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Lessons Learned to Promote Teaching-Oriented Cross-Cultural International Mentoring and Collaboration

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

International Division (INTL) Technical Session: International Programs and Curricula I

Tagged Division

International Division (INTL)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47729

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Paper Authors

biography

Carolyn "Kelly" Ottman Milwaukee School of Engineering

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Carolyn "Kelly" Ottman, Ph.D.
MSOE
Professor, Rader School of Business
Leadership Portals, LLC, Independent Consultant

phone: 414-303-9339 (cell)
email: ottman@msoe.edu

Education

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biography

Sohum A. Sohoni Milwaukee School of Engineering

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Dr. Sohum Sohoni is a Professor and Program Director of Software Engineering in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Prior to this, he was an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University.

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Abstract

This paper centers on two case studies, spanning 2020-2022, based on a partnership between a mid-western private United States (US) university (ranked in top 10 in Mid-west) and a southern private Indian university (ranked in top 35 in India). The goal of the collaboration was multi-faceted and designed as a traditional mentoring (US) to mentee (India) relationship,

In the first case, a Fulbright scholarship was awarded to the host university in the US for a faculty member from India to spend six months teaching and collaborating with US counterparts. However, this was unsuccessful and resulted in the visiting faculty returning after just a few weeks. In the second case a shift from traditional mentoring to multi-dimensional and collaborative learning through co teaching a course using remote participation benefited both faculty and ultimately the students. This led to several subsequent teaching and scholarship collaborations. This paper will look through the lens of the Collaborative Responsive Education Mentoring Model, proposed as relevant for some Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and less research-intensive universities to compare the two cases between the same institutions during the same time period with very different outcomes, to illustrate some best practices as well as some pitfalls that could be avoided in the future.

The key takeaways can be summarized as valuing cultural differences because ignoring them can have disastrous results, establishing trust by building personal relationships between collaborators, being patient and determined in working through setbacks, and aligning collaborative activities with existing motivations on both the institutional as well as individual level.

Ottman, C. K., & Sohoni, S. A. (2024, June), Lessons Learned to Promote Teaching-Oriented Cross-Cultural International Mentoring and Collaboration Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47729

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