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During the COVID-19 pandemic, two higher education teachers, located respectively in the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand, collaborated in the design of curricula on the relationship between identity and food for their students. Intended to help their students develop cross-cultural knowledge and relationships, they hoped that their collaboration would also benefit their professional relationship and learning at a time when these aspects of their teaching lives were negatively impacted by COVID-19. As a contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), they undertook, with the help of a researcher colleague, an investigation of (a) factors that influenced their ability to start and sustain a successful international collaboration, and (b) its subsequent impact on their ongoing relationship and learning. In this article, the rationale, purpose, and design of the study are outlined, and findings and associated theory presented and discussed. A key conclusion reflects the relationship between the hospitality ‘mindset’ of the teachers and their ability to conceptualize, enact and benefit from their collaboration in meaningful ways. Insights into the way SoTL can enhance teachers’ ability to navigate such periods of deep uncertainty are also presented and discussed.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two higher education teachers, located respectively in the United States and Aotearoa New Zealand, collaborated in the design of curricula on the relationship between identity and food for their students. Intended to help their students develop cross-cultural knowledge and relationships, they hoped that their collaboration would also benefit their professional relationship and learning at a time when these aspects of their teaching lives were negatively impacted by COVID-19. As a contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), they undertook, with the help of a researcher colleague, an investigation of (a) factors that influenced their ability to start and sustain a successful international collaboration, and (b) its subsequent impact on their on-going relationship and learning. In this article, the rationale, purpose, and design of the study are outlined, and findings and associated theory presented and discussed. A key conclusion reflects the relationship between the hospitality 'mindset' of the teachers and their ability to conceptualize, enact and benefit from their collaboration in meaningful ways. Insights into the way SoTL can enhance teachers' ability to navigate such periods of deep uncertainty are also presented and discussed.