Internationalization at a Distance

This article explores how part-time students in an online international management course perceived various features of the course-learning design and whether international perspectives were built into their learning experiences. The focus of the study was on cross-cultural differences across groups of learners in the United Kingdom, in other European countries, and in Russia and studying the course in different languages. Using a mixed-method approach, the study’s results challenge the distinction between “internationalization at home” and “internationalization away” perspectives on curricula, due to growing numbers of students studying online from their home countries. Study participants reported high degrees of engagement with international perspectives, but their experience can be best described as “internationalization at a distance,” where traditional campus-based acculturation effects were not observed. The article concludes with a discussion of opportunities for management educators to develop a “glocal” approach to online course curriculum design, intentionally blending global perspectives with locally relevant knowledge and managerial skills.