Reid, S. (Stuart) (2009) The learning process in intercultural collaboration: evidence from the eChina-UK Programme. [Report]

PDF WRAP_Reid_learning_process_model_ic.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader Download (1734Kb)

Abstract

The eChina-UK Programme was established in 2002 and originally comprised a small number of projects in which British and Chinese teams worked collaboratively to develop and pilot e-learning materials in the field of education. Phase 1 of the Programme spanned the period 2003 to 2005 and produced a number of practical outputs (Spencer- Oatey 2007). Three follow-on projects were funded in Phase 2, which started in October 2005, and these included research reflecting on issues of pedagogy as well as the creation of further teaching and learning materials. These projects ran until 2007 and, in December of that year, Phase 3 of the Programme was put in place to capture insights from the experiences of all of the completed projects. The goal of Phase 3, therefore, was to draw out the learning from Phases 1 and 2 of the eChina-UK Programme with respect to the management of intercultural aspects of international education projects. In addition to the learning to be gained from the eChina-UK projects, the Phase 3 work included new research both into data generated in Phases 1 and 2 and into other sources of knowledge relating to intercultural effectiveness. The focus was on situating the learning from the eChina-UK projects into a wider intellectual context. The intention was to maximise the understanding of the intercultural management of international education projects and enable the production of resources for those engaged in current and future projects of this kind (Reid et al. 2009). This paper presents findings from one strand of the research carried out during Phase 3 of the eChina-UK Programme. The objective of this strand was to draw on data from eChina- UK and related studies in order to produce theoretical and practical insights into the nature of intercultural collaboration as a learning process. The focus on learning was primarily determined by the realisation (from analysis of the eChina-UK data and other studies of intercultural collaboration) that building intercultural competencies required significant attention to individual and group learning. Any practical recommendations and resources developed in Phase 3 of the programme would therefore need to pay attention to how participants managed their learning during an international partnership. Similarly, we might usefully be able to demonstrate how those planning such collaborations could benefit from embedding good learning practices from the outset of their work. The purpose of this paper is to summarise and analyse the findings from the empirical work carried out within this strand of Phase 3 research. I have set out elsewhere the theoretical background to this research and specifically to the development of the learning process model utilised here (Reid 2009a). That model will constitute part of the material available to researchers, managers and other practitioners through the Global People Resource Bank (www.globalpeople.org.uk) developed in Phase 3 of the eChina-UK Programme. None of this work would have been possible without the sustained support and co-operation of our colleagues in the various eChina-UK projects and at our funding body, the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Item Type:	Report
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Applied Linguistics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Intercultural communication -- Research, Learning strategies, Interpersonal relations and culture, Personality and social intelligence
Series Name:	Warwick Occasional Papers in Applied Linguistics
Publisher:	University of Warwick. Centre for Applied Linguistics
Place of Publication:	Coventry
Date:	February 2009
Volume:	No.5
Number of Pages:	28
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Copyright Holders:	Stuart Reid
Funder:	Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Sino-UK e-Learning Programme (eChina-UK), University of Warwick. Centre for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
References:	Banks, S., Bowskill, N. and McConnell, D. (2007a). Research into Intercultural Professional Development for e-Learning. Unpublished Internal Papers, eChina-UK Programme, Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick. Banks, S., McConnell, D. and Bowskill, N. (2007b). The impact of difference in intercultural e-learning: insights from an evaluation of an online Sino-UK course. Unpublished Internal Papers, eChina-UK Programme, Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick. Bowskill, N., McConnell, D. and Banks, S. (2007). Reflective Practices in Collaborative Intercultural e-tutor Teams: A UK-Sino Case Study. Paper presented to the Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education. Brighton, December 2007. Canney Davison, S. and Ward, K. (1999). Leading International Teams. Maidenhead, UK: McGraw Hill. Chen, Z. (2008). Exploring Participatory Design for eLearning Tutor Training: A Process Study of International Collaboration between the UK and China. Unpublished PhD. Thesis, School of Education, University of Nottingham, August 2008. Engestrom, Y. (2001). Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work 14(1): 133–156. Joyes, G. (2006). Bridging cultures in designing for learning: An eChina-UK project case study. Paper presented to the Fifth International Conference on Networked Learning. Lancaster University, 10–12 April 2006. Joyes, G., Hall, C., Chen,Z. and Thang, S.M. (2007). Final eChina-UK Report: eEducator Project. Unpublished Internal Paper, eChina-UK Programme, Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick. Kavanagh, D. and Kelly, S. (2002). Sensemaking, safety, and situated communities in (con)temporary networks. Journal of Business Research (55): 583–594. King, A. (2008). eChina-UK eLearning Programme: Final Report for CUTE 2. Unpublished Internal Paper, eChina-UK Programme, Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick. McConnell, D., Banks, S. and Lally, V. (2007). Developing a collaborative approach to e-Learning design in an intercultural (Sino-UK) project. In Spencer-Oatey, H. (Ed.) e- Learning Initiatives in China: Pedagogy, Policy and Culture. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 175–188. McConnell, D., Bowskill, N. and Banks, S. (2007). Exploring Conceptions of e-learning in Different Cultures: A Phenomenographic Study of UK Higher Education Teachers’ Conceptions of e-Learning. Paper presented to the Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education. Brighton, December 2007. Motteram, G., Forrester, G., Goldrick, S. and McLachlan, A. (2007). Collaborating across boundaries: Managing the complexities of e-Learning courseware production in an international project. In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed.) e-Learning Initiatives in China: Pedagogy, Policy and Culture. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 189–202. Reid, S., Stadler, S. and Spencer-Oatey, H. (2009). Intercultural Effectiveness in Global Education Partnerships. Available at http://www.globalpeople.org.uk/ Reid, S. (2009a). A Learning Process Model for Intercultural Partnerships. Available at http://www.globalpeople.org.uk Spencer-Oatey, H. (2004). Briefing Report for HEFCE Visit to China 11–14 July 2004. Unpublished Internal Paper, eChina-UK Programme, Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick. Spencer-Oatey, H. (2005). Sino-British Collaboration to develop e-Learning Courseware: A Work-in-Progress Report on Overarching Issues. Unpublished Internal Paper, eChina-UK Programme, Centre for Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick. Spencer-Oatey, H. (Ed.) (2007). e-Learning Initiatives in China: Pedagogy, Policy and Culture. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Spencer-Oatey, H. and Tang, M. (2007). Managing collaborative processes in international projects: Programme management perspectives. In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed.) e- Learning Initiatives in China: Pedagogy, Policy and Culture. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 159–174.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3291

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item