BUILDING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP VIA PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL): A CASE STUDY

Project based learning (PBL) activities organized primarily by university students initiated official partnerships for two municipal governments and three institutes of higher learning from Japan and Latvia. In this instance, undergraduates studying EFL and comparative culture at Tokushima University in Japan were instrumental in linking the cities of Tokushima and Jelgava and in linking their university with counterparts in Jelgava and Riga. Underpinning the successful international co-operation, precursor PBL activities involved undergraduates and supporters from academic and non-academic backgrounds in public exhibitions of A/V materials, texts, artwork and local products as well as teaching, cooking demonstrations and musical performances. Subsequently, students worked with the specific aim of promoting official collaboration between governments and educational institutions. Results suggest that PBL can be a model for building international co-operation while, at the same time, improving academic performance and deepening cultural understanding.