Wang, Q. (2004). Online Learning Communities Where East Meet West - A Cross Cultural Encounter. In R. Ferdig et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2004 (pp. 3078-3082). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/13321.
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) 2004
Atlanta, GA, USA
2004
ISBN 1-880094-52-5
Richard Ferdig, Caroline Crawford, Roger Carlsen, Niki Davis, Jerry Price, Roberta Weber & Dee Anna Willis
AACE
More Information on SITE
Technological advances have led to global communications characterized by disappearing national boundaries and geographical limitations. The Internet has created unprecedented opportunities for widespread electronic delivery of information and has altered the way we communicate and share knowledge. With the proliferation of distance education and online learning, the day has arrived when people from diverse backgrounds, different nationalities and various geo-locations gather together in online learning communities to acquire knowledge and share experiences. Such communities can overcome the physical distances that separate people. Can they also mitigate the cultural boundaries that fundamentally influence how we think, interact and communicate? In this paper, based on the literature and personal observations as a student in an online doctoral program, the author explores how cultural tendencies associated with Chinese and Americans (East and West) influence communication styles in an online learning environment.