Abstract:

Jazz music was born in America and is performed, created and enjoyed worldwide. In this regard, a team of jazz educators from the United States, South Africa, and Denmark with the shared vision of developing a course which embodies jazz music appreciation, performance, and the exploration of the influences of politics, language, and commerce on the lives of jazz artists, created a globally networked learning environment delivered in a new course during the Fall of 2012.

The course entitled, Jazz! Born in America, Created Internationally, explored the defining characteristic elements of jazz - improvisation, spontaneity, and collaboration. What ensued was a rich learning environment among North Carolina Central University (NCCU), University of South Africa (UNISA), and the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, (RAMA) for undergraduate and graduate students. The course intersected jazz, politics, class and culture in a shared history mirroring the evolution of jazz music.

The successes and challenges for this collaborative online seminar are highlighted in this virtual presentation case study. Each university partner had vastly different organizational structures, students, and class compositions. In addition, course planning, implementation, and delivery required unwavering commitment and cooperation from the twelve-member team. More importantly, the Jazz! Born in America, Created Internationally project, attempted to assess the cultural competencies of students enrolled in the virtual study abroad seminar.

Keywords:

Jazz, Global Classrooms, Internet Instruction, Globally Networked Learning Environments, GNLE