from Iuliia Paramonova, as well as to deepen my knowledge in Usability Testing, with the guidance of Mati Mõttus and Mustafa Can Özdemir.
Finally, I would like to highlight the importance and positive impact of this kind of exchange program, which fosters academic growth, cultural exchange, and personal development. I am especially grateful to Maria Saar and Ingrid Hinojosa for their logistical support throughout my stay, as well as to the Erasmus+ program, which made this experience possible.
Helton Jossias
This exchange is part of School of Digital Technologies’ long-term cooperation with Mozambique and Eduardo Mondlane University, one of our key partners in Sub-Saharan Africa. The collaboration includes joint curriculum development, digital transformation initiatives, and capacity building. Alongside our work in Mozambique, we maintain strategic partnerships in Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria, supporting mutual goals in digital education, innovation, and academic mobility across the continent.