Providing training in GSD by using a virtual environment
PROFES'12 Proceedings of the 13th international conference on Product-Focused Software Process Improvement
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Virtual collaboration requires competencies such as effective communication, and the ability to build trust and understanding to create a community with common aims. Virtual collaboration with other cultures also requires development of intercultural competence. Individuals need to understand cultural differences that determine behaviour, successful teamwork and outcomes. They must also be able to notice, reflect and critically analyse, and be aware of their own cultural identity, beliefs and assumptions. Research has identified issues that can arise in global virtual collaboration. This paper discusses these issues and the integration of Second Life to enhance virtual collaborative projects. It explores the advantages of avatar-based human interaction and experiences that enable engagement in real-time realistic activities, and using the interaction and experiences to develop virtual collaboration competencies, including intercultural competence. Based on trialling student exchanges in an intercultural competence course, technical and pedagogical issues relating to competence development are discussed, along with the relevance to computer sciences, and possible inter-disciplinary collaboration to facilitate the development of intercultural competence.