While the internationalisation of higher education has made learner diversity a key consideration in tertiary pedagogical practice, research into the application of computer-mediated technologies in this domain has rarely taken into account culture. This article responds to this gap in the research by comparing "Confucian-heritage" and "Western" learners' experience of computer-mediated discussions undertaken as part of an Australian university curriculum. Likert and open-ended question formats reveal that cultural learning styles and behaviours are salient to the computer-mediated learning experience and can inform how learners view its pedagogical applications. While appreciation of the utilitarian benefits is common to both cultural cohorts, Confucian-heritage learners place greater emphasis on the interpersonal benefits. By placing distinctions in learner cultural background at the centre of the study, a more nuanced understanding of computer-mediated communication and its attendant pedagogical applications in higher education emerges. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure and 2 notes.)