International multidisciplinary learning: an account of a collaborative effort among three higher education institutions

Requiring students to complete their course assignments in partnership and in collaboration with students from other institutions is not commonplace teaching pedagogy. Even less so when they transcend disciplines and international borders. This Paper presents a brief account of an ongoing collaborative effort between Ryerson University, Coventry University and Loughborough University to inculcate cross border communication and teamwork skills to their Built Environment undergraduate students by way of having them work collaboratively on joint project assignments. It describes its scope and organisation and summarises some circumstantial and anecdotal observations of participating students’ inclination and disposition to working inter-institutionally. In an industry where cross disciplinary interactions and exchanges are the norm and where contracting parties to the project can frequently be across international divides, it is imperative that its professionals be trained in cross border teamwork skills.