The effects of international research collaboration on the policy impact of research: A causal inference drawing on the journal Lancet

Research findings have been widely used as evidence for policy-making. The internationalisation of research activities has been increasing in recent decades, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have revealed that international research collaboration can enhance the academic impact of research. However, the effects that international research collaboration exerts on the policy impact of research are still unknown. This study aims to examine the effects of international research collaboration on the policy impact of research (as measured by the number of citations in policy documents) using a causal inference approach. Research articles published by the journal Lancet between 2000 and 2019 were selected as the study sample (n = 6098). The number of policy citations of each article was obtained from Overton, the largest database of policy citations. Propensity score matching analysis, which takes a causal inference approach, was used to examine the dataset. Four other matching methods and alternative datasets of different sizes were used to test the robustness of the results. The results of this study reveal that international research collaboration has significant and positive effects on the policy impact of research (coefficient = 4.323, p < 0.001). This study can provide insight to researchers, research institutions and grant funders for improving the policy impact of research. © The Author(s) 2023.

The Role of School Teachers' and International Education Project Leaders' Digital Competence during Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper analyses the significance of digital competence in the light of the impact of the Covid-19 on formal and non-formal education settings. The Authors discuss the definition of digital competence, as provided by the European Commission, and quote key international research data on digital competence in education. Furthermore, based on research carried out by the Authors during the Covid-19 pandemic among school teachers familiar with digital technologies in learning, and international education project coordinators, the Authors claim that digital competence has become one of the most substantial elements in contemporary classroom and international education project management. © 2022 WMSCI.All rights reserved.

Faculty Perspectives on how to Reimagine International Research for Students in a Virtual World

International research programs for students offer an important opportunity to support students in developing skills in both research and intercultural competence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these programs made the shift to operating virtually, with likely impacts on program outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the approaches that program leaders used in adapting international research programs to the virtual environment and explore how these innovations could inform the design of these programs going forward. We conducted eight focus groups with over 40 U.S.-based faculty who had experience running these programs to understand the benefits, challenges, and future potential of incorporating virtual elements into international research programs for students. This paper reports the results of these focus groups and provides suggestions for future program design based on best practices and innovations identified through the development of virtual programs. © 2022 IEEE.

Increasing Global Competencies through International Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research on Big Data in Energy and Related Infrastructure

This paper describes the first year of the implementation of a three-year long NSF-funded International Experience for Students (IRES) Site Track-1 project. As a part of the IRES Site Track-1 project, three engineering programs at three U.S. universities have collaborated on a project to increase the global competencies of undergraduate engineering/computer science students through a summer international research training program in big data in energy and related infrastructure in partnership with the Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Perak, Malaysia. The U.S. Universities included Texas A&M University, North Dakota State University, and University of Nevada at Las Vegas. The IRES program includes two-week pre-visit trainings on cultural and global aspects and six-week team-based research experience at the partner Malaysian university. However, due to COVID-19 restriction, all activities in the first year was conducted virtually in Summer 2021. A total of 9 participants were selected, three each from the three US Universities. The IRES participants were divided into three teams. Each project team consisted of one member from four participating institutions (3 U.S. and one Malaysian) thus providing students with a global team environment. Furthermore, of those 4 student members in a team, they represented multiple engineering disciplines. A survey conducted before and after the program showed net overall improvement in the research aptitude of the participants and their understanding on research methods, professional presentation skills, and global teamwork. Furthermore, the IRES students also attended a month-long training on global culture and received a certificate on global competency issues by the Halliburton Global Engineering Program at Texas A&M University. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022