TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine students’ perceptions of a development course designed to increase global understanding by virtually connecting students from multiple world regions. Design/methodology/approach– This paper describes a graduate course that connected campuses across America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Qualitative data about students’ perceptions of the course at one participating campus were then analyzed by course component, and synchronous and asynchronous interactions. Feedback was also solicited for suggestions to improve the course. Findings– The analyzed data indicate strong positive student attitudes toward connecting with global counterparts. However, these data also imply that there are various obstacles to overcome in order to meet student expectations of increased and better quality peer interaction, and to prepare faculty across all disciplines for successful design and implementation of this type of course. Originality/value– The use of synchronous communication to facilitate the exchange of local perspectives on issues of global significance is valuable to all disciplines, and is even more critical in the area of development where understanding local context is key. This exploratory study offers recommendations for future research on courses connecting students across borders and suggestions for course activities to increase peer engagement.
VL  - 8
IS  - 3
SN  - 2050-7003
DO  - 10.1108/JARHE-01-2015-0009
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-01-2015-0009
AU  - Risner Mary
AU  - Kumar Swapna
PY  - 2016
Y1  - 2016/01/01
TI  - Graduate student perceptions of a globally networked course
T2  - Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 287
EP  - 301
Y2  - 2024/09/22
ER  -