What are the requirements, changes, and adaptations in basic design methodologies that are required for learning across borders?

Dr. Kumiko Aoki: Implementing learning across borders needs to take many issues into consideration: differences in educational systems, differences in learning culture, differences in students' motivations, differences in instructional styles, differences in expectations one can have towards students, and needless to say, differences in the languages of instruction.

There is no single, universal formula that can be applied in designing learning across borders. But in order to facilitate learning across borders, one must know the above- mentioned differences well. Things that are taken for granted in one culture may not be applied in another.

To use ICT to implement learning across borders, one must know the basic ITC infrastructure in the country, in the school, and in the classroom. In addition, one must have basic information about students' literacy skills and the basic learning environment most students are in.

Would you please describe an example of a successful learning design of courses that use ICT for promoting intercultural dialogue?

Dr. Kumiko Aoki: In my project, I've worked with classes in different countries to assign students collaborative group activities. Students learn a great deal from one another by interacting, communicating, and collaborating using ICT tools. I don't think implementing teacher-centered learning will work, especially in promoting intercultural dialogue.

Teachers have to give students a basic framework so that they will be aware of what to pay attention to in intercultural situations and know how to behave appropriately in unexpected encounters.

In today's world, regardless of the country students are in, they are pretty adept at using social networking tools. I believe that using tools with which most students are familiar will be the basic requirement in promoting intercultural dialogue through ICT.

What opportunities can successful cross-border learning provide for intercultural learning and what are the challenges?

Dr. Kumiko Aoki: The opportunities successful cross-border learning can provide for intercultural learning are limitless. At this age of globalization, intercultural learning is necessary for any student to function successfully in the society after graduation. Intercultural dialogue and learning can occur at any level, even outside classrooms and schools now that global networking is so ubiquitous in our everyday lives.

However, in order for students to develop their intercultural competencies, a proper framework needs to be given, as do abundant opportunities to interact across borders. Students will not learn to be interculturally competent through obtaining knowledge of other countries, but through their own experience interacting with people across borders.

It also facilitates students' reflection on their own values and customs. Challenges of cross-border learning are institutional barriers to organize such activities. An educational institution has many rules and regulations that often prevent us from organizing successful activities for students' intercultural learning.

Another major challenge is the logistic burden an instructor of such a class has to bear in planning, coordinating, organizing, implementing, and evaluating the learning activities. It is often very difficult to visualize and quantify actual learning outcomes of intercultural learning activities. Innovative approaches to assess intercultural learning need to be devised to truly facilitate intercultural dialogue in educational settings.

What impact do you expect cross-border learning to have on education?

Dr. Kumiko Aoki: In Europe, cross-border learning seems to be spreading already. Students can go to different schools in different countries to take classes that can be counted towards their graduation.

I don't believe one institution will dominate the provision of education across borders as was discussed several years ago when people started to talk about the possibility that a few well-known institutions would take over the huge global education market. Many institutions in different countries will not only collaborate in exchanges involving their students and faculty members but will also offer classes jointly through ICT so that students can benefit from cross-border learning.

I think the future model of cross-border learning will put students in the center even more. Students will choose tools and activities for cross-border learning that will suit their need to develop the well-grounded intercultural competences they view as required for their future careers.