Beyond good intentions: Making online cross-cultural collaborative learning projects work

Abstract

This session will introduce educators to the exciting possibilities, and formidable challenges, of involving their students in an online cross-cultural collaborative learning project (OCCLP). Successful projects can bring valuable new perspectives to course content and provide participants a personal way to learn about the culture of their collaborating partners. Conversely, unsuccessful projects can muddle course content and undermine student’s interest in learning about other cultures. The first objective of this session is to help educators determine if an OCCLP is really appropriate for their students. The second objective of the session is to provide best practices educators can us to design and manage a meaningful project that will enable their students to learn with and from students from around the globe.