Cara Weston-Edell

DISSERTATION TITLE:

Collaborative International Projects: Innovations, Practices, and Outcomes

This research study focuses on three project case studies undertaken at Selkirk College, a public, post-secondary institution located in Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. It is a qualitative study developed from interviews done with multiple participants involved in the Mir Centre for Peace, Guatemala Student Nursing Project and Republic of Georgia Workforce Development Initiative. All three projects include strong international components, involve participants from diverse organizational and geographical cultures, have been developed over several years, and have resulted in wide-ranging outcomes.

The purpose of the study is to engage in inquiry regarding project development, challenges and successes as evidenced by these case studies so as to consider best practices that can be applied to future project work within organizational settings. Findings from the interviews indicate that employing a multitude of specific strategies prior to, and during project implementation can affect the evolution of a project and its eventual success.