A Case Study of the Internationalization of a Midwestern University English Composition Course Occurring in a 3-D Virtual Environment

Internationalization, a gradual process that includes a number of strategies, has become a growing movement at American universities in an effort to create globally competent graduates who are prepared to be responsible world citizens. Many of these strategies are implemented by faculty members who internationalize their courses by providing opportunities to learn from people from other countries. Internationalization strategies can be combined with technologies such as 3-D virtual environments to create unique learning opportunities. The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of an international experience in an online 3-D virtual environment, to explore the possible development of global competence, and to describe the influence of the virtual environment and course design on the experience. The research question for this study was, “What is the nature of the interactions that will take place between American university students and international university students in a 3-D virtual environment?” The progressive research questions that were perceived to influence the nature of the experience were, “What will the analysis of student documents, student interviews, and a pre- and post-survey suggest about the development of global competence for the American university students?” and, “How will the students experience the course design and the use of the 3-D virtual environment?” Analysis of the data sources suggested that the nature of the six interactions shared common patterns of task-focused activity, overcoming technological issues, and some indicators of cultural awareness. These findings add to the limited body of knowledge about the use of 3-D virtual environments as internationalization strategies for American universities

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership, Policy and Foundations (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Baldwin, Naomi Jayne

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Wei, Michael, 1968-

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10355/43510

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/43510