Introduction:

“European citizens need to be better equipped with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary in a dynamically changing society that is increasingly mobile, multicultural and digital” (Erasmus+ Programme Guide, 2023, p. 4).  To this end, Erasmus+ extends opportunities for such knowledge, skills and competencies.  Erasmus+ is a program offered through the European Union that promotes education and training of students and faculty.  According to the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, the central objective of the organization offers high quality, inclusive education and training for personal and professional development (p.4).  The program is an extension and key support of European education and the European Digital Education Plan for years 2021-2027.  The focus of Erasmus+ centers on education and professional development of participants in a country other than their home country, thereby promoting personal, academic, socio-educational and specialized career and skills proficiencies.Traditionally, participation in these educational and professional training “mobilities'' were limited to participating institutions and countries within the European Union.  Changes within Erasmus+ programming policies in the recent years, however, have broadened the availability of these mobilities beyond the borders of the European Union to a few other countries, including the United States.  In response, the Istituto Superiore Carlo dell’ Acqua (the Istituto) outside of Milan, Italy conducted research with the hope to partner with an American university for development of their business faculty.  Their research led them to the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Palm Beach County, Florida through coordination with the Italian Consulate in Miami, Florida and making the Italio-American initiative the first of its kind for Erasmus+ in Italy (Personal communication, Zingaro, V. and Gallo, A., 6/8/2021).This paper presents a model of international professorial professional development afforded through the European Union’s Erasmus+ program using a two year case study of the Istituto Superiore Carlo dell’ Acqua in Legnano, Italy and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida (USA).  The research question is:

1.  What is needed for an effective job shadow mobility for European business faculty receiving professional development in a U.S. Institution through Erasmus+?
2. What are the impacts of a successful job mobility with American and European faculty through Erasmus+?

This paper provides a literature review and case study and findings summary for the experience of faculty from the Istituto who participated in a job shadow mobility at FAU.

Literature Review

Erasmus:
To begin understanding what is needed to develop an effective model for job shadow mobilities at U. S. institutions, understanding of Erasmus is needed.  The Erasmus program, established by the European Union in 1987, had its foundations laid out in 1976 with the creation of the first Action Program in education at European level, which aimed to “promote joint courses of study between universities and higher education institutions (Erasmus+, 2023).” The Erasmus program adopted by the Council of the European Union on June 15^th, 1987, and officially launched on July 1^st, 1987, looked to promote closer cooperation between universities and higher education institutions across Europe (Erasmus+ EU, 2023). According to Erasmus to Erasmus+: history, funding and future, the name Erasmus refers to Erasmus of Rotterdam, a leading scholar and lecturer who traveled broadly in Europe to teach and study at a number of universities. The name Erasmus also served as the acronym for The European Community Action Scheme for Mobility of University Students. From 1987 to 1994, Erasmus operated as a stand-alone program for European Cooperation and mobility, moving into a higher-education sectoral program within the broader “Socrates” from 1995 to 2006, and a Lifelong Learning Program from 2007 to 2013 (Erasmus+ EU, 2023).The focus of this paper is on the phase of the Erasmus evolution that started in 2014, Erasmus+. In an effort to create a single all-encompassing program for Education, Training, Youth and Sport, and given the fact that the Erasmus program was better known than other program titles, it was decided to extend the “Erasmus” brand name to a whole new program, Erasmus+. The goal of the “+” was to evoke the idea that the program supports other sectors beyond higher education, which was the original focus of “Erasmus”. Erasmus+ encompasses a broader umbrella structure that integrates former EU’s strategies for transnational cooperation and mobility, increasingly looking beyond Europe (European Commission, 2021). One of the key action points of Erasmus+ is Learning Mobility of Individuals, which aims to “encourage the mobility of students, staff, trainees, apprentices, youth workers and young people” (Erasmus+, 2023). This action point opens the door to opportunities of collaboration and enables participating organizations to procure experience in international cooperation for a wide variety of public, private and non-governmental organizations to implement a wide range of activities. Erasmus+ 2021-2027 has an estimated budget of €26.2 billion, close to double the funding of its predecessor program 2014-2020. 70% of the budget will support mobility opportunities. Additionally,  30% of the budget is for investment in cooperation projects, where organizations gain experience in international cooperation (Erasmus+ 2021-2027, 2020). As seen in the table below (Erasmus+ Annual Report 2022, p.17), in 2022 the number of Learning Mobility of Individuals Projects was 21,197, which is 82% of the total number of projects (25,826) under all key action points. Additionally, the number of Learning Mobility of Individuals expected participants was 1,145,204 as noted in Table 1 (European Commission, 2023).

Table 1:  Individuals Contracted for Erasmus+ Mobilities

Figure 1:  Erasmus+ Statistics for 2022

As evidenced by the numbers of participants and budget assigned to support mobility opportunities as referenced in Figure 1, mobility of learners and staff is the flagship activity of Erasmus+.  It is expected that about 10 million individuals, including students, learners, professors, teachers and trainers will participate in mobility activities abroad during the course of the program, Erasmus+ 2021-2027. Erasmus+ will also increase the support for projects that foster cooperation and exchange of practices, including the development of innovative teaching methods, training and promotion of non-formal learning (European Commission, 2021). To participate in Erasmus+ projects for school education, there are three key action points: Learning mobility of individuals, cooperation among organizations and institutions, and Jean Monnet actions. The key action point that is relevant to the topic of this paper is key action 1, learning mobility of individuals. Key action point 1 supports schools and other organizations in the field of school education, to organize learning mobility activities for students, teachers, school leaders and other staff. This key action point has the goals of benefiting the participants going abroad and to help develop the educational institution. Additionally, the experience will raise their capacity for cross-border cooperation and improve teaching and learning for everyone. The two ways to apply for funding for this type of projects are through short-term mobility projects or Erasmus accreditation. The kind of projects funded under key action 1 are for students mobility, staff mobility, and/or special Erasmus+ guests at the organization. This paper focuses on staff mobility and special Erasmus+ guests. The staff mobility portion may include job shadowing, teaching assignments, and courses and training. For special Erasmus+ guests at your organization, the funding can be used to invite experts such as experienced teachers and trainers from abroad with expertise, or teachers in training from a teacher-training program abroad (European Commission, 2021).

FAU:
As noted in Figure 2, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) was established in 1961 and officially opened in 1964 with an initial enrollment of 867 students, and was the first public university in the Miami metro area. When FAU opened, it offered only upper-division and graduate level courses. In 1984, FAU admitted its first lower-division undergraduate students, growing its student population (FAU, 2022). Today, FAU is a multi-campus public research university ranked as a top public University by U.S News and World Report. With more than 30,000 students currently, FAU is recognized and proudly ranked as the most diverse public university in Florida (FAU, 2024). FAU’s mission statement centers around the pursuit of excellence in its missions of research, scholarship, creative activity, teaching and active engagement with its communities (FAU, 2024).

Figure 2:  FAU Statistics

FAU has nationally ranked programs in business, engineering, computer science, nursing, online education and honors. FAU is home to a dynamic community of innovators and breaks the mold of traditional academia by challenging students to build the future they want. FAU is among the best universities for student outcomes, and has a strong job placement rate and competitive graduate salaries. FAU promotes academic and personal development, discovery and lifelong learning. As its mission statement reads,

“Florida Atlantic University aspires to be recognized as a university known for excellent and accessible undergraduate and graduate education, distinguished for the quality of its programs across multiple campuses and classified as a very high research institution that is internationally acclaimed for its contributions to creativity and research as well as its collaborations with regional partners (FAU, 2024).”

The College of Business at Florida Atlantic University, the central point of contact for this project, is home to over 8,000 students, diverse academic departments and interdisciplinary and professional programs. FAU Business emphasizes innovation and entrepreneurism through practical instruction, real- life consulting opportunities, field experiences and interaction with industry executives. FAU Business strives to inspire students, faculty and community business leaders to innovate and make positive changes to the way business is conducted (FAU College of Business, 2024).

Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua: 
The job shadowing model we are presenting here, started with a project application that Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua (IS C. Dell’Acqua) submitted to Erasmus+, under the key action point for learning mobility of individuals. It is of great importance to understand the background of the IS C. Dell’Acqua, its mission and vision as well as the process and goals that lead to the project of faculty mobility.Located in Legnano, an industrial city about 30 km from Milan, Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua was founded in 1917, becoming a public school in 1923. The IS C. Dell’Acqua has always been linked to the local entrepreneurial world ever since. The school has constantly been expanding its educational offerings by adapting it to changes affecting the economic reality of the area and the needs of the community. It offers its 1,300 students a wide range of daytime and evening courses in Administration, Finance and Marketing, International Relations, Information Technology, Hospitality and Tourism, Construction and Environment and Arts Lyceum. Foreign languages taught and spoken are: English, French, Spanish and German.  IS C. Dell’Acqua is a place where the entire team strives for excellence and the assurance that students are prepared for college and career life. As a public school, IS C. Dell’Acqua prides itself on its long tradition of academic excellence and the wide variety of co-curricular activities (IS C. Dell’Acqua, 2023). Istituto Superiore Carlo dell’Acqua is committed to providing a culturally responsive education that results in equitable outcomes for all students in the areas of academic achievement, personal development, and preparation for education and work after high school graduation. Its purpose is to create a stimulating and respectful learning environment which ensures individual students become autonomous leaders in their pursuit of a well-rounded, multi-faceted education grounded on innovation, aspiration, and imagination. Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua’s mission centers around the principle that each teacher has excellent professional skills so that every student can demonstrate strength of character and be ready to undertake university study and/or enter the world of work. Istituto Carlo Dell’Acqua aims to develop highly trained staff and an involved community dedicated to educating all students in the 21 st century multi-ethnic, global economy. IS C. Dell’Acqua has established the following core actions to achieve its mission:

1. Implementing policies, procedures, and practices that advance equity in curriculum, instruction, program development, and staff development.
2. Implementing a curriculum that is sensitive to and respectful of the culture and heritage of all learners.
3. Conducting assessments that affirm equity for all learners.
4. Advancing and supporting instructional practices that affirm equity for all learners.
5. Respecting and valuing a learner’s culture, heritage, and first language.
6. Providing counseling, guidance, and career and personal planning that address a learner’s culture, heritage, experiences, perspectives, background, learning needs, and aspirations.
7. Providing learning environments that advance equity for all learners.
8. Engaging in equitable practices with partners in the education system and the broader community (IS C. Dell’Acqua, 2024).

Erasmus+ Background History at Istituto Superiore Carlo dell’Acqua:

During the first phase of the pandemic, in the late 2019, IS C. Dell’Acqua community started to investigate new paths and strategies to implement educational offerings, develop extra opportunities for both teachers and students with the aim of compensating for the discontinuity of teaching and learning process, thus meeting the needs and wishes of our school community to widen their professional and cultural horizons. Erasmus+ program provided the opportunity that could serve that purpose. Therefore, two Erasmus+ projects were submitted to the EU Commission for assessment in February 2020 and later accredited for the period 2021-2027 (Erasmus+ INAPP, 2020). The original goals and area of focus of the project for which IS C. Dell’Acqua applied to Erasmus+ are:

1. Enhancement of soft and hard skills in English for Business: Thanks to this project, teachers will have the opportunity to participate in job shadowing activities in a foreign university/High School to improve soft skills (team player attitude, best practice sharing, openness to feedbacks, active listening, communication skills, support, networks, important contacts with professionals, vocational organizations and institutions, empathy…) and hard skills in English for Business ( marketing, finance, management, tourism, technical knowledge, business communication…)  so much sought after in the current job market and ensure a concrete approach to the business world.
2. Enhancement of English language skills: Considering that English is the dominant business language and the most widespread language for communication, our faculty will have the chance to consolidate and improve their English business skills, allowing them to participate in the global development of business. After the mobility the participants will be able to use the English Business language more fluently and effectively to plan and manage their lessons in economics, marketing and commerce in class with their students.
3. Creation of database of foreign vocational organizations, institutions and companies: During their Erasmus+ job shadowing experience the beneficiary participating teachers will do their best to collect a significant number of vocational organizations, companies and institutions to create a database, on which students and staff will have the chance to draw, in order to apply for a training course and/or an internship and/or a job shadowing experience as well as looking for a job after graduation. After obtaining the availability of a consistent number of foreign companies to be part of a database (and hopefully a network) from which our students and staff can benefit in the immediate future, teachers will help students and staff, according to their needs, to select a training course and/or an internship and/or a job shadowing experience  and support them in preparing an application for enrollment in one of the above mentioned vocational activities.
4. Personal, cultural and professional growth: One of Istituto Carlo Dell’Acqua priorities is to adequately prepare students to respond promptly and with satisfaction to the challenges of the world of work. Therefore, teachers must be highly qualified and prepared to tackle this goal. Through the participation in this job shadowing experience in English for Business at a University/High School the beneficiary teachers will get exposed to a foreign institution that will give them the chance to a different functioning environment and lifestyle. Teachers will gain insight into the roles and responsibilities of university professors, see how they work and organize their day-today tasks, how they plan their lectures (content, teaching strategies, methodology… ) how they succeed in strengthening motivation among students, see the bigger picture and understand more about how the University/High School functions. Beneficiary participating teachers will compare the University/High School professors’ methodology and performance with their own, taking the best ideas and methods, they will improve and boost their soft and hard skills, review and reflect on their own area of work, develop their coaching mentoring skills. Moreover, through this Erasmus+ job shadowing process they will get a practical experience that can lead them to higher information retention and faster learning: how to use specific technology, strategies, to select topics, how to plan effective lessons in English for Business for the benefit of their students. The participating teachers will build professional connections by engaging in this job shadowing experience; they will have the opportunity to create relationships with professionals, organizations and institutions that can help further their professional career in the future. These contacts will also provide valuable advice and support when needed, they will allow teachers to discuss any ideas, opinions or doubts they may have during their day-to-day tasks.

Furthermore, the participating teachers will gain international experience: not only will they gain some expertise during their job shadowing experience at the University/High School, but they will get to know how teachers/professors work in a different country, they will learn what their values and general workplace norms are and they will develop a valuable ability to adapt to a new and changing environment. Thanks to working with people from other cultures and background the participants will expand their horizons and become both more self-accepting and tolerant towards the others, will boost their soft, hard, resilient and communication skills and get the opportunity to open up their minds to different ways of life, become stronger and gain confidence in their own abilities, and they will feel more empowered and comfortable with themselves.

Case Study:

The initial connection between Istituto Carlo Dell’Acqua and Florida Atlantic University came about thanks to a five-year old collaboration between the IS C. Dell’Acqua and the Consulate General of Italy in Miami, through the Director of Education Office at IS C. Dell’Acqua, Maria Rosa Borghi. After the connection was established, the initial conversations took place and the project was set in motion. To begin the chronology of this case study, understanding is required that constructing and delivering an effective job shadow mobility for European faculty by an American institution employed a three-step process of Planning, Execution and Evaluation.  Coordination of these processes included identifying and constructing several components as a well developed, detailed project plan. The project plan of the hosting institution, FAU, thereby became the cornerstone for the model for this international experience of professorial development as a component of the planning step. An example of this detailed project plan is illustrated in Table 1:  Project Plan.  In this plan each task required for the successful delivery of the job shadow mobility is detailed with each person(s) responsible for completing the task (shaded for anonymity), planned and actual completion dates, planned and actual number of hours to complete the task, estimated and actual expense assigned to the project and any important notes.  The project plan was updated daily.

Table 2:  Project Plan

Planning:

As the first phase of the model for construction and delivery of an effective job shadow mobility, planning includes the central components of needs assessment, communication and administration. “It is critical for engaging parties to identify a set of strategic partners to collaborate with. While focusing on strategic partnerships, the value of non-strategic partnerships should not be ignored, as they have their own benefits in

a particular context” (Awasthy, Flint, Sankarnarayana, and Jones, 1/2020, p. 55).   In this experience, establishing the relationship between the institutions is critical, for as the article “Why Face-to-Face Meetings Matter for Strategic Partnership” makes clear, “Every partnership starts with getting in touch with a prospective partner, and scheduling an exploratory meeting to establish if there is a mutual interest to pursue the conversation” (Palopoli, B., 9/92022, para. 2) .  As the article further details, particularly regarding relationships among European organizations, these meetings develop an intimacy between participants, are generally more successful, and foster greater connection drawing on research from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.  Quoting Das and Teng (2000), Brewer (2017) points out, “The higher the complementarity of capabilities between partners, the higher the likelihood of mutual trust and the higher the level of mutual commitment” (p. 83).  An introductory meeting between the Erasmus+ project managers and FAU project leaders took place in Spring/2022.    Necessarily, as Awasthy, et. al indicate: crucial to any collaboration is understanding the Why - identify the motivations (p.56).  Hence,the aim of this first meeting was to:

1. develop relationship between the Erasmus+ project managers from the Istituto and project leaders from FAU
2. learn the histories of the institutions
3. gain an understanding of Erasmus
4. gain an understanding of expectations, organizational and institutional goals, missions and visions
5. set goals of the job shadow mobility and for the relationship between the two institutions.

This initial meeting led to two actions:  gaining sponsor support from the two organizations and the creation of a Memo of Understanding (MOU). Studies on collaborative efforts between organizations reveal that “University leaders must also get involved, as strong university research leadership indicates the commitment of a university and influences the formation and success of collaborations” (Awasthy et al., 1/2020,  p. 56).  A presentation to the Executive Committee of the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University, consisting of the dean, assistant and associate deans, chairs and directors, was delivered and received with support and encouragement.  The proposal to embark on the Erasmus Initiative at FAU was approved on September 16, 2022 by the legal representative of the Istituto and the Provost’s Office and Board of Trustees of FAU. Again, as a best practice regarding successful collaborative educational experience, Aswathy et al (/2020) write, “Ensure Basic Partnership Characteristics – For the success of a partnership, it is important to ensure some basic set of principles to work under. Stakeholders should identify a win-win situation and agree upon it and work under an agreed framework, ensure a long-term commitment. Long-term commitment is demonstrated by the level of engagement in the form of people and resources from each stakeholder from the beginning of interaction until the final phase” (p.57).The creation of the MOU was again a collaborative experience between the Erasmus+ project managers, FAU project leaders, the Office of the Provost-Center for Global Engagement, and the FAU Office of General Counsel.  A close examination of the mission, vision, values and strategic plans of Erasmus+ Erasmus+ Programme Guide, 2023, p. 5), the Istituto (Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua Internationalization, 2024) ,  and FAU/College of Business (FAU, October/2018, p. 6) was conducted to identify and map paralleling objectives to set the definition of the MOU.  The following matrix in  

Figure 3: illustrates the end result of the mapping process to pronounce the paralleling goals between the three organizations:

Figure 3:  Mapping of Parallel Objectives of Missions, Visions, and Values

This mapping analysis of parallel objectives between the missions, visions and values of Erasmus+, the Istituto and FAU/College of Business led to the project definition, “The purpose of this relationship is to facilitate the Erasmus job Shadow Initiative program.  FAU will provide support in the following key areas:  job shadowing, business based learning opportunities, vocation and educational skills training, career mentoring and sustainability” (Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua-Florida Atlantic University MOU, September/2022, p. 3).

The goals of Istituto-FAU Erasmus initiative were then written, edited and finalized as part of the MOU to be:

1. To achieve higher skills and competences in English for Business Purposes (i.e., Business Communications, Marketing, and Management) through exposure to innovative methods, practices, techniques and materials offered by FAU College of Business professors with consolidated expertise in multiple education and career pathways. FAU staff will share best practices and current knowledge with Istituto Dell’Acqua staff so that teachers will be able to acquire new practical skills and discover new ideas for teaching and learning through shared experience.
2. To apply the experience gained through the job shadowing experience to the full success and satisfaction of our students in the business area offering them employment or post-secondary opportunities, such as higher education, long-term vocational skills training and/or apprenticeship in European countries
3. To establish relationships with European companies in order to develop a network that will benefit Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua in the organization of vocational and educational training (VET) in the future (p.3).

From these goals, eight deliverables were established for the initiative:

1. Gaining insight to the working life of faculty at FAU
2. Follow lessons through classroom observation
3. Learn new teaching strategies
4. Obtain deepened subject knowledge
5. Observe faculty/student interactions in classroom/on-line delivery, pedagogical methods and administrative tasks
6. Study behaviors and responses of students to lessons and assignments
7. Learn about the FAU environment and culture
8. Share best practices

Execution:
The second phase of the model for construction and delivery of an effective job shadow mobility is Execution.  Execution focuses on two primary components as detailed in the project plan:  Personnel and Schedule.

Personnel:

Another best practice offered by Awasthy, Flint, Sankarnarayana, and Jones (1/2020) states:

Focus on Social Capital Resources – Social capital resources include trust, mutual obligations, common understanding, access to information and opportunities. The existence of mutual trust is an important factor leading to effective knowledge sharing between various stakeholders and contributing to thesuccess of the collaborative venture.

Individuals demonstrating entrepreneurial skills are believed to foster the network competence of an organization. The network competence refers to the ability of a team to develop and utilize relationships with external stakeholders such as research institutes, industry and government bodies (Walter et al., 2002). Network competence significantly influences the effectiveness of collaboration activities (p. 58).

Regarding the knowledge, understanding, access to information and obligations, personnel as capital resource, then, preparation for the job shadow mobility initiative at FAU began. Personnel preparatory activities are crucial to successful execution of the project plan and consequent job shadow mobility for both members of the Istituto and FAU communities.   For faculty of the Istituto, these preparatory activities assume attainment of Erasmus+ grant funding, transportation, insurance and lodging.  Further preparation activities, though, include completion of learning agreements required by Erasmus+ and completion of the faculty profile.  An official Erasmus Learning Agreement must be completed for each faculty participant from the sending institution, i.e., Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua.  The learning agreement details information about the purpose of mobility directly tied to the gals of the Erasmus+ programme.  The learning agreement also provides statement of mode of mobility indicating that the job shadow experience will be in-person with exact dates and participant demographic information with the intent for professional development and vocational training.  Most importantly the learning agreement specifically describes learning outcomes and associated tasks activities and tasks forecasted to achieve these outcomes which are drawn from the project plan.  The following table, illustrates the outcome and associated tasks cross-listed to deliverables developed from the MOU and stated in the project plan (Erasmus+, 9/30/2022, p. 3-7):

Table 3:  Learning Outcomes and Tasks Cross-list

The second preparatory activity is the development and the completion of a Faculty Profile composed by FAU for faculty from the Istituto .  This faculty profile details demographic information regarding lodging, mobile number and email address for each instructor.  Additionally, while this form is in addition to the Learning Agreement for Erasmus, it also lists personal learning goals to help in the customization of mobility planning.  As well, the form requests brief biographical information, the discipline practiced and the discipline for which the job shadow is being requested.  The discipline information and personal goals are required to schedule the instructor’s class observations, meetings with FAU faculty partners, meetings with speciality coordinators, and activities specific to that discipline and goals occurring on campus during the job shadow period.  The discipline information and personal goals are fundamentals used in cross-referencing them to the stated deliverables, thereby assuring that the  goals and objectives of the MOU (i.e. the mission, goals and objectives of Erasmus+, the  Instituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua, FAU, and the College of Business) and of the learning agreements are realized. The disciplines of visiting Istituto faculty to FAU included management, marketing, business communications, hospitality, information technology, economics, and finance in the two job shadow mobilities delivered in Fall/2022 and Spring 2023 by Florida Atlantic University.  The biographical information from the Faculty Profile, then,  is essential to matching visiting faculty members to FAU Goodwill Ambassadors.Next, preparation of personnel at FAU is required as part of the project plan in order to provide for a successful job shadow mobility.  Personnel at FAU are defined as Faculty Partners, Specialty Coordinators and Goodwill Ambassadors.  For each of these positions, handbooks were written.  The contents of these handbooks are:

1. Welcome
2. Table of Contents
3. Introduction to Erasmus+
4. Introduction to the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua
5. Introduction to the Goals of the Erasmus+ Job Mobility Initiative at FAU
6. Role Definition, Responsibilities and Expectations
7. Profiles of Visiting Faculty
8. Resources to Help You Be Successful

Faculty partners are defined as “teacher, mentor and discipline expert” (Compomizzi, Erasmus Faculty Partner Handbook, 2022, p.5).  The responsibilities and expectations of the faculty partner include  providing overviews of courses as a general introduction to the subject/content to visiting faculty;  explaining class session goals and activities to assigned visiting faculty; confirming  meeting/class locations with assigned visiting faculty; meeting with assigned visiting faculty before and after classes to explain class goals and answer questions that may arise; welcoming and introducing assigned visiting faculty at class and aiding visiting faculty to speak at classes; welcoming assigned visiting faculty to observe personal teaching style and interactions with students; allowing visiting faculty to observe and participate in office tasks and projects and office hours; sharing best practices, assignments, texts, syllabi, and other resources useful in teaching the discipline and course; welcoming assigned visiting faculty to conduct professional, informational interviews to gather research and resources as a mentor; demonstrating Canvas software and course layout.  Additionally, faculty partners, for online courses, demonstrate Canvas software, software within modules, show video lectures, group and individual assignments and online interactions with students; introduce and share research the faculty partner has conducted i.e. copies of articles, podcasts, etc.; share your course syllabi; provide opportunity for observation of students/meetings with permission of the student; extend invitation to attend  and observe committee meetings, share resources that have been beneficial in teaching the discipline, and participate in the Welcome and Kick-off Reception and Meeting (pp. 5-6). According to the Erasmus+ FAU Speciality Coordinator Handbook, the Specialty Coordinator (Compomizzi, 2022), specialty coordinators are appointed because of “knowledge and expertise in your particular department or unit to achieve the goals of business based learning opportunities, vocational and educational skills training, career mentoring and sustainability” (p.5).  Specific responsibilities and tasks of this position include planning an information session about the unit or department.  In this session the following tasks of the Specialty Coordinator are completed:  

1. Provide an introduction to the mission of your department or unit at FAU or in the College of Business
2. Describe your role/position in the department/unit and professional background/credentials to visiting faculty
3. Describe the primary functions of your department/unit
4. Provide an organization chart of your department/unit
5.  Introduce visiting faculty to key personnel in your department/unit; other personnel in your department/unit may also participate in your overview
6. Provide a tour of your department/functions within the department
7. Describe workflows
8. Showcase technology, software, videos, equipment or services your offer that support business students and faculty
9. Explain how your department/unit interfaces or integrates with business classes
10. Share points of pride, interesting statistics, stories, accomplishments and unique features of your department/unit
11. Share research produced or being conducted by your department/unit
12. Share best practices
13.  Invite visiting faculty to observe work-in-progress with students and faculty
14. Share resources that have been beneficial to you
15. Provide handouts, takeaways and freebees that will be useful to visiting faculty
16.  Provide contact information to visiting faculty
17. Create Q and A moments throughout your overview/tour as visiting faculty encounter different aspects about your department operations and services (pp. 5-6)

Specialty coordinators provided professional development in different areas of the College of Business including Center for Entrepreneurship, Student Advising, Executive Education and the Trading Room, Student Accessibility Services, the FAU Wimberly Library and Special Collections Unit, Admissions and Campus Tour, and the FAU Career Center.  Specialty coordinators also provided attendance opportunities  for visiting faculty at events such as the College of Business-Business Plan Competition, career fairs, the Three Minute Thesis Competition, and the Business and Economics Polling Initiative.  Visiting faculty also attended various club meetings to learn about them and introduce them to the Istituto such as Student Global Business Administration, Economics Club, Toastmasters, and the Management Information Student Association, and the President’s Welcome Reception.  Additionally, food vouchers were provided to visiting faculty to provide opportunity for student observations and interactions to meet the cultural goals of the Initiative at FAU.The final handbook written is for the Goodwill Ambassador.  According to the FAU Erasmus+ Goodwill Ambassador Handbook (Compomizzi, 2022), the function of the goodwill ambassador is to be “welcome and resourcefulness” for visiting faculty (p. 5).  Goodwill ambassadors are faculty, staff or students who promote the mission of FAU through value of the Erasmus+ experience provided to visiting faculty.  A primary function of the goodwill ambassadors is to provide coordination and leadership for the Kickoff Meeting at the beginning of the mobility.  The Kick-off meeting is attended by University and College of Business leadership, faculty partners, speciality coordinators and visiting faculty from the Istituto.  The Kick-off meeting provided the opportunity of welcome, orientation to FAU and the College of Business, and to the U.S.  with presentations from the University President, the Dean of the College of Business, and dignitaries from the Italian Consulate.  The Kick-off meeting also provides opportunity for visiting faculty to meet and plan activities with FAU faculty partners and goodwill ambassadors in reviewing the schedule developed for the mobility in a planned workshop following the Kick-off event. A specialized training tutorial was authored by the Goodwill Ambassador Coordinator to accompany the handbook explaining the importance of regular interface with visiting faculty.  In this video, daily responsibilities of the Goodwill Ambassador are explained for checking in daily with assigned visiting faculty either by text or call through What’s App, helping visitors with information about the University, interacting with visiting faculty once during the week for breakfast or lunch in order give visitors a feel for the culture of the campus, and aiding visitors with directions and locations of buildings and scheduled events such as classes, tours or meetings.  Additional functions include being responsive to questions and inquiries, communicating some of the week’s activities going on at the University which may be of interest to your visiting faculty member, and promoting a spirit of hospitality and welcome with respect to diversity (p. 5).  To note, several ambassadors volunteered from the Italian Department of the College of Arts and Letters and from the Italian Club at FAU.

Schedule:
To paraphrase another best practice of Awasthy, Flint, Sankarnarayana and Jones (1/2020) , the management of collaborations is an important element to success and adopting a framework to manage the collaboration process, similar to a software development process and life cycle,  helps monitor the collaboration process and achieving the set goals” (p. 58).  To this end, the project plan itself was the chief management tool employed by the project leaders at FAU and the primary means of the Execution phase for this model of job shadow mobility for U.S. institutions engaging in Erasmus+.   A primary component in the Execution phase of the project plan was the Job Shadow Daily Program as illustrated in Figure 4.  This program detailed each day’s activities of class observations and meetings with Faculty Partners, events such as tours, club and organization meetings, and other learning opportunities with Speciality Coordinators.  An individualized daily schedule, based on the set deliverables, was developed for each visiting faculty member from the Istituto rooted in  teaching discipline and personal goals detailed in the Faculty Profile document, the Learning Agreements required by Erasmus+ and the MOU.  As Figure 4 indicates, a daily color coded track for each discipline was first developed and assigned to visiting faculty from the Istituto.  Each block conveys the location, course or activity planned, and Faculty Partner or Speciality Coordinator leading the block (names are changed for anonymity).  Each activity was cross referenced to one or more of the eight deliverables and objectives  to insure goal achievement.  For example, class observations were cross-listed to the deliverables “Follow lessons through classroom observations”, “Learn new teaching strategies”, “Obtain deepened subject knowledge”, and “Observe faculty student interactions in classroom/on-line delivery, pedagogical methods and administrative tasks”.  Speciality Coordinator tours cross-referenced to the deliverables “Learn about the FAU environment and culture” and “Share best practices”.  Participation in meetings and clubs cross-listed to “Learn about the FAU environment and culture” and “Gaining insight to the working life of faculty at FAU”.

Figure 4:  Daily Program Schedule

Case Study Outcomes and Findings:

This case study presented a framework of job shadow mobility for European business faculty at a U.S. university through the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.  Two job shadow mobilities were studied at FAU with the Istituto in October/2022 and March/2023.  The first research question was:  What is needed for an effective job shadow mobility for European faculty receiving professional development in a U.S. Institution through Erasmus+? The outcomes and findings regarding this research question were multiple with assessment of the Initiative outlined in the Evaluation Phase of the project plan..  First, several of the best practices set forth for a collaborative framework between organizations noted by the research of Awasthy, Flint, Sankarnarayana and Jones (1/2020) proved true as needed premises for an effective job shadow mobility including Identifying the Stakeholders, Understand the ‘Why’- Identify the motivation, Identify and Appoint Suitable People and Involve Leadership, Ensure Basic Partnership Characteristics, Focus on Social Capital Resources and Management of the Collaboration.  These best practices of collaboration provided the means of planning and execution for the Erasmus+ Job Shadow Mobility Initiative at FAU as a means of direction and organization.  These best practices were realized in and through the leadership of the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua and Florida Atlantic University, the project managers of the Istituto and project leaders from FAU, and the project plan.  Findings indicate that approximately 271 hours are required to plan and deliver the job shadow mobility.  In addition, another finding for each mobility requires approximately five executive leaders, two project managers, one project leader, 25 faculty partners, 11 specialty coordinators and 8-10 goodwill ambassadors for eight visiting faculty members.  The job shadow mobility extended beyond the College of Business to units throughout the University.

The case study also produced several other findings regarding outcomes identified in the Evaluation Phase.  As identified by the Erasmus+ project managers at the Istituto and confirmed by the Italian Consulate in Miami, FL, the FAU Erasmus+ Job Shadow Initiative was the first job shadow mobility of its kind in the United States with an Italian institution.  Noteworthy, the project plan developed by FAU has been uploaded and adopted by Erasmus+ as a standard operating best practice/document (V. Zingaro and A. Gallo, personal communication, 12/17/2022).  Other significant outcomes include the production of the Faculty Partner, Specialty Coordinator, and Goodwill Ambassador handbooks and training. Interestingly, as Awasthy, Flint, Sankarnarayana and Jones (1/2020) indicate, one last best practice was realized through the project plan in the Evaluation Phase i.e.  Strengthen the Dissemination Strategy.  As they write, “Universities must work towards strengthening their dissemination strategy and to using elements of marketing for sharing the research results along with their rigour and relevance to attract new partners. They should use a variety of channels to enhance the dissemination of results, leading to improved industrial adoption of research such as increased contact with consumers of knowledge, validating the applicability of research results in a client-centric way and formally creating new positions as knowledge brokers in academia” (p. 57).    To this end, the model, successes and impacts of the Erasmus+ Job Shadow Mobility at FAU and collaborative partnership have been presented at the Erasmus+ Dissemination Conference near Milan, Italy for educators and administrators, in December/2022 and at the international  Italy in Transit Symposium in February, 2023. Additionally, the Initiative has gained attention for the Istituto with media coverage in Italy.  In her article, “Important Synergy Between Carlo Dell’ Acqua of Lengano and Florida Atlantic University, Michaela Manziotti (2023) writes “The project focuses on the possibility of offering teachers an important moment in their school career by sharing refresher programs, and students, by enhancing the knowledge and study of the English language, through Erasmus experiences in the economic and technological fields which aim to introduce them directly into the world of work” (para. 4) and notes words from a city official “Councilor for Culture Guido Bragato who declared himself enthusiastic about the partnership between the two institutions, underlining that it is essential to create bridges, exchanges to enrich oneself more and more with cultural and technical knowledge” (para. 6).  Further, the partnership availed opportunity for the Istituto to attain Erasmus+ grant funding providing for three FAU professors as visiting instructors in May/2023 in which curriculum in business communications and hospitality management were delivered to over 500 students and 20 faculty members. As a successful model of intercultural professorial development, the FAU Job Shadow Initiative with the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua produced effect on the participants, thus providing insight to the second research question:  What are the impacts of a successful job mobility with American and European faculty through Erasmus+? Outcomes and findings included positive impacts on leadership, faculty and staff at FAU.  Qualitative analysis of responses from leadership note “I am very pleased at the success of our collaboration," said FAU Business Dean Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., "the exchange has promoted learning for all our faculty and between our countries as well as helped the students and faculty of both our institutions” (Gravatt, D., 2023. para. 4).   “We are very excited to work with Erasmus, and we share their goals of promoting learning mobility, as well as cooperation, equality, inclusion, equity excellence, creativity and innovation,” Interim FAU President StacyVolnick conveyed about the University initiative (Owers, P. and Gravatt, D., 2022, para. 9). Typical faculty feedback include comments like “Having the opportunity to work closely with the faculty at Dell’ Acqua and getting to better know and understand their students was a phenomenal experience that enriched me greatly, both as an instructor and as a person” reported Stella Quintero,  instructor of Hospitality and Tourism.  “As teachers, we spend most of our time teaching students.  With the Erasmus program, I became the student and learned about the world through my connection with our Italian colleagues.  I learned culture, different processes and pedagogical methods from our Italian faculty friends”  relayed Beth Sindaco, JD, MBA, SPHR, ACUE of Business Communications. mpact on the 15 administrative and faculty participants from the Istituto produced similar themes as disclosed in the Evaluation Phase.  Laura Landonio, Dean of the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua stated in a post mobility interview, “We have a wonderful first impression with the warm welcome at FAU. We had the opportunity to learn how teachers (FAU instructional faculty) organize their lessons and the practices they use, how they care about students with special needs and how they care about the future of their students and many other aspects.”  Adriana Gallo, Erasmus+ Project Manager, conveyed the value of interaction with professorial colleagues and students, deepened subject knowledge, appreciation of inclusion, best practices, and better understanding of students’ needs to better mentor them with advanced business lectures. Other themes emerged as highly formative, a successful experience and a challenging experience to achieve higher skills in business education.  Overwhelmingly, feedback repeated that best practices were shared with enthusiasm and maximum learning while campus culture and departments helped participants re-think roles as educators. Paolo Prina, instructor of economics,  noted improvement in his business language skills and application of lessons and didactical methods to marketing and psychology in industry and case studies delivered to business students.  Finally evaluative feedback also highlighted ideas for technology use in the classroom through different software, video use, and self assessment automated exercises.  Lastly, much enthusiasm was expressed as responses centered around bringing new clubs and activities to the Istituto like Toastmasters, the Shrimp Tank,  the Business Plan Competition, and partnering with Student Global Business Association to share speakers and competitions with students from the two organizations . A final theme that emerged was gratitude.  As one faculty member stated as a 35 year teaching veteran, she returned totally renewed and refreshed with new ideas.  Each interview response conveyed a message of thanks for the high quality experience at FAU.  Faculty who had previous job shadow mobilities at other European universities expressed gratitude at the openness, enthusiastic welcome, and level of quality expertise from which they were able to adopt  21st century multi-ethnic, global education methods and techniques.

Conclusion:

This paper proposed and presented a framework for intercultural professional development of educators through the European Union’s Erasmus+ program of job shadow mobility with the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua in Legnano, Italy.  As the first of its kind with an Italian institute, this model birthed by the Florida Atlantic  Erasmus+ Job Shadow Initiative was built on several of the principles of successful collaboration identified in the research by Awasthy, Flint, Sankarnarayana, and  Jones (2020) to answer the research questions:

1.  What is needed for an effective job shadow mobility for European business faculty receiving professional development in a U.S. Institution through Erasmus+?
2. What are the impacts of a successful job mobility with American and European faculty through Erasmus+?

To summarize, in order to provide an effective job shadow mobility for European faculty through the Erasmus+ program, a three step approach of Planning, Executions and Evaluation is foundational.  Key components resulting from this approach are mutual goals, mutual understanding, and mutual commitment to success expressed through a Memo of Understanding, Learning Agreements, Faculty Profiles, personnel handbooks, training, a schedule, feedback measurement and dissemination.  The crux to the success of this framework is the Project Plan, now a model uploaded to the Erasmus+ platform.With mutual commitment to goals, understanding and success the modern educative experience is enhanced and enlivened as the qualitative data portrays through this case study of the two job shadow mobilities executed at Florida Atlantic University for administrators and faculty of the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’ Acqua.  As this partnership continues, another job shadow mobility is being planned for 2025, introduction of a sports management program is being evaluated by the Istituto with consultation of the FAU’s College of Business sports management faculty, funding from Erasmus+ has been attained for additional visiting instructors from FAU to the Istituto, and an enrollment strategy for students of the Istituto to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree at FAU is being studied.  Overall, this model of the  Erasmus+ Job Shadow Mobility Initiative at FAU has endowed the two organizations with strength and vigor,  with global perspectives, with immersion to diverse cultures, with increased professionalism with heightened knowledge, and with renewed enthusiasm to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation in education.