Creating connections: understanding the importance of a relational pedagogy in the transnational teaching and learning space

Creating connections: understanding the importance of a relational pedagogy in the transnational teaching and learning space

With the development of virtual university teaching and learning contexts via the Internet, both students and universities are more easily able to traverse geographical borders. Transnational partnerships, where a co-operative course delivery model is established, require academic and professional staff in both institutions to work together. This practice based paper focuses upon the lived experience of staff in both locales, specifically exploring tangible impacts on pedagogy. Focus group discussions with academic and professional staff in both the Australian and Malaysian context were analysed to distil key themes and issues that emerged as they traversed geographical borders to develop new ways of working where a blended teaching and learning model is utilised. The importance of privileging a relational pedagogy, where relationships are seen as the foundation of good pedagogy, emerged as being of paramount importance in terms of building a safe, collaborative and dynamic culture and promoting effective teaching and learning in transnational partnerships. The authors posit that through explicit understanding of the co-creation of the cross-cultural teaching and learning space, the quality of the experience for staff and students can be enhanced. Clearly, the quality of staff interactions, relationships and friendships and their commitment to the total student learning journey positively impacted upon their job satisfaction. While the interpersonal relationships that have been established privilege connections between the socio-cultural context in which one is living and the differing contexts that others experience, it is also possible that the student learning journey is positively impacted as a consequence of the privileging of a relational pedagogical approach that sees connectedness as important.

Chapter 7.
All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.