Instructional design for the information and communication technology (ICT)-assisted intercultural communication course

Abstract

Today's era of societies comprise of one coherent global village, in which learning about and understanding other cultures is crucial. Fu-Jen Catholic University (FJCU), a private university in northern Taiwan, has joined the "Global Academic Initiatives" (GAI) coordinated by East Carolina University (ECU) in USA since 2007. A course entitled Cross-Cultural Communication: Global Understanding is offered in FJCU to allow students in the English department to discuss cultural topics with students from two other countries via Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for authentic contacts. The ICT tools support both the synchronous and asynchronous mode of communication. This paper describes the instructional design of the Cross-Cultural Communication: Global Understanding course including the pre-connection trainings and the connection discussions. For the post-connection part, students' learning and reflections will be discussed along with their e-learning styles. This example could offer other educators who are interested in designing similar intercultural communication courses.