Collaboration and ETDs: Institutional and International Strategies

Abstract

Developing collaborative projects requires focused goals and a process that encourages participation and takes advantage of each parties' skills. In this session, the presenter will describe some principles of successful collaborations and some characteristics of good teamwork. In addition, the presenter will discuss collaboration issues for ETD projects at both the institutional and international levels. At the institutional level, collaboration for ETD projects involves a number of constituencies such as graduate students, faculty, librarians, information technologists, and academic administrators. Each group brings skills and resources to the partnership. However, often environmental or institutional barriers exist that impede collaboration. Understanding the incentives as well as the barriers to collaboration will assist in planning collaborative projects. On the international level, many possibilities exist for collaboration on ETDs. The NDLTD itself is a model of a collaborative organization. Recommendations on possible international collaborative initiatives as well as suggestions for collaborative processes will be presented in this session. The presentation will include conceptual issues as well as practical considerations and strategies.