Using an online collaborative project between American and Chinese students to develop ESL teaching skills, cross-cultural awareness and language skills

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools to facilitate second language acquisition and develop English as a second language (ESL) teaching skills and cultural awareness. The paper describes a collaborative online project between students from China and the USA. who communicated using the discussion board and e-mail tools on blackboard for tutoring and learning different aspects of English grammar and for developing culture awareness. Twenty-three American students from an ESL teaching program were paired up with 26 Chinese first-year English majors and tutored them on grammar structures that they selected after analyzing the Chinese students' introductory essays on American life and culture for grammar mistakes. The tutorials addressed specific grammar points and were presented through texts that described different aspects of American culture. The Chinese students used the discussion board and e-mail as well as Skype to communicate with their American partners and at the end of the project wrote a second essay on the same topic which was analyzed for grammar errors by the American students. The results from analyzing the students' postings, essays, and interviews suggest that the two groups benefited in three areas: (1) improving teaching skills through tutoring non-native speakers of English; (2) developing cross-cultural awareness; and (3) improving non-native speakers' language skills. This study demonstrates that CMC can be used to help students from two different countries and two different programs to improve their skills in their field of study and at the same time to develop cross-cultural awareness.