Outreach

Internationalizing a Journalism Curriculum Using Distance Education Technology: A Pilot Project Between Lebanese American University and the University of Missouri-Columbia

October 26-29, 1999, Beirut, Lebanon

— by Magda Abu-Fadil (Lebanese American Univeristy) and Roger Gafke (University of Missouri-Columbia)

Principles of Distance Education

Educators have been using aspects of distance education for decades — textbooks and articles, films, radio, television and the telephone — to connect their students with scholars elsewhere. Until recently, most of the communications has been one-way — scholar-to-student. The development of computer-based, text, graphic, voice and video communications has changed that - enabling educators to have live, immediate and interactive relationships with students in distant locations. (Kamper)

Most studies show positive effects on students of computer-based instruction (Kulik). Educators believe the computer-aided instruction makes it easier for them to accommodate various student learning styles. (Gafke, 1999) (Chickering) They believe students take greater responsibility for their learning. (McCombs) They believe the World Wide Web and e-mail communications enrich their relationships with their students. (Sandell) They believe these technologies increase student participation in class activities. (Benoit)

Using computer-aided instruction effectively requires a plan that takes into account the shortcomings of the technology as well as its promise. (Gillespie) Simply using the technology because it is there does not ensure learning. (Najjar). It requires a systematic education plan. (Welsh) Faculty must find ways to introduce as much social interaction as possible, a critical element in traditional teaching. (Rangecroft) They must recognize that e-mail exchanges can be misunderstood, given the absence of the non-verbal cues that are present in face-to-face communication.

Much of the recent focus by proponents of these technologies has been to reach students in locations away from the main campus and unable to attend a course in person. Administrators see the technologies as means of reaching other students, bringing in additional tuition revenue or keeping up with the competition. (Sedlack, Cartwright) The technology can also be used to acquire faculty resources for students enrolled in traditional, on-campus programs. (Schnell, Davis) That was the purpose of this pilot project - to add an international component to the experience of students in traditional reporting and news writing courses.

By suggesting that educators employ distance education technology as a step in internationalizing a journalism program, we do not intend to diminish the complexity of the task. Transforming the focus of a journalism program can require extensive changes to many parts of a program - recruitment of faculty and students, curriculum and related media operations.(Martindale)

Nevertheless, distance education technologies have promise in the area of cultural awareness and training (Binde). Scholars have identified several factors that facilitate effective intercultural communications.(Dean, Popp) They include the ability to work with other people different from oneself, to deal with unfamiliar situations, to handle communications misunderstanding and to adapt to change in lifestyle. Successful cultural diversity training programs provide for a transfer from lessons to real-world situations. (Adams) Thus, a reporting activity in which students are teamed with students at a distant university to undertake a joint reporting project appears to provide the students experience in several of the areas critical to functioning successfully in another culture. This paper describes a small step toward that goal.

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