Abstract
International activities in higher education are increasing as faculty prepare students to interact with others from different cultural backgrounds. Although exposure to different cultures is often accomplished through study abroad, there is a need to offer alternative and/or additional experiences that develop increased cultural awareness. This study explored the effectiveness of asynchronous cross-national online discussions in developing students’ globalized perspectives while at their home institutions. Online technology allowed U.S. and Hong Kong undergraduate education students to converse across the globe regarding learning theories and instructional practices. Students expressed positive views of the online discussion experiences and discussed a range of topics that related to their role as future educators. Both qualitative and quantitative measures were used to analyze students’ perceptions and construction of new knowledge regarding culture and education. Findings of this study document the effectiveness of asynchronous cross-national online discussions for developing global competence, an increasingly recognized vital skill.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 383-413 |
| Number of pages | 31 |
| Journal | Journal of Technology and Teacher Education |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2016 |