Internationalization at a Distance

Abstract

This paper explores how part-time students in an online international management course perceived various features of the course learning design and whether international perspectives were built into their learning experiences. The focus of the study was on cross-cultural differences across groups of learners in the United Kingdom, in other European countries and in Russia and studying the course in different languages. Using a mixed method approach, the study's results challenge the distinction between "internationalization at home" and "internationalization away" perspectives on curricula, due to growing numbers of students studying online from their home countries. Study participants reported high degrees of engagement with international perspectives, but their experience can be best described as "internationalization at a distance," where traditional campus-based acculturation effects were not observed. The article concludes with a discussion of opportunities for management 2 Internationalization of the Online Management Curriculum educators to develop a "glocal" approach to online course curriculum design, intentionally blending global perspectives with locally-relevant knowledge and managerial skills.

Teaching Virtual and Cross-Cultural Collaborations: Exploring Experiences of Croatia- and U.S.-Based Undergraduate Students

“…Given the wealth of studies supporting the need and value of cross-cultural competence in management education (Allen & Young, 1997;Groves et al, 2015;Montgomery, 2009;Ng et al, 2009, Van Dyne et al, 2012, the combination of virtual and cross-cultural learning experiences is of particular importance in our current global society. These findings point to the importance of research to better understand the significance that culture has on virtual team dynamics (Alstete & Beutell, 2004;Ramanau, 2016). Taken together, these studies support the notion that student cross-cultural team projects are important learning tools, and that assessment of their effectiveness is worthy of study.…”

“…Scholars have consistently advocated for virtual education experiences in university management programs (Alavi et al, 1997;Alstete & Beutell, 2004;Duus & Cooray, 2014;Ramanau, 2016;Schwartzman, 2006;Wang & Haggerty, 2011). The ability to collaborate virtually is a necessary skill for increasing virtual competence (Hertel et al, 2006;Humes & Reilly, 2008).…”

“…In a similar vein, Duus and Cooray (2014), in a study about crosscultural teamwork in a virtual environment, emphasized that these types of activities "build confidence in a range of skills and prepares students for future employment" (p. 244). Ramanau (2016) emphasized the need for more "'glocal' approaches to online course curriculum design, intentionally blending global perspectives with locally relevant knowledge" (p. 545). Similarly, a host of factors, including the make-up of teams (Olson & Kalinski, 2017), the strategies used for engagement (Hasler-Waters & Napier, 2002;Ozcelik & Zoltay Paprika, 2010), and the importance of the online learning tools (Stoerger & Krieger, 2016), all impact the effectiveness of online experiences, as compared with face-to-face learning with similar projects.…”

“…Cross-cultural virtual teams continue to grow in importance and ubiquity in business (Mockaitis et al, 2018;Society for Human Resource Management Foundation, 2016). The ability to work effectively on virtual and international teams has increasingly been a topic within the management education discourse (Alavi et al, 1997;Allen & Young, 1997;Alstete & Beutell, 2004;Duus & Cooray, 2014;Montgomery, 2009;Ng et al, 2009;Ramanau, 2016;Schwartzman, 2006;Wang & Haggerty, 2011). Furthermore, scholars are continually challenged to identify ways to sustainably train and evaluate students' ability to succeed in the work environment of today and to prepare for future experiences (Arbaugh & Hwang, 2012;Baldwin & Trespalacios, 2017;Chen et al, 2004;Goodman & Bray, 2015;Hardin et al, 2007;Tchaicha, & Davis, 2005).…”

Conceptualizing Internationalization at a Distance: A “Third Category” of University Internationalization

“…For example, students often find online intercultural communication challenging during activities such as group work (Mittelmeier et al, 2018). Other concerns have been raised about the lack of authentic engagement with international perspectives in online contexts (Ramanau, 2016). Although Leask and Carroll (2011, p. 655) suggested that internationalized activities "must be designed in a way that, because of their very nature, they cannot be completed satisfactorily without a meaningful intercultural interaction," global evidence suggests that this is often far from the case in IaD activities.…”