Experiences of Spanish visiting professors teaching environmental engineering in Italy

A level of awareness of educational differences between home and host institutions when acting as a visiting professor is useful for proper teaching. The experiences of two Spanish visiting professors that had recently followed academic stays in Italy to teach environmental engineering are analysed in this research and contrasted with the experiences of two other engineering visiting professors. The research was focused on planning, evaluation, and relationships with the students. The differences that they noted between both teaching environments were discussed and classified into four groups: general aspects, class development, interaction with students, and evaluation. These aspects are discussed from a generic perspective, so they can be useful for future teachers acting as visiting professors in engineering. Finally, it is worth mentioning the support of their colleagues at the host university was always key for successful teaching in the opinions of all the visiting professors.