Computer-Mediated Education And Globalization - A Case Study On Cross-border Course "Globalization and Media"

Luyan Li

This paper studies computer mediated education in social science, in particular, communication studies. As universities in the United States build closer relationships with foreign universities, cross-border education becomes more feasible with the assistance of web technology. To illustrate how this can be done, a trial course Globalization and Media is offered to students in both China and US from a US university. In the first part of the online tutorial, it is mainly instructor-based as the theories in media effects and globalization are introduced to the students. In the second part, the course becomes more application-based as students are requested to accomplish two tasks: firstly, study one of their own countries’ major media institutions and share their findings in the online discussion board of the course website. After intense discussions of the different structures and functions of media institutions from the two countries, students are asked to conduct content analysis of a newspaper of their own countries over one common issue, e.g., the coverage of Iraq war. Their findings are again posted on the course discussion broad. Through these exercises students are able to see both sides and have a deeper understanding of the differences of media systems from a global angle.

With computer mediated teaching, people from different countries can effectively learn from and exchange viewpoints with each other, without physically moving from one place to another. However, because only those who are computer literate and proficient in English could benefit from it, this may further deepen the gap of digital divide and exacerbate the dilution of cultures in the developing countries. Another concern is that because the instructor and the students are not in the same room, and may not even access to the course materials at the same time, although this provides convenience for the students to set their own time and pace, it also requires tremendous self-discipline from the students. At all times the instructor is open to email exchanges, but since he is not physically in front of the students to support them and answer questions, some students might quickly fall behind. But since most of the students in this course are highly motivated and interested in technology-mediated environments, the course proves to be a successful experience.

This experiment shows that with the development of global computer network and the widespread of education in both directions (both from North to South and from South to North), virtual learning will promote the understanding among cultures and improve peoples’ quality over time.

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