Abstract:

The Global Entrepreneurship (GE) online course was developed by the In2It (Internationalization by Innovative Technologies) EU Erasmus+ team during 2016-2018. Management and Information Systems undergraduate and graduate students from Kingston University of London, Montpellier University of France, and The Academic College of Tel Aviv - Yaffo from Israel were grouped in multicultural virtual teams, aiming to learn entrepreneurial skills through this experience. They were assigned into teams manually, with the criterion to include students from different countries in each team. Their mission was to participate in a short-term virtual Ideation Hackathon. The students never met face-to-face. The course was conducted before (November 2019) and after (November 2020) the outbreak of the pandemic, with different students, but with identical characteristics in both courses: syllabus, activities, technological environment, structure and organization. The course was conducted in English, which was not the mother tongue of most of the participants. The instructors of the course found differences in the attitudes of the students who participated in the courses before and after the pandemic. The psychological and technological barriers that virtual teams perceived before the pandemic seemed to disappear after the lockdowns.

Technology for communication between multicultural virtual team members who are geographically dispersed has existed for more than two decades. The pandemic has suddenly forced every individual, business, educational institute, and community to adopt virtual communications. Distance teaching has become the main teaching method in most schools and higher education institutions worldwide.

We explored the differences in students' perceptions about the course by investigating quantitatively and qualitatively the results of the post-course survey completed at the end of the pre-pandemic course (127 students) and the post-pandemic course (155 students). Several aspects of activities (content, teambuilding process, problem-solving, teamwork, communication within team, and communication with mentors) were analyzed.

The results showed that post-pandemic students expressed more positive emotions than pre-pandemic students. They demonstrate a more positive attitude towards teamwork and their peers and appreciate the collaborative work. This can be explained by the change that happened in the entire world because of the enforced lockdowns and social distancing. Students were eager to meet and work with other students. The GE course helped to break the isolation enforced by the lockdowns. Our study found fewer technical problems and no difficulties connecting in 2020 than before. Technology acceptance is enhanced in crisis situations when students have no other choice. The sudden situation forced everybody to change their habits and, thus, get used to the technology.

This experience shows how the work of teachers is changing. Setting up a course of this kind requires great coordination between teaching teams: before, during, and after the lesson. The job of a university teacher is becoming more collaborative and less solitary. The pandemic opened a door to increase international virtual cooperation between students and teachers, which can be a big stimulation to perform multicultural projects without the need for special budgets or mobility.

Keywords:

Virtual teams, international, Erasmus, COVID-19.