Abstract
Climate change is not geographically homongeneous and disproportionally affects African nations, making the acceleration of knowledge sharing and mobilization among African-centric researchers critical for developing adaptative and preventative solutions. An interdisciplinary approach to environmental education is therefore essential. While mechanisms like short-term international exchange programs have been explored, little research has focused on a cohort-based approach centered on environmental education of international and interdisciplinary doctoral students and early career researchers. Drawing from the literature on international experiential learning and cohort-based models and employing a Theory of Change framework, we report on the outcomes of an innovative four-year environmental education short-term study program in Canada involving three cohorts of post graduate scholars from Sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings demonstrate that an interdisciplinary cohort approach is beneficial in accelerating research capacity for tackling complex problems such as climate change. Furthermore, participating scholars benefited from cross-learning, research dissemination, community engagement, network development, and enhanced soft skills. Recommendations for successfully organizing and delivering a cohort-based international exchange program are also discussed.