Cultural competence and instructional design: Exploration research into the delivery of online instruction cross-culturally

Abstract

The amount of resources being poured by Western universities, companies, and governments into creating educational content to be exported (via the Internet) to other cultures is astounding. Those assigned to accomplish this task are left with the great challenge of meeting the needs of learners who come from cultures that are foreign to them, and who often have very different abilities and expectations than originally assumed. This study explores the cultural competence in the lived experience of 12 professionals who have been involved with such efforts. Often they have had to question their assumptions, recognizing flaws in their own thinking and in the organizations that support them, and tried to alter their practice accordingly. Their awareness of cultural differences and the importance and impact of these differences in their practice will be discussed.

Online collaborative learning activities: The perspectives of minority graduate students

“…Thus, as an increasing number of minority students continue to enroll in online education (Ashong & Commander, 2012;Petersen, 2015), it is imperative that researchers examine the extent to which instructional strategies such as collaborative learning-well documented in the research literature as effective for the general online student population-works effectively for culturally diverse students. This is particularly important because several studies have reported that instructors of online courses often fail to recognize and address the cultural diversity of their learners in the online learning environments (e.g., Adeoye & Wentling, 2007;Gunawardena, Layne, & Frechette, 2012;Mushtaha & Troyer, 2007;Rogers, Graham & Mayes, 2007), and results from some studies seem to suggest that students from diverse cultural backgrounds exhibit poor leadership skills in leading online discussion (Okwumabua, Walker, Hu, & Watson, 2011), as well as experience challenges in participating online collaborative learning activities (Du & Anderson, 2003). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate the perceptions of culturally diverse graduate students about online collaborative learning activities.…”

Caliber Measurement of Mushroom Production Course of Tnau.

“…Koul and Kanwar (2006) stated that at IGNOU, the courses are designed keeping in mind the established quality assurance practices and principles. Rogers et al (2007) found that instructional designers" or instructors" awareness of the potential differences between cultures does not necessarily mean this knowledge is integrated into the design of online courses. Krishnapillai (2011) discussed about the benchmarks to be followed in open universities regarding face-to-face classes as learning package contain the schedule for face-to-face classes.…”

Identifying complex cultural interactions in the instructional design process: a case study of a cross-border, cross-sector training for innovation program

“…In these collections, scholars and practitioners reflect on the use of instructional design practices across sectors and across borders and provide insight on lessons learned and challenges faced. Rogers, Graham and Mayes (2007) interviewed 12 instructional designers about their experiences creating online instruction for people of other cultures. In response to their question about importance placed on cultural differences, these barriers emerged:…”

“…The findings of this study show that these elements of culture are pervasive and impactful in content decisions; however, this research design also allowed for discovery of several additional elements of the culture of all stakeholders that interact frequently and significantly with all learner-centered decisions. Rogers, Graham and Mayes (2007) found that instructional designers designing for other cultures place less emphasis on context and experiences of learners and focus more on content. The findings of this study suggest a need for models that prompt designers to consider culture beyond language and communications.…”