What Do Students Gain from Collaborative, In-Person, International Education? Ten Years of the Trans-Atlantic Seminar in Urban & Regional Planning

Abstract

Planning education organizations express support for collaborative international planning education, but international planning education methods and results have not appeared in the literature. We review education literature and describe the operation and student learning outcomes of a Trans-Atlantic Seminar that an American and a German university have jointly offered for ten years. We describe what students learn, based on the results of interviews with thirty-nine previous seminar participants. We found first-hand experience of a place, its culture and settlement structure, combined with preparatory readings, on-site discussions with practitioners, and collaborative peer-to-peer work, creates deep understanding and lasting learning.