Globalscapes: The design of on-line seminars using complex virtual teams in the global classroom

Abstract

The paper reports on a three years pilot seminar project involving four universities. Two of these are in the United States and two are in South Africa, one is a historically disadvantaged university, the other a historically advantaged university. The multicultural and multidisciplinary virtual seminars explored the topic of globalisation. Advances in information technology have made it possible for students and lecturers in advanced and less advanced industrialised countries to participate in cutting edge interactive courses and virtual seminars, which span different time zones, continents, cultures, relationships and technologies. All participants have to adapt to new circumstances to achieve the virtual seminar objectives. Experimenting with such groundbreaking learning environments and techniques is a relatively rare experience at present for cyber students and cyber teachers. The perspectives of participants from urban universities differ considerably from those in rural universities in less industrialised countries where exposure to information technology is uneven and often fairly unsophisticated. The nature of the research generated in such global classrooms reflects the diversity of experience of the participants.