Collaboration is a broad and often-used term in the field of academia. 
Academic Exchange Quarterly, in fact, describes itself as “a collaborative effort  
of educators from all over the world.” Simply defined, collaboration occurs when 
multiple individuals “work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort” 
www.dictionary.com. In discussing what topics of focus would be appropriate for 
an upcoming volume of AEQ, the issues involved related to collaboration appeared 
relevant for a wide range of readers. After publicizing this themed volume, we were 
delighted to see, from the numerous inquiries and submissions we received, that this 
is indeed an topic of interest to many, especially in the area of teacher education. 

This issue on Collaboration and Consultation was authored by professors, librarians, 
graduate students, principals, teachers, and project coordinators who collectively 
represent 24 states, as well as Spain, Hungary, Israel, Canada, Japan, the United 
Kingdom, and New Zealand. The breadth of experience and depth of knowledge by these 
authors is evident in each of the following articles. 

Because of the expansive nature of the concept “collaboration,” the topics involved 
range greatly. Numerous authors championed the need for collaboration in various 
aspects of redesigning teacher education programs at the university level, while a 
few cautioned readers not to jump too quickly or blindly onto the ‘collaboration 
bandwagon.’

The issue of collaboration has impacted the core of teacher education, requiring many 
universities to rethink the design of their preparatory programs. Some authors focus 
on specific areas of teacher preparation. For example, Gina Barclay-McLaughlin and 
Susan Benner of the University of Tennessee concentrate on how collaboration during 
teacher preparation programs with schools can help to foster improved literacy 
outcomes, while Jane Williams (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and colleagues relate 
a process which uses Professional Development Schools to better prepare special 
education teachers. Other authors focus on describing programs that have identified 
ways in which collaborative activities can be infused in the teacher preparation 
program in general. These include Judy Lombardi, David Kretschmer, and Nancy 
Burstein from California State University, Northridge who describe the Accelerated 
Collaborative Teaching (ACT) program, and Mary Kremer of Dominican University who 
discusses how university faculty can learn from their students and use that 
assessment data to guide course design.

As with any initiative, trend, or program, it is incumbent on educated persons to 
review all aspects of the movement. Thus, some authors provide cautions for adopting 
wide-sweeping acceptance of collaborative practices. Andria Young, University of 
Houston-Victoria, clarifies that not all collaborative activities between K-12 
schools and universities are easily accomplished, as Emiliano C. Ayala and Mary 
Dingle of Sonoma State University question those who use a “one-size-fits-all” 
approach to working with diverse families during teaming situations.  For additional 
articles look for submissions with keyword CONSULT in Winter 2003 issue as well...  

Finally, we offer many other articles in this issue which are equally compelling but 
are not related to the topic of collaboration. These include, among others, Enticing 
faculty to library instruction, Emerging themes in community-based learning, An 
organizational framework for evaluating online courses and even Improving student 
attendance. 

The opportunities for learning through this volume of Academic Exchange Quarterly 
are many. We believe there is much we can learn from one another and that this type 
of collaborative inquiry, dissemination, and sharing is truly beneficial. We hope 
you thoroughly enjoy this volume of Academic Exchange Quarterly.

Tamarah M. Ashton, Ph.D.   Melinda R. Pierson, Ph.D.   Wendy W. Murawski, Ph.D.