ABSTRACT

This anthology master thesis includes three different investigations produced by three different authors with the purpose of investigating how information communication technology (ICT) influences three different learning and working scenarios and vice versa. The three investigated topics are construction of learning environment, interdisciplinary teaching and collaboration, and intercultural communication in an ICT setting.
With a common social construction paradigm platform, qualitative methods and data, and with ICT as the common focus point, the three investigations have the following conclusions:

1. The main themes in the first part are ICT, interdisciplinary education and collaboration, and how these three topics affect one another in an interdisciplinary project-based work in a virtual environment. Qualitative methods are used to study how the interdisciplinary concept is used in relation to course teaching and the increasing demand for interdisciplinary education. The study shows how the participants collaborate on interdisciplinary projects and the impact of ICT on the learning outcome. The study shows that interdisciplinary education as a concept is interpreted in different ways, but is used in a way which is suitable for the course, and that a productive project work, demands a high amount of interaction and collaboration among the participants.

2. The starting point for the second part is a hypothesis that the space of reference being constructed in class settings in Adobe Connect supports learning. The investigation concludes that students as well as teachers construct space in Adobe Connect, but the preliminary hypothesis can not be confirmed. It is assumed, that the cause of non-confirmation can merely be found in the different learning views in between the data and the analysis frame.

3. Via a praxis theoretical approach, the part on intercultural communication investigates a
videoconference knowledge sharing session, between India and Denmark in an international company. By using an intercultural communication analyzing model the study shows that cultural forehand-understandings in regards to own and others’ cultures play a central role when interacting in an international environment. Amongst others a key finding, is the different perception of time among different cultures and the power that lies within time.

The main purpose of combining the three independent studies into one anthology project has been to take advantage of the benefits of a group work process. Further, it has been to every author’s advantage to focus on his or her own preferred focus area. On the other hand, the balance between these two has also been the challenging part during the entire work process.