Abstract
The role of the World Wide Web in English education is increasing significantly. As a result, a collaborative learning environment where students are cast in the role of both student and teacher has developed. This paper reports on a study that examined the cultural dimension of e-mail correspondence between Japanese junior college students and their fellow correspondents throughout the world. In this keypal project, students identified their own keypals who shared similar interests and were free to converse about any topic. The instructor's role was to answer student's questions, as opposed to correcting their errors. It should be noted that student's questions were asked and answered in English using a class email list provided by the instructor as part of the course environment. The students shared cultural information they learned from their keypals with their classmates using the list. At the end of the course, the students were required to write a report describing cultural information learned from their keypals and reflect on their overall experience. The instructor evaluated student performance based on a student's commitment to the project as expressed in their effort to communicate with their keypals in English. It can be concluded from the study that the keypal project served as a stimulus to better cross-cultural understanding. In addition, it is evident that the class e-mail list multiplied the effect of this experience by placing students in the role of educating others about their cross-cultural experiences.
