Book chapter Open Access 1 Citations

Cultural Awareness and Distance Communication

Cunha, Suzana Noronha , Chorão, Graça Bigotte , Silva, Manuel Moreira , Ribeiro, Sandra

ISLA — Instituto Politécnico de Gestão e Tecnologia

Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, 2020 Published by: IGI Global

Resume

Abstract

This chapter reflects upon technology-mediated projects used to discuss and foster cultural awareness and proposes a methodology to be implemented in international, educational environments where communication could easily be hindered by cultural dissimilarities leading to conflict. More specifically, it seeks to answer two main questions, namely, whether technology is an aid or an obstacle in effective communication between students that never meet face-to-face and which obstacles, generated by technology-mediated communication in virtual teams, affect the intended outcome and how. These questions were raised during the participation of the authors of the chapter over a number of years in the Trans-Atlantic & Pacific Project, where the complex process of learning-by-doing was achieved through peer interaction and the completion of realistic collaborative activities performed by North American and Portuguese students, prospect technical writers, and translators, respectively.