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Abstract The paper discusses how the intercultural knowledge is enhanced in a technology-enabled learning environment. We developed a comparative reflection approach, for an undergraduate course participated by three groups of students, who were globally distributed in the US, Mainland China, and Taiwan. Made possible by the videoconferencing technology, the approach included two group-based tasks of describing, comparing, analyzing, and reflecting on everyday activities and cultural practices. To evaluate the design effectiveness, we conducted a discourse-based ethnographic study to examine the knowledge construction stimulated by the task design. We identified that, while all the three groups constructed cultural-specific knowledge on the first task, some constructed deep cultural knowledge and insightful cross-cultural interpretations on the second task. As student groups undertook the two progressive tasks, they worked through various levels of understandings, hence moving from surface to deep learning. Highlights • Three globally distributed groups of undergraduate students were connected via the videoconferencing technology. • The three groups participated in two progressive tasks to describe, compare, analyze, and reflect on everyday practices. • All the three groups constructed certain cultural-specific knowledge, while two constructed deep cultural knowledge. • The learning gap highlighted the necessity of task clarity and appropriate scaffolding in the teaching and learning design. • The groups also constructed understandings about the presentation format by learning from the best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]