Transnational Experiential Education: Connecting Regions, Students, and Employers
Transnational education is the fastest growing segment of the global higher education market. Just as students are crossing national borders, an increasing number of universities are entering new geographies and operating across borders in service of the knowledge economy's demands.
Northeastern University has long been recognised for its unique experiential learning model that integrates academic study with the professional workplace, and its history of urban engagement. In recent years, the university has pioneered new transnational education models such as pathway programs for international students. The university has also opened new campuses and programs envisaged as economic development drivers in regions thousands of miles from its main campus, both domestically and abroad. The themes of regional economic development, experiential education, and global higher education all converge in the successful pilot of Northeastern's master's-level Global Pathways Program in Seattle. International students from Asia study in programs such as a M.Sc. in Commerce & Economic Development. In addition to their studies, students are drawn by the economic prospects of Seattle's booming urban high-technology cluster, and the opportunity to engage in cooperative learning and full-time work placements with major employers. Thus, in this model, global students are studying economic development in an urban setting at a global university, in concert with global employers. This paper will share the lessons learned from this experience - from the critical university-city and university-employer relationships, to recruiting/operating across borders; the contextual situation and adaptation of curriculum; and the challenges of cultural immersion and student services.
15 minute paper by Sean Gallagher (Northeastern University) and John LaBrie (Northeastern University).
Session two (parallel panel one): 14.00 - 16.00, Thursday 17 September, Darwin Lecture Theatre.
Image: global "networks"