Scott Dicks, Erin Fitzpatrick, and Chad Simon this week met Avinash Chandiramani, Salil Jayakar, and Ruhi Khan from Mumbai University in India, having known them only “virtually” since January.
The economics students have been collaborating on a project using Blackboard distance learning software to create a “virtual classroom” with message boards, email, and instant messaging.
The Indian students arrived this week to join their Union counterparts for the Steinmetz Symposium. The group will present their research paper and Powerpoint presentation – both developed completely on-line – titled “Global Financial Crises: A Comparative Study of East Asia and India” on Friday from 2 to 3:20 p.m. in Social Sciences 104.
“This project is a model for distance learning technology on a liberal arts campus,” advisor Eshragh Motahar said.