Online webinars with partner institutions have the highest cost-effectiveness ratio of any activity in the entire international-cooperation portfolio. They cost almost nothing, require no immigration procedures, carry low risk, and can be organised within a few weeks of both sides agreeing.
Precisely because it is easy, it is also often done carelessly. A sloppily organised session leaves a bad impression and cools a relationship that has only just begun.
This guide sets out the script from preparation through to follow-up after the session.
Define the objective before discussing content
Four types of objective, each producing a different script.
Làm quen. A first session between two institutions that have never worked together. The goal is to understand each other and find common ground, not to finalise anything.
Chuyên môn. Faculty from both sides present and discuss a topic. This is the type that creates genuine academic value.
For students. Students from both sides attend together, whether an introductory session or a joint working session.
Operational. Two points of contact discuss specific operational matters. This type should be short and have a tight agenda.
A common mistake is to merge all four types into one session. The result is a session that drags on, serves no group’s actual needs, and reaches no clear conclusion.
Preparation: three weeks ahead
Agree on the objective and type of session with the partner’s point of contact. Put it in writing by email, not just a verbal agreement.
Fix the time. This is the hardest part and is addressed separately in the section below.
Fix the technical platform. Check that both sides can actually access the chosen platform. Some platforms are restricted in certain locations, and discovering this at the last minute is a very awkward situation.
Fix the language. If interpretation is needed, arrange it well in advance and inform presenters so they can adjust their speaking pace.
Draft the agenda. Send it to both sides at least one week ahead, including the duration of each segment and the name of who is responsible for it.
Handling time-zone differences
This is the practical constraint that determines whether the session can happen at all.
Calculate carefully, confirm twice. State the time in both time zones in every piece of correspondence, along with the date. Date confusion caused by time-zone differences is a common error and very hard to fix afterward.
Watch out for daylight saving time. Many countries change their clocks twice a year, and a session scheduled in advance can end up an hour off after the clock change.
Share the inconvenience. If the series of sessions runs over multiple occasions, rotate so each side takes the inconvenient time slot once, rather than one side always having to make the concession.
Record the session if some people cannot attend. Permission must be obtained in advance from all participants.
For time-zone gaps that are too large, one option worth considering is switching to an asynchronous format: both sides record their presentations, exchange written comments, and meet live only briefly for questions and answers.
Script for an academic session
This is the most common type and also creates the most lasting value. A reasonable duration is ninety minutes.
First ten minutes: opening. A representative from each side greets the group and gives a brief introduction of their institution. Keep this genuinely short, since it often runs long and eats into discussion time.
Two presentation slots, twenty minutes each. One presenter from each side speaks on the agreed topic. Slides should be requested in advance so the other side has time to prepare questions.
Thirty minutes of questions and discussion. This is the most valuable part and should be protected from being cut short.
Last ten minutes: next steps. Pin down specifically what each side will do next, who is responsible, and when to meet again.
This final part is what distinguishes a session that creates cooperation from one that is merely a pleasant chat.
Moderating so the session never falls into silence
Silence during Q&A is a situation everyone dreads and it happens often, especially when the two sides do not know each other well and must use a language that is not their mother tongue.
Prepare three questions in advance. The moderator on each side should prepare a few questions beforehand to break the ice if no one speaks up.
Call on someone by name. Instead of asking the room in general whether anyone has questions, invite a specific person to share their view.
Give it time. Second-language speakers need a few extra seconds to form a question. Do not fill the silence too quickly.
Open a parallel written channel. Many people are reluctant to speak but are willing to type a question.
Appoint a single moderator for the entire session, rather than each side moderating its own portion. Handing off between two moderators usually creates an awkward gap.
After the session: the part that determines the value
This is the stage most often skipped, and also the one that determines whether the seminar leads to anything at all.
Within two days: send a short summary. One page, recording the main content, what was agreed, and the next steps with the name of the person responsible and the timeline.
Within one week: send the related materials promised during the session.
Within one month: proactively follow up on the next steps, even if there has been no progress. Silence after a good session is the fastest way to let a relationship go cold.
Keep records. The summary, attendee list, and presentation materials should all go into the school’s shared storage, not sit on a personal computer.
Keeping records has long-term value: when the person in charge changes, the successor knows where the relationship stands instead of having to start over.
Online seminars with partner schools should be organized as a series
A single session rarely leads to substantive cooperation. A series of three to four sessions over six months produces far better results.
A sensible series usually follows this order: an introductory session, a specialized session, a session to discuss a specific activity, and a wrap-up session after that activity is completed.
This approach has three benefits. It creates a steady working rhythm instead of depending on momentary enthusiasm. It gives both sides time to understand each other’s way of working. And it produces concrete results to present when resources are needed for larger next steps.
When you need to understand the partner’s education system context before a series of sessions, the comparative data of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a useful reference.
For content related to recognition of academic results, if the seminar leads to a joint activity involving credit, the framework of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) should be read beforehand.
Five common mistakes
The introduction runs too long, eating into the time meant for discussion.
Not sending the agenda in advance. Attendees arrive without knowing what will be discussed, so they cannot prepare.
Not testing the technical setup beforehand. The first ten minutes spent fixing audio issues are ten minutes lost, and the first impression suffers.
Not confirming the next steps. The session ends with a vague promise and no one follows through.
Không có ai ghi chép. After a few weeks, the two sides remember what was agreed differently.
Summary
An online seminar with a partner school is the cheapest and easiest form of cooperation to start, but its value depends almost entirely on two steps outside the session itself: the agenda sent beforehand and the summary sent afterward.
In a ninety-minute format, the part that most needs protecting is the thirty-minute Q&A, and the part that matters most is the ten minutes spent confirming next steps.
And a series of three to four sessions over six months produces far better results than a single session, however good that session may be.
Next Steps
For the partner you are most recently in discussion with, propose a ninety-minute specialized session, with a concrete agenda and two to three suggested time slots that already account for the time-zone difference.
A proposal with a ready-made agenda is accepted much faster than a generic invitation.
