Multicultural Considerations for Curriculum Developers of Online Courses

Abstract

Grounded in the dimensional model of national culture, the purpose of this literature review was to investigate (a) the cultural impact of globalization on online instruction (in particular Eastern and Western beliefs and values), (b) the knowledge needed by curriculum developers (i.e., instructional designers and online instructors) to create multicultural appropriate content, (c) the identification of appropriate design strategies to promote cultural inclusion; and (d) cultural and functional priorities in the global workplace. Findings from the review of pertinent literature were used to create six guidelines appropriate for curriculum developers who design content for multicultural audiences. These guidelines are intended for online curriculum developers as they design coursework using multicultural design strategies.