Exchange Faculty Perspectives On International Collaborations

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Abstract NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Exchange Faculty Perspectives on International Collaborations Introduction The College of Technology at Purdue University in the United States of America and the Faculty of Engineering at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in Ireland have pioneered faculty exchange during 2005 as one important lynchpin of their overall collaborative programme. The authors, explicitly supported by their respective faculty and School/Department leadership teams, pioneered the implementation of the first faculty exchange between the two institutions. The main purpose of the paper is to document key issues in developing successful faculty exchanges and to document perspectives and key learnings emanating from the development and implementation of such an exchange process. Reasons for collaboration • Gain perspective of other country’s approaches In an increasingly globalized environment, formal engagement between US and European educational institutions is of particular benefit to both of us. As educators, we can benchmark many elements of our ‘home’ processes and approaches to our discipline and share ‘best in class’ approaches. Faculty exchange provided an enriched context for us as educators intent on continuous improvement and the pursuit of educational excellence. . • Increase the understanding of international dynamics As globalization advances in all fields, valuable international partnerships are created by those who choose to engage internationally. Together we successfully grappled with the particular contexts/issues associated with international collaborations as we delivered ‘win-win’ partnerships. International perspectives and international collaborative skill sets are of increasing importance to today’s young engineers and technology professionals. Faculty exchange was an initiative which assists us in better facilitating today’s and tomorrow’s students to engage internationally and to develop increasingly important international perspectives. • Have a different experience (e.g., mini-sabbatical) The opportunity of a faculty exchange between Purdue University and the Dublin Institute of Technology was a mutually attractive prospect. Attending an education conference at DIT in 2004, Professor Stephens was surprised at how easily and well he related to the styles of engagement he found at DIT. Feeling very much at home in Ireland (despite no known Irish roots!), it appeared an attractive prospect to Dr. Stephens to develop his relationship with DIT further. Mr. McHale, who shared Dr. Stephens’ academic interest area (Operations/Quality Management), had pursued his interest in international affairs and engagement throughout his