A transcultural journey: An ensemble of Canadian, Chinese, and Australian doctoral students’ experiences

This article is multi-authored by three doctoral students who participated in an International Doctoral Forum in Brisbane, Australia in October and November 2017. One specializes in educational leadership at the University of Calgary (UC); another specializes in educational management at Beijing Normal University (BNU); and the third specializes in cloud computing at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The doctoral forum started many years ago and it has been three years since UC, BNU, and QUT students have collaborated. The three graduate students, among a group of 17, met to learn about and experience a transcultural journey (Slimbach, 2005). Collaborative autoethnography (Chang, Ngunjiri, & Hernandez, 2013) will be used as methodology to share our experiences in formal and informal settings. The formal learning encompassed opening activities as well as the Faculty of Education Higher Degree Research Conference where research students were invited to share their doctoral work. The informal activities of the doctoral forum included educational cultural immersions: a school visit, a koala sanctuary experience, as well as a rainforest excursion. The authors will present how the International Doctoral Forum has inspired us to think, grow, and shift in the transcultural journey.