Teacher Externships as a Practice of Inter-organizational Collaboration Between Institutions of Higher Education and Public and Private Organizations

The present paper takes a practice theoretical approach (Rouse, 2006) to investigating the extent to which the phenomenon of teacher externships can be used as an initiative
for creating long-lasting and strong collaborations between institutions of higher education and public and private organizations in Denmark. Previous experience suggests that externships do in fact provide the opportunity for establishing strong ties between industry personnel and educators (Bennet et al, 1998; Stephens, 2011; Blassingame, 1999; Luft and Vidoni, 2000). Based on existing studies, and mindful of the pressure on Danish universities to ‘turn to practice’, we ask how externships may contribute to the inter-organizational collaboration between institutions of higher education and public and private organizations. Based on a qualitative analysis of an externship program in which a total of 25 lecturers at institutions of higher education within the region of Zealand, Denmark entered into collaborations with 35 public and private organizations, we present two preliminary conclusions: existing networks are strengthened and broadened through externships, and teachers feel enlightened by the experience and are inspired to add new elements to or otherwise change their teaching. Thus, externships may pave the way for future collaborations and may bring ‘practice’ into the classroom.