U.S.–Africa Virtual Collaboration in Globalization Studies : Success Factors for Complex, Cross-National Learning Teams

This case study highlights findings from the first two years of a crossinstitutional and cross-national effort to link university students in South Africa with university students in the United States via a graduate seminar on globalization and the information society. The seminar is taught using synchronous and asynchronous web-based tools, providing students with the opportunity to participate in complex, cross-national learning teams. These Global Syndicates represent important stakeholders in globalization processes. Trust, culture, and ideology emerge as key factors for success in this distributed learning environment. Hindering factors include absence of group process skills, low levels of individual participation, cross-cultural differences in communication style, academic expectations, and work ethic.