International initiative

In 1996, students from Monash University, Indiana University and the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) participated in a joint communication project using e-mail. The groups were of diverse cultural backgrounds and ranged from freshmen to mature age students. The international initiative was a valuable lesson in intercultural and computer-mediated communication. While Monash students discovered the limits of technology, the US students were thrilled to use it and found technology to influence intercultural perceptions. This paper explains the nature of the assignment from the vantage point of each group of students and briefly sketches some learning outcomes.