As the global economy becomes more integrated, incorporating international experiences into college curricula becomes increasingly desirable for American students and their counterparts abroad. This paper describes one model for creating an international, Web-based, distance-learning classroom that can be used as a guide for those who might wish to pursue similar endeavors. Our replicated experiences teaching a sociology course on social control, twice under slightly different conditions, provide the basis for identifying the conditions and practices that optimize the goals of providing a forum for international education and enhancing reading and writing skills. A content analysis of the online Student-Led Discussions provides evidence that cross-national knowledge and understanding can be enhanced in this learning environment. Enrolling students from the United States, Belarus, Russia, and Australia, our course demonstrates how instructors can create a successful virtual classroom that truly encircles the globe.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BensonDenzel E.HaneyWavaOreTracy E.PersellCaroline HodgesSchulteAileenSteeleJamesWinfieldIdee2002.
“Digital Technologies and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Sociology.”
Teaching Sociology30:
140–57.
2.
BoiceRobert1985.
“The Neglected Third Factor in Writing: Productivity.”
College Composition and Communication36:
472–80.
3.
BurtonSueAndersonClaire2002.
“Using the Internet to Develop an International Learning Community of Pharmacists.”
Pharmacy World and Science24:
172–4.
4.
ChenTeresa2003.
“Recommendations for Creating and Maintaining Effective Networked Learning Communities: A Review of the Literature.”
International Journal of Instructional Media30:
35–41.
5.
ChesterAndreaGwynneGillian1998.
“Online Teaching: Encouraging Collaboration through Anonymity.”
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication4
(2).
Retrieved April 1, 2004 (http://jcmc.huji.ac.il/vol14/issue2/chester.html).
6.
ChristieNils2000.
Crime Control as Industry: Towards Gulags, Western Style.
3d ed.New York:
Routledge.
7.
EdwardsMark EvanCordraySheilaDorboloJon2000.
“Unintended Benefits of Distance-Education Technology for Traditional Classroom Teaching.”
Teaching Sociology28:
386–91.
8.
GarlandDavid2001.
The Culture of Control: Crime and Social Order in Contemporary Society.
Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
9.
GomoryRalph E.2001.
“Internet Learning in the United States: Where It Is and Where It Is Going.”
Higher Education in EuropeXXVI:
523–7.
10.
HarasimLindaHiltzStarr RoxanneTelesLucioTuroffMurray1995.
Learning Networks: A Field Guide for Teaching and Learning Online.
Boston, MA:
MIT Press.
11.
HareSara C.1999.
“Using E-Mail to Promote Cross-Cultural Understanding of Families.”
Teaching Sociology27:
67–73.
12.
JaffeeDavid1997.
“Asynchronous Learning: Technology and Pedagogical Strategy in a Distance Learning Course.”
Teaching Sociology25:
262–77.
KirkpatrickMary K.BrownSylvia1999.
“Efficacy of an International Exchange Via the Internet.”
Journal of Nursing Education38:
278–81.
15.
KommersPiet2000.
“Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Education: Research and Development for the Educational Integration of Technology in Eastern European Countries.”
Educational Technology Research and Development48:
104–11.
16.
MulliganRoarkGearySusan S.1999.
“Requiring Writing, Ensuring Distance-Learning Outcomes.”
International Journal of Instructional Media26:
387–95.
17.
OrenAvigailMioduserDavidNachmiasRafi2002.
“The Development of Social Climate in Virtual Learning Discussion Groups.”
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning3:
1–19.
18.
PersellCaroline Hodges2004.
“Using Focused Web-Based Discussions to Enhance Student Engagement and Deep Understanding.”
Teaching Sociology32:
61–78.
19.
RovaiAlfred P.2000.
“Building Classroom Community at a Distance: A Case Study.”
Educational Technology, Research and Development49:
33–48.
20.
SheaPeter J.FredericksenEric E.PickettAlexandra M.PelzWilliam E.2003a.
“A Preliminary Investigation of ‘Teaching Presence’ in the SUNY Learning Network.”
Presented at the Conference on Instructional Technologies, May 03, Plattsburgh, NY.
21.
SheaPeter J.FredericksenEric E.PickettAlexandra M.PelzWilliam E.2003a.
“A Follow-Up Investigation of ‘Teaching Presence’ in the SUNY Learning Network.”
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks7:
2.
Retrieved April 1, 2004 (http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v7n2/v7n2_shea.asp).
22.
SheaPeter J.SwanKarenFredericksenEricPickettAlexandra2001.
“Student Satisfaction and Reported Learning in the SUNY Learning Network: Interaction and Beyond– Social Presence in Asynchronous Learning Networks.”
Teaching, Learning and Technology@SUNY. Retrieved April 1, 2004 (http://tlt.suny.edu/sln-research.htm).
23.
ShihYu-chih DorisCifuentesLauren2001.
“One Tale of Why and How to Teach and Learn Online Internationally.”
Tech Trends45:
8–13.
24.
SmithGlenn GordonFergusonDavidCarisMieke2002.
“Teaching Over the Web Versus in the Classroom: Differences in the Instructor Experience.”
International Journal of Instructional Media29:
61–7.
25.
StaplesWilliam2000.
Everyday Surveillance: Vigilance and Visibility in Postmodern Life.
New York:
Rowman and Littlefield.
26.
TichomirovVladimir P.TitarevLev G.YarnychViktor V.2003.
“Creation and Introduction of the System of Informational Environment of Distance Learning in the CIS Countries (in Russian).”
Pp. 164–170 in
Distance Learning: Educational Environment for the 21st Century,
Proceedings of the Third International Scientific and Methodological Conference.
Minsk, Belarus:
Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics.
27.
TownleyCharles T.GengQianZhangJing2002.
“Bilateral Team Learning: Using Distance Technologies to Enhance Global Education.”
International Education32:
19–48.
28.
ValentaAnnetteTherriaultDavidDieterMichaelMrtekRobert2001.
“Identifying Student Attitudes and Learning Styles in Distance Education.”
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks5:
111–27.
