Distributed experimental learning: the Hong Kong-Netherlands project

As we prepare for the world of the future, it becomes imperative that we give students the experience of working in multi-cultural distributed teams. In order to gain experience in this area, a project between ten teams of students from the City University of Hong Kong and the Eindhoven University of Technology was initiated. A variety of group support technologies, primarily GroupSystems, were used to provide support for the teams as they learned to work together. This paper documents experiences from the Hong Kong-Netherlands project. Data collected on the process are reported and discussed. Strident response was enthusiastic with high levels of perceived learning. Lessons learned underscored the importance of focus on team building preceding project initiation.