International online management education courses: A study of participation patterns

Universities are increasingly involved in international online classes. While such classes provide unique opportunities for students to engage in learning experiences with students of other countries and other cultures, early research on the efficacy of such courses has shown cultural participation differences. In an effort to measure participation in an international online course, ten online discussion groups in a university-level management course were followed for 12 weeks. After 6 weeks, German university students were added to the groups, but only participated in seven of the ten groups. Results showed that groups with German students increased discussion participation during the second 6-week period. Nevertheless, discussion increases were less than expected. A number of suggestions are presented to improve international online classes.