In the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, students in some business administration seminars have written and researched their final papers in an unusual collaboration--working with students taking the same course 5,000 miles away.

The course, "Seminar on Organizations," was designed and is taught at UD by Prof. John Kmetz as an experiment in high-tech international business study. The same course material is covered in a class at the State University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, taught by a professor there.

When it comes time for the students to write their culminating research paper, they form cross-cultural teams that collaborate on the research, writing and presentation via e-mail and the Internet. Students set up e-groups to communicate, post their first drafts and revise, edit and consolidate their work online.

Kmetz first tried out the concept in the spring 2001 semester and says it's been successful.

"The students have a great experience," he says. "Both groups have the opportunity to hear from their counterparts on all sorts of business and management issues and to get the perspective of the other culture."