International Short Faculty Led Experience to Germany, Poland and Czech Republic: An Intercultural Experience for Students from Two Different Universities in Two Different Countries

Abstract

Short Faculty Led Experiences (SFLE) are becoming very popular among higher education institutions, mainly because the students have the opportunity to travel with a professor, a person that they know and respect, the experience is short, and have the possibility of earn credit/hours toward their degree. The benefits of SFLE include, improve their knowledge of the host culture, and transform their worldview. However, most of the SFLE are organized by one institution and do not include traveling with students from another nationality. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of designing and delivering a SFLE to Germany, Poland and Czech Republic, for students from two different universities in two different countries. The authors conclusions included, 1) the key of the development of this SFLE between two different universities in two different countries was the strong relationship between both institutions and the professor’s academic leadership and intercultural competence; 3) language proficiency was “the challenge”, 4) cultural differences, as time management and leadership style were crucial in the development of the program, and 5) organizing this experience reinforced the importance of the development of intercultural competence.