Defining Criteria and Good Practice to Facilitate Graduate International Collaborations

Council Of Graduate Schools, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Graduate deans and STEM faculty seek clear best practice guidelines on both internal (intra-institutional) and external (inter-institutional) processes to ensure quality and sustainability in international collaborations. To that end, this project is designed to generate a clearer understanding of what is currently known and what is valued, what the current gaps in our understanding are, and what areas call for enhanced clarification in international collaborations between institutions of higher education ranging from joint and dual degree programs to certificates and student and faculty exchange programs. Project activities include: targeted survey and focus group research to understand the perspective and experience of graduate deans and of principal investigators of NSF-projects with international components; the development of a white paper synthesizing what is known about the common challenges institutions face and their particular needs; a hands-on technical workshop for graduate deans and PI?s on the inhibitors and facilitators of international collaboration; and a broader international dissemination meeting that addresses many of these process issues from a global and international perspective. Intellectual Merit National and international organizations and graduate educators and researchers have called for guidance on ?good practice? so they do not each have to ?reinvent the wheel? when seeking to build international collaborations to benefit graduate students in STEM fields. Before such practices can be identified, however, and promoted on a national scale, in a way that meets the context-specific needs of the wide range of institutions representing U.S. graduate education, we need a more comprehensive picture of the variety of issues facing U.S. institutions and graduate programs that takes into account process issues, especially those within the purview of senior institutional leaders and STEM faculty. The proposed synthesis research project addresses a major gap in the current literature on degree and non-degree collaborations, which has focused on European institutions and intra-European partnerships or minimal requirements of a profession. Broader Impact For American students graduating from STEM programs in the U.S. to be competitive in the global economy, it is critical that they have exposure not only to international students but also to international contexts for research and scholarship. This project is designed to engage and benefit institutional leaders and researchers, as well as NSF principal investigators and international policymakers, by producing a set of published materials. CGS will also leverage its various core activities.