In 1998 the Department of Marketing at The Aarhus School of Business together with five other European universities2 participated in an EU supported project with the aim of teaching Cross-Cultural marketing in a virtual cross cultural learning environment.

The basic idea behind the project was that the learning of Cross-cultural marketing could benefit by the construction of a virtual environment in which students and teachers from different cultures could exchange experiences. At the outset of the project it was also recognised, however, that the inherent characteristics of the subject of Cross-Cultural Marketing, potentially represented an obstacle to the success of the programme.

The virtual environment consisted of an electronic classroom containing course description, information on Open Distance Learning (ODL), lectures, groups, plenum discussion, informal meeting place, and library. The teaching was conducted by the Marketing Department at the Aarhus School of Business. The ten lectures consisted of Power Point slides and cases. We intended the learning process to be a combination of self-study (bibliography and lectures) and exchange of views in groups and plenum. Twice a week the tutor was on-line for discussion and questions.

At the end of the project a questionnaire was distributed to all students. The most important finding was that students with previous experience in group based teaching gained the most from the project. Among the respondents there was also a broad consensus as to the question whether an introductory face-to-face meeting of students and tutors, at one or more occasions, would have improved the quality of the teaching programme. Other important findings from the survey will be presented at the Cross Cultural Marketing conference in Cancun.

Presentation of the Virtual Student Mobility Project

The Virtual Student Mobility (VSM) programme[iii] is an EU (SOKRATES) supported pilot project which had a two-year duration - from 1996 to 1998. Lancaster University operated as both overall co-ordinator and as partner in the project and the other partners were respectively the University of Porto, Luiss University Rome, Athens University of Economics and Business, Groupe ESC Lyon, and The Aarhus School of Business.

The overall intention of the VSM project was to provide the non-mobile EU students with the opportunity to become virtually mobile by creating six cross-cultural virtual learning environments on the Internet which the students from the participating universities could attend[iv]. The one semester modules were all on economics and business from various perspectives, but they were taught differently in different EU cultures so that students may be exposed to up to six different European cultures. They were all at master level and the students were able to obtain ECTS credits just like in any other exchange programme. The teaching materials and resources (e.g. lecture input, reading lists, case-studies, tutorials, questions, etc.) were provided on-line, and even tests and examinations were made available via the Internet. The communication in the modules was intended to be based on dialogues amongst students and tutors via the use of computer-conferencing (Lotus Notes). The underlying assumption of using computer conferencing was that it has the potential of producing open communities, not just regarding access, but in the sense of open-ended interpretation, active communication, negotiation, and communicative action.

Another aim of the project was to evaluate the organisational obstacles to using its approach to ODL and how they may be overcome. The cross-cultural elements of the programme worked at two levels: The contact between tutors and students took place in the virtual settings and the project management also had a conference on the Internet dedicated to co-ordinating activities, evaluation of student and staff experience, planning of workshops, etc. The students never met, whereas the project management held three workshops during the project.

Presentation of Cross Cultural Marketing as Open Distance Learning

The intentions of the Aarhus module "Cross Cultural Marketing" were among other things to:

· Provide the students with an understanding of the problem-solving process of international marketing by looking at marketing from a cross-cultural perspective.

· To make the students familiar with topics like cross-cultural consumer behaviour and market research, international marketing strategies, company and culture, international product policy and distribution, cross-cultural communication and advertising, and international relations and negotiations.

· To make the students work together in cross-cultural groups thus exchanging ideas and opinions on marketing based on their national backgrounds.

· The assessment was intended to be based upon weekly responses on the web, coursework assessment (in groups) and a final individual report.

The virtual environment consisted of an electronic classroom containing course description, information on Open Distance Learning (ODL), lectures, groups, plenum discussion, informal meeting place, and library. In the pedagogical design we wanted to encourage two-way communication by including discussion forums and the student café.

The module received 23 applications; 18 from Athens, 4 from Lancaster, and 1 from Lyon. The uneven distribution of students had serious implications for the original intention of cross-cultural collaboration and exchange of experiences. The module ended up by consisting of Athens students only and the activity in the discussion forums on the Internet was scarce. Many students selected the module because of the cross-cultural elements and thus ironically they dropped out of the course due to lack of cross-cultural co-operation. These phenomena are owing to both pedagogical and organisational aspects which will be discussed in detail below. The remaining students (Greek) were individualists who did not show any interest in group work, therefore the group assessment part had to be left out of the evaluation. The student drop-out number was generally high, but the students who passed the exam managed very well.

Research Methodology

Data on tutor and student experience was collected locally after the termination of the one semester modules and co-ordinated by Lancaster University. Furthermore, in order to assess the obstacles and the costs and benefits of the ODL projects to the participating institutions data was gathered via workshops and questionnaires.

Due to the difficulties the institutions faced regarding the recruitment of students for the project only 46 students took part in the VSM experience and completed their studies. The response rate of the student questionnaires was 37 % (17 out of 46 students), the onset of summer holidays probably influencing the number of responses[v]. Thus the results can in no way be said to be significant.

Host > Sender V	AArhus	Athens	Lancaster	* Lyon	*LUISS	Porto	Total sent out
Aarhus	-	4	1	1	-	2	8
Athens	18	-	2	-	-	4	24
Lancaster	4	-	-	-	-	2	6
Lyon	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
LUISS	-	-	-	-	-	2	2
Porto	-	-	5	-	-	-	5
Total received	23	4	8	1	0	10	46
Applicn.	24	4	12	2	0	11	59
Q'aire Returns	3	4	4	1	0	5	17

Results: Student Experience

Students sent out/received

Table 1 shows the numbers of students sent out from and received by each partner institution.

Table 1: VSM Students sent out/received

* Provided in languages other than English.

	Aarhus	Athens	Lancaster	Lyon	LUISS	Porto	Total
Very much	1	-	1	1	-	4	7
OK	1	-	3	-	-	1	5
Not much	1	4	-	-	-	-	5

Student gratification

Table 2 shows the student gratification ratio distributed among the 17 respondents.

Table 2: How have you enjoyed participating in this type of course?

Table 3. Which of the following aspects made this an effective learning experience for you? Indicate all aspects you felt had an influence:

ODL as a learning experience

	Aarhus	Athens	Lancast.	Lyon	LUISS	Porto	Total
I was able to study at my own pace	3	-	3	1	-	1	8
I was able to study when it suited me	2	-	4	1	-	2	9
The courses contained all the information I needed	-	-	3	-	-	3	6
I like sharing information in the discussion conferences	1	-	1	-	-	1	3
The discussion conferences gave me the info. I needed	-	-	2	-	-	1	3

If we look more closely at the various factors constituting an ODL course the students were asked about the aspects which made ODL an effective learning experience.

The table indicates that, for VSM students, the aspects which most contributed to the effectiveness of the learning experience were the individualistic factors such as being able to work at one's own pace, when one wants to, rather than the collective aspects of the discussion conferences. The discussion conferences contributed less to the course effectiveness in the students' perceptions. This point is central to the overall intention of the project, which was to provide students with the same benefits of cultural immersion, as with physical mobility, without living abroad by means of the cross-cultural communication in the conferences. The findings suggest that discussion conferences may have limited value to students who prefer to operate as instrumental distance learners rather than immersing themselves in a cross-cultural dialogue through the media of computer conferencing[vii] The findings also support the general assumption among ODL researchers that the type of student likely to be successful in distance education settings are students who are more independent, who are highly motivated, and who exhibit a high degree of personal self-efficacy[viii]

However, one may speculate as to whether the students' perception of the discussion conferences as ineffective has more to do with the structuring and the pedagogical planning of the use of the conferences than with disinclination to use them as cross-cultural communication channels. In fact many students expressed the need for more discussion and activity in the questionnaires. However, the general tendency was scarce communication in the discussion conferences. The section on pedagogical aspects below will discuss these matters more thoroughly.

The following table contributes to the understanding of the factors which, according to the students, made the VSM experience a less effective learning experience.

Table 4: Which of the following aspects made this a less effective learning experience for you? Indicate all aspects you felt had an influence:

	Aarhus	Athens	Lancaster	Lyon	LUISS	Porto	Total
It was hard to find enough time to participate adequately	1	-	3	-	-	-	4
I felt isolated	1	-	-	1	-	-	2
I needed more support and encouragement to learn efficiently	-	4	1	1	-	2	8
The course did not include the information I needed	1	4	-	1	-	1	7
The discussion conference did not give me the info. I needed	1	4	2	1	-	-	8

The table clearly shows that lack of sufficient information, whether supplied by the web or via the discussion conference, was the main factor contributing to the lack of learning effectiveness experienced. Therefore, apart from the technical difficulties using the Lotus Notes discussion software which will be discussed later, other interesting conclusions can be made from the survey regarding the effectiveness of the ODL learning approach in a cross-cultural setting:

· apparently, the tutors lacked the facilitation skills to make better use of the conferences.

· Apparently, the students were not properly introduced to the new way of learning and communicating, including thorough local instruction to using the Lotus Notes conferencing software.

· Apparently, different teaching/learning cultures at the different partner institutions militated against collective discussions in some cases.

As to the third point, experiences from the Aarhus vs. Athens cultural encounter e.g. showed that the Athens students were generally more individualistic making it very difficult to encourage group communication. The communication in "Cross Cultural Marketing" therefore basically consisted of individual e-mails. This was also the case in Athens' own module in which no discussion conferences existed. The Danish students therefore decided to work collectively in a very well-organised way while expressing the Know-All - attitude and the "professional accuracy" which are typical traits of the Danish national character[ix] in their communication with the Greek tutor. The Danish students managed the course very successfully due to their close co-operation.

Concludingly, the study of the students' experience of the VSM project suggests that ODL modules are a viable way to study abroad and receive academic credit. However, institutions wishing to encourage such opportunities must attend to the technical and administrative difficulties and even more importantly to the facilitative skills of the teaching staff. Institutions should not assume that a tutor skilled at face to face teaching will necessarily be able to transfer those skills to electronic media even when these offer the possibility of group discussion.

The very factors which make ODL modules effective (i.e. individuals can work at their own pace and time) mean that interaction will be at least asynchronous and disjointed and sometimes may cease inexplicably causing general consternation and anxiety amongst all would-be participants. The emotional highs and lows of this form of educational process should not be under-estimated, especially where group conferences are regarded as a major vehicle for teaching and learning. Therefore, if institutions want to make VSM a cultural as well as a distance learning experience they will have to pay more attention to the design of electronic learning environments and the facilitation skills of the tutors. However, other factors such as e.g. administrative and organisational differences among the European cultures also play a major role in the facilitation of ODL as a cross cultural learning experiment.

Results: Staff/Organisational Experience

Three main themes tended to be predominant as regards the experiences of the VSM institutions:

· Technical

· Pedagogical

· Administrative

The observations below are based upon the questionnaires (qualitative, open-ended) from Lancaster to each institution including matters such as obstacles to and costs of producing the modules, questions to tutors about positive and negative aspects of teaching in the ODL fashion compared to ordinary face-to-face lectures, and questions about the institutions' dissemination plans, etc.

Technical aspects

It is not the intention of this paper to go into details about technical matters, but instead consider the matters concerning technology which are important seen from a cross-cultural perspective. One of the ideas about the VSM project was that a common technological platform should provide a way of sharing development effort and was also the best way to ensure easy access to the various modules for staff and students in all institutions. The conferencing- and database system Lotus Notes[x] was chosen by Lancaster as the common communication platform for the project. However, it turned out that only three partners managed to make Lotus Notes work and to integrate the system into the tutoring and project management work process. Therefore the technical, organisational and educational co-operation via the Internet did not work out as originally intended and the communication with the three partners which did not use Lotus Notes had to take place by fax, telephone, and bilateral e-mail.

The VSM partners basically faced the same technical problems which had to be overcome:

· The main reason for the disinclination to use Lotus Notes was that the programme required a substantial amount of system administrator support which was felt to be particularly cumbersome and expensive by the countries of the "less-favoured" regions of the EU. Instead they made use of existing systems.

· The unexpected amount of e- mail inquiries from students about technical and administrative matters concerning partners' courses reduced the time left for cross-cultural co-operation via Lotus Notes.

· Generally, the amount of support, be it technical, administrative, or pedagogical, was under-estimated by most partners.