UD, McGill students collaborate as virtual team

UD seniors (from left) Sarah Arbaugh, Jessica Chunka, Sarah Reed and Katie Keenan

5:09 p.m., March 23, 2005-- Deborah Andrews’ students learned “Written Communications in Business” firsthand when they completed a virtual project recently with teammates from McGill University in Montreal.

The students used e-mail, blogs and WebCT during the fall semester to study businesses that exist in the U.S. and in Canada--Ben & Jerry’s, Courtyard by Marriott, The Gap, IKEA, Krispy Kreme, Starbucks and Wal-Mart.

Andrews, a professor of English studying partnerships in internationally oriented MBA programs, already knew McGill’s Doreen Starke-Meyerring, an assistant professor researching partnerships in communications instruction. The two hatched the plan for the joint project last summer.

“We both feel it’s critical to enhance our students’ international awareness. This seemed like a win-win project for everyone,” Andrews said.

The students and the professors realized various attitudes and the vagaries of working online instead of on the phone added some kinks to the virtual project. One student groused on RateMyProfessor.com, “What has this got to do with English?”

“I think about that comment a lot, and about how the increasingly global economy, and increasingly mediated forms of communication are changing the playing field for our graduates.’’ Andrews said. “Blogs are one case in point; most of my students had not even heard of blogging when the semester began. Blogs are now increasingly important as communication channels. The landscape for communication is changing radically.”

UD seniors (from left) Carrielyn White, Lindsey Banigan, Dana Grindel and Rebecca McQueen

Andrews said professors need to teach students that communication is not something you do while you manage others; it’s how you manage others.

Allison Brander, a nursing student, said she really enjoyed the project.

“It opened my eyes to many new ways of communicating that I have never thought of using before,’’ she said. “I believe learning how to communicate in nontraditional ways will help me in my career.’’

Andrews and Starke-Meyerring have written a paper detailing the team project.

Article by Kathy Canavan

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