Abstract
The transfer of knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across countries is a common practice in academia, which is both timely and useful to achieve research collaborations. Through a qualitative research approach, using interviews and observations, five STEM Mexican professors shared their experiences and expectations in leading the research collaborations where professors and students participated. This qualitative inquiry utilized Sargent and Water’s (2004) academic research collaborations framework, which highlights the interactive phases for achieving successful collaborations. The findings revealed that: 1) institutional support through department chairs’ encouragement along with professors’ leadership to expand research collaborations in both countries are favorable and 2) more resources to fund students’ participation in international research collaborations and better climate that help students feel socially included and academically integrated to a new setting seem necessary. The article concludes with perspectives and implications for strengthening the research exchanges between the United States (U.S.) and Mexico. Among them, highlighting the positive impact that international research collaborations have for universities in both countries, the need to expand the funding for students’ mobility overseas, and the improvement of English language training to strengthen students’ connections, and, consequently, collaboration.
Highlights
Over the last two decades, institutions of higher education have experienced an expansion in terms of capacity, extension, and, complexity (Altbach & Knight, 2007; McGrath, 2017)
The transformation of postsecondary institutions aligns with the globalization of a new era in the STEM leadership, which through internationalization, institutions deem necessary to carry out institutional agreements, cross-border activities, and alliances at an international scale (Cantwell & Maldonado-Maldonado, 2009)
− What roles do STEM department chairs and faculty professors from U.S and Mexican universities play in the process of research collaborations?
Summary
Over the last two decades, institutions of higher education have experienced an expansion in terms of capacity, extension, and, complexity (Altbach & Knight, 2007; McGrath, 2017) In effect, such complexity is the result of demographic changes, immigration patterns, international competitions, and demands for higher skills in the workforce (McGrath, 2017; Stewart, 2012). Knowledge sharing is increasingly taking place among higher education institutions at the international level (Carayannis & Laget, 2004; Lancho-Barrantes & Cantu-Ortiz, 2019) and especially in STEM disciplines (Landry, Amara, & Ouimet, 2007; Lee & Bozeman, 2005), where students and professors can work together on theoretical models and practical problems. The participation of students in international research projects expands their knowledge and network, where usually “sharing problem understandings and successful solutions” (Withycombe Keeler et al, 2016, p. 749)
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