SUNY Empire State College SUNY Empire State College

ALL AREAS OF STUDY ALL AREAS OF STUDY MEETINGMEETING

Saratoga Springs, New YorkSaratoga Springs, New YorkNovember 14-16, 2007November 14-16, 2007

““Visions of Citizenship: Visions of Citizenship:

Orientations, Perspectives and Directions”Orientations, Perspectives and Directions”

Does Online Education Produce Global Citizens?Presenters:

Val Chukhlomin, Oto Jones, Linzi Kemp,

Nazik Roufaiel and Nataly Tcherepashenets

SUNY Empire State College SUNY Empire State College Center for Distance LearningCenter for Distance Learning

International e-learning: International e-learning: making use of making use of culture shockculture shock

Presenter: Val Chukhlomin, PhDValeri.Chukhlomin@esc.edu

Does Online Education Produce Global Citizens?

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

“Local” Students

“Globalized” Students

Transition International education

Study Abroad

International E-Learning

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

How “Global” Are They?

Graduate Attributes:(“Global Skills”)

English Communication Technology

Communication Skills Professional knowledge/Skills

International qualification Cross-Cultural Skills

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Graduate Attributes:

• English• Communication Technology• Communication Skills

• Professional knowledge/Skills• International qualification• Cross-Cultural Skills

International e-learning offers

• Classes in English• E-mail, Internet, comm. soft• Discussions, teamwork, Academic Writing• Subject matter, research• Certificates, degrees• Cross-Cultural Skills?

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Cross-Cultural Skills:

• New Social Environment• New Physical Environment• New Technological Environment• New Language Environment• New Learning Environment• Immersion and Culture Shock• Acculturation

International e-learning

• No• No• Partially• Partially• Yes (Barriers!)• No immersion. Some kind of shock.• Acculturation?

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

What is Culture Shock?

(Oberg, 1960)

Experiencing a new culture is a sudden and sometimes

unpleasant feeling causing persons to reevaluate both the new host and their own home

culture.

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Indicators of Culture Shock (Oberg,1960)

• Familiar cues about how the person is supposed to behave are

missing, or the familiar cues now have a different meaning.

• Values the person considered good, desirable, beautiful, and

valuable are no longer respected by the hosts.

• The disorientation of culture shock creates an emotional state of

anxiety, depression, or hostility.

• There is a dissatisfaction with the new ways and an idealization of

"the way things were."

• Recovery skills that used to work before no longer seem to work.

• There is a sense that this culture shock discrepancy is permanent

and will never go away.

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Models of Culture Shock (UKCOSA, 2007)

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Strategies to Deal with Culture Shock:

• Experience it!

• Study abroad:• Orientation at home• Support (travel, orientation at host institution)• Peers (same culture locals, advisors, clubs)• Foundation studies (academic skills, prerequisites)• Internships• Social events.

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Barriers for e-learning:

• Pre-study:• lack of information, benefits not communicated• distrust• instructions not clear.

• International e-learning:• No orientation at home• No support (“travel”, orientation at host institution)• No peers (same culture locals, advisors, clubs)• No foundation studies (academic skills, prerequisites)• No internships, summer residencies, exchange• No social events.

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Possible strategies to overcome barriers

in the international online environment

• Organized programs with foreign institutions• Website materials in key foreign languages. Visuals!• Student testimonials!• Bilingual orientation programs• For groups – co-teaching with local instructors.• For individuals – Educational Planning Workshop.• Introduction for local (American) instructors.• Support for international partner schools:

• their courses in English, joint blended courses• networking.

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Case Study: Tomsk Project (2006 – now)

Partners: TUSUR (Tomsk University of RadioelectronicsSUNY Empire State College CDL

Goal: Double Degree Program in Marketing Technological Innovations

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Tomsk Project

Phase 1: PREPARATION (Nov 2006 – Oct 2007)

Phase 2: TRANSITION (June 2007 – March 2008)

Phase 3: COMPLETION (April 2008 - ?)

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Tomsk Project

Phase 1: PREPARATION ( Nov 2006 – Oct 2007)

• Site visits (November 2006, February 2007)• Agreement, program of studies (May 2007)• Funding (Government grant, October 2007)• Piloting (1 student, course in ANGEL, Spring 2007)

• Registration, textbook• E-mail address• Discussions• Academic Writing• Grading.

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

Tomsk Project

Phase 2: TRANSITION (June 2007 – March 2008)

• Bilingual Course Module Development (June – September 2007)• Student selection and registration (June - October 2007)• Russian instructor training (June -September 2007)• Orientation ( October 2007, 2 weeks in Tomsk)• American instructor training (none, e-mail)• Course Delivery (November 2007 – March 2008)

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

International e-learning: making use of culture shockInternational e-learning: making use of culture shock

New Ideas

• Bilingual promotional websites• Testimonials• Visuals, including video• Instructions in foreign languages• Orientation for international students• Educational Planning Workshop• Instructions for instructors• partner institution network.