Crossing All Borders in One Semester: Co-teaching, Involving Students in a Collaborative Cross-Cultural Research, and Combining Graduate and Undergraduate Education

Although extant literatures on co-teaching, combining students from various levels, and incorporating real-world research projects make the case for these methods, two important gaps remain in the understanding and application of such methods: (a) the processes through which these methods are planned and implemented are yet to be researched; and (b) the integrative effects of using all of these methods within the same course/semester are unknown. This paper reports on a collaborative teaching and learning experience that resulted from combining activities across two doctoral seminars, across students from different levels (doctoral, MBA and undergraduate), and across two universities each from a different country. By documenting the processes involved in the development of the experience, challenges and constraints faced by various stakeholders, and potential benefits and outcomes, this research provides a behind-the-scenes look at, and practical guidelines for, planning and implementing such teaching and learning experiences.