This paper is the intellectual property of the author(s). It was presented at EDUCAUSE '99, an EDUCAUSE conference, and is part of that conference's online proceedings. See http://www.educause.edu/copyright.html for additional copyright information.

Wake Forest University chooses a theme for each academic year and offers a series of speakers, events and activities centered around the topic. The theme for 1998-99 was Globalization and Diversity and my colleague Dr. Hank Kennedy and I offered a first year seminar on the subject of Globalization and the State.

Our ten students were able to take advantage of that year's on campus programs, but we wanted to do more to broaden the perspectives to which they would be exposed. We sought the help of the Alumni Affairs office in recruiting alumni in different countries to participate electronically in the course using a web-based discussion forum. We also "brought in" guest experts by using video and teleconferences.

The first year seminar presents the perfect opportunity to move students away from a passive learning model to one that engages them in more active learning roles. We sought to have students be more interactive both orally in classes and in written forms outside of class. We also wanted to create a situation where student interaction wasn't restricted to a couple of in class sessions per week.

Globalization is creating dramatic changes in the world. We wanted students to be able to analyze them from more than just an American perspective and as a consequence we wanted to expose them to thoughts from people in different countries.

We tried several different technology applications in the course.

1. Web page for course

First, we created a web site for the course using a template design that had been created at the University. The web site was used as a repository for an updated version of the course syllabus and for our class discussion forum. By having the discussion on the web site we enabled alumni and guest participants from outside the university to access it.

2. Asynchronous discussion forum

We used our discussion forum for several different purposes. First, the professors posted questions prior to classes that students were required to answer. Later in the course we began to have students comment on each others answers. This discourse seemed to help stimulate in-class discussion. As soon as class started the professors were able to pick up where the discussion forum left off and delve more deeply into issues. The forum also permitted students to raise their own questions, both of the professors and each other. Our alumni participants who came from Bolivia, England, Czech Republic, Cameroon and the United States were able to access the discussion forum, read and provide feedback on questions and comment on student answers.

3. Videoconferences and teleconferences

During the semester we began to expand on the idea of enabling student interaction with outside participants. We began to use videoconferences and teleconferences to expose students to leading experts in various subjects covered in the course. We relied on Dr. Kennedy's personal contacts and then arranged to have the available for a conference during class hours. The experts would provide an overview of the issues associated with the subject and would then interact with the students via questions and answers. The students seemed particularly attentive during the videoconferences, especially when the guest would call on them with questions.

4. Student web pages

Students were also expected to use technology as part of their class assignments. Their final project was to develop a web site which gave their own impressions about where globalizing trends would lead over the next twenty-five years. At first, the students were a little reticent because they had not had experience building sites. After they finished their assignments they seemed quite proud that they had been able to do it.

Dr. Kennedy has been teaching at Wake Forest for fifteen years and he observed that this had been the most participative group of students he had experienced during that time. Indeed, the in class discussion seemed to pick up in relation to the quality of the out of class interaction on the discussion forum. Student reviews at the end of the course also pointed to the interactive quality of the course as a plus.

We did not have a convenient way to solicit participation from alumni participants, but were fortunate to receive excellent assistance from Bob Mills in University

Advancement. To enable wider use of alumni an easier method to contact those interested in participating in particular fields would be necessary. The faculty members teaching the course also need to take extra steps to keep the alumni informed about what is happening in the course and how they can contribute.

The alumni do not have the benefit of attending the class and building a rapport with the students, and the faculty members need to communicate effectively with the alumni to keep them interested and provide them with a better sense of how they can contribute.

Proper use of the class discussion forum enabled students to think about the issues they would be reviewing in the next class. It also permitted the faculty members to see in advance what perspectives students had on issues, which helped in shaping in-class discussion. Students who were shy about speaking in class were able given another forum where they could contribute.

A significant unanticipated outcome was the opportunity for students to begin to network with alumni and other experts. Indeed, we even saw this same phenomenon among the alumni and experts themselves.

Technology can be applied to bring new and wider perspectives into the classroom. Alumni and outside experts can enrich interactions using relatively simple, cost effective communications technologies.

This paper will be included in an upcoming book on interactive learning being edited by Dr. David Brown of Wake Forest University.