Realizing that not every student can afford to study abroad, Georgia College (GC) purchased videoconferencing equipment to foster cultural exchanges. The exchanges discussed in this article are a result of a successful precursor event in 2011 with a university in Valladolid, Spain. Armed with knowledge and ideas gained from the previous event, the professor at GC reached out to a former GC student who is currently teaching in China to measure her level of interest in such a cultural exchange. The latter enthusiastically agreed to participate in videoconferencing cultural exchanges in the spring of 2012. The two organizers (in China and the United States) also agreed to involve students in a voluntary e-mail exchange. This decision came from students’ reports from the 2011 pilot exchange in which students reported that they were barely introduced to the other students’ culture in the single exchange. These students recommended something like Facebook or e-mail communication to add value to the 1-hour experience. Because China does not have access to Facebook, several students voluntarily exchanged e-mails. Students expressed any preferences as to the gender of exchange partners and the professor in China handled the initial e-mail introductions.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY OF THE EXCHANGE

Students in the GC International Marketing Strategy course and those from Shantou University, in the English Language Center, of China along with their professors experienced two cultural exchanges across the electronic media known as Skype. Participating GC students (47) were predominantly citizens of the United States, with only four members from Spain, one from Portugal, and one from Venezuela. The students in China were all Chinese.

Students in the United States participating in these series of cultural exchanges are typically known as millennials; they have grown up with technology and are extremely comfortable using tools such as Skype; thus, for them, this was a great and interesting way to share and learn despite frustrating technical difficulties in the first exchange. Many expressed the wish that technical problems had not caused lost time as they had so many questions that went unasked. However, the second exchange went flawlessly and all students appeared more satisfied.

Going into the Skype sessions, the U.S. students had no idea what to expect about the Chinese students, their college, or life in China. Thus, the only knowledge of their Chinese counterparts came from their own preconceived ideas formed from media and other external sources. Based on the less than successful experiences of the pilot exchange in 2011, which was highly structured by the professors involved; the next China/United States exchanges were purposefully unstructured in an attempt to let the students manage the information shared in the exchanges. As the students learned together, they laughed and chatted and fears of the unknown appeared to melt away. The students in the United States were required to write a paper on the experience about similarities and differences, and note whether their preconceived ideas about China were correct. They quickly discovered that the Chinese are not as different as they had suspected. Students in the United States reported that they were surprised how much they were like the students in China. In this article, the good, the bad, and the ugly experiences in the exchanges are revealed.

Our Bad (United States)

As many in the United States typically do, we immediately started asking the questions and looking for answers. After receiving correspondence from the professor in China, we realized that our cultural background had led us down the wrong path. Thus, for the second session we corrected our mistake and waited for the students in China to ask the questions. By the second exchange most students were more familiar with the process and the conversation began with great enthusiasm yet with the students in the United States admittedly having difficulty in restraining the urge to be in charge of the conversation. So, now knowing the bad, what are the good and the ugly?

The Good: A Matter of Perspective

The good came when U.S. students recognized some of their differences in perspective and lifestyles are born out of paradigms. For example, students in China reported living in a small city for China (5-plus million). The U.S. students laughed when they heard this and shared that their town’s population was less than 42,000. It was at this point that the U.S. students realized that even size is a matter of worldview. It was also found that many similarities such as the love of music and choices of television shows existed across cultures. It was also discovered that students in both countries had a desire for the same technologies; however, for many students in China, unlike most in the United States, owning an iPhone and/or iPad was not feasible. It was also remarked by students in the United States that the clothing worn by the students in China looked so much like what they wear. The good also came from the value added by these exchanges to the lives of the college students as they opened their minds to others once perceived to be not like them.

When Ugly Morphs Into Good

Good can also come from ugly. For example, on the U.S. side of the conversation, some students in the class held many negative attitudes about China. Many of these attitudes were formed by media exposure and based on products sold in discount stores that are manufactured in China. After these sessions, remarks from U.S. students such as the following shed light onto the positive attitude change brought about through the Skype cultural exchange.

A week ago our class had the opportunity to Skype with some students from China. The students were those of a colleague of our professor’s, and I gained so much from getting a chance to speak with them. Going into the meeting with these Chinese students I was going through all the typical stereotypes that Chinese people are associated with. Things such as: nerdy, very uptight, and male superiority. However, after speaking with these bright, young students all of my ignorance was broken down, and a new respect for the Chinese replaced it.

Another student remarked,

This was a great addition to our international class. I have never had the opportunity to travel to China and it was interesting being able to ask questions and learn hands on from real people the same age as myself.

Another stated,

This has been a very rewarding activity for me this semester, because of my lack of knowledge about international culture, students, and the international marketplace coming into these types of activities and coming out I have a whole new array of perspectives, a newfound respect for my fellow international students, and a wealth of knowledge about the everyday lives of students and teachers abroad.

Although there are many other good comments, an ugly moment was experienced that, instead of turning into a good experience, quickly fell into silence and dismissal. When politics became part of the conversation, a tension was felt in the room in the United States. As reported by one student,

the conversation turned towards politics and the differences in etiquette began to be apparent. While they were very open to talk to us about their views of government and politics, when they questioned us on the same issues our students were more timid to respond. We explained how many US citizens have strong views on these issues, but usually keep them to themselves or share only with close family and friends.

The international students in the United States did not join in the conversation at this point as it centered on U.S. and China politics. The political conversation became awkward and students in the United States quickly moved the discussion to a more generalized one and then abandoned it altogether. Many students in the United States hold various political views, but are often reluctant to engage in open debates as they do not want to build walls between them and their friends. It is the U.S. professor’s belief, based on comments from the students, that they also did not want to be openly in disagreement about politics especially in front of people from other countries. This might be interpreted as a nationalistic moment for the students where country pride was more important than open discussion that would have enlightened the students in China on the American political process.

FUTURE EXCHANGE EXPECTATIONS

The above are a few examples of the impacts of these cultural exchange sessions from the perspective of students in the United States. Several students have continued their communications with their newfound friends from China through e-mail.

Based on pedagogy showing that students’ self-efficacy is enhanced through engaged learning experiences, the university is actively seeking opportunities to engage students in future virtual exchanges. These steps are in their infancy for the College of Business at the university in the United States. However, they have reportedly added value to lessons learned in the classroom and have inspired several students to study abroad and to open their minds to other cultures.

Thus, it is this professor’s ultimate goal to bring students face-to-face with individuals from other cultures to increase understanding of individual, local, national, and business cultures around the world. These are the first steps in the process of moving students from secondary information receivers to personally informed learners, to develop informed individuals better able to conduct business in a global society based on multiple sources of knowledge.

Dr. Sams teaches undergraduate and graduate students in courses such as marketing research, international business, advanced marketing, and international marketing. Her research and teaching focus on sustainability, culture, and corporate social responsibility across the globe. She has authored multiple journal articles and conference proceedings on global issues and in international journals and conferences.