Work-in-Progress: SUTD Winter Abroad Program at MIT: Collaborative learning as a pathway towards intitutional transplantation

This Work in Progress paper discusses the development and implementation of the first Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) Winter Abroad Program (SWAP) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This is a student abroad program where SUTD students travel to MIT for three weeks during the MIT Independent Activities Period (IAP) to attend courses alongside MIT students, experience the MIT academic culture, and learn lifelong skills for improved collaboration in teams. During the first year, the MIT-SUTD Collaboration office conducted a pilot evaluation of the program to understand the level of interaction and collaboration between MIT and SUTD participants. In 2015 SWAP 17 out of the 23 classes comprised by the program employed group work and various digital or physical collaborative learning pedagogies. The program developers are currently working on adjustments to the program and on a new evaluation plan regarding the 2016 SWAP.