Cultural Maintenance, Ownership, and Multiple Perspectives: features of Web-based delivery to promote equity

Abstract

Designing educational resources for disadvantaged groups living in rural and remote communities presents a number of challenges. In this paper, the design processes involved in the development of an online unit for Indigenous Australian learners preparing to enter university are outlined. Several design issues that impact on the creation of learning tasks and styles of communication to promote equity and access are described including ownership of learning, cultural inclusivity and community based learning. The paper argues for cultural maintenance, which means incorporating the values, styles of learning and cognitive preferences of the client group in decision making. It also means going beyond surface-level design considerations to achieving ownership of learning and the creation of multiple perspectives that anchor learners both to their local community and to other global networks. Examples of tasks, activities and forms of community-based learning are provided in the context of a multiple-cultural model of learning that recognises inclusivity and different orientations to learning. It is recommended that when creating WWW-based course sites to achieve equity and access, systematic attention must be given to particular design issues that recognise diversity, utilise an appropriate instructional design approach and involve community input in the design process.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Online Learning: Implications for the Globalized Community College

“…The expectation to initiate discussion, to critique the ideas of others, and to question knowledge or the instructor is anathema to cultural traditions that stress social harmony and deference to authority (Joo, 1999 ;McLoughlin, 2000 ). Even within cultures essentially Westernaligned or heavily influenced by Western philosophy, significant regional differences have been found in student attitudes and levels of comfort with technology-based instruction.…”

“…In addition to the semiotic problem of accurately translating discourses into electronic media, challenges for community college educators may also occur when core pedagogical values within one culture are inappropriate within another (McLoughlin, 2000 ). For example, as apparent in Table 1 , many cultures approach learning from a heuristic, contextbased perspective.…”

“…Such networks can be helpful for many adult learners. Finally, McLoughlin ( 2000 ) suggests that multiple perspectives can be integrated into a Web-based environment. This can be achieved by eschewing teacher-directed pedagogies in favor of student-centered learning activities.…”

“…Furthermore, the value of these learning materials escalates when learners justify and articulate the relevance of such resources to the skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be addressed in the course. Multiple perspectives may also permeate the learning experience when leaders and experts in the learners' immediate communities are invited to participate in course planning, design, implementation, and evaluation (McLoughlin, 2000 ; see also Boone et al 2002 ).…”

“…This task can be more easily facilitated through collaboration in the planning and design process among course developers and members of the target community (see also Boone et al 2002 ). According to McLoughlin ( 2000 ), learning experiences should afford learners the freedom to decide on personally and culturally relevant paths toward the achievement of learning objectives. Furthermore, in order to foster a sense of ownership among participants in a learning experience, educators must include a variety of tasks and projects designed to demonstrate achievement of learning objectives as well as authentic assessment of learning outcomes based on learner-selected criteria.…”