Authors:
Mana Taheri
1
;
Katharina Hölzle
2
and
Christoph Meinel
1
Affiliations:
1
Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Prof.-Dr.-Helmert-Strasse 2-3, 14482 Potsdam and Germany
;
2
Chair of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Potsdam, August-Bebel-Strasse 89, 14482 Potsdam and Germany
Keyword(s):
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Cultural Inclusivity, Cultural Diversity, Design Thinking.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
Course Design and e-Learning Curriculae
;
Distance Education
;
e-Learning
;
Instructional Design
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Social Context and Learning Environments
;
Ubiquitous Learning
Abstract:
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become one of the most popular ways of acquiring new knowledge and skills. One of the unique characteristics of MOOCs is their learner diversity. MOOC learners vary in age, gender, cultural background, language and discipline. This poses a great challenge for MOOC designers to create learning experiences that resonate with their diverse global audience. This paper reports instructional strategies that were applied to create culturally inclusive MOOCs. We applied a design-based approach to experiment, test, and evaluate these strategies over the course of three MOOCs on the topic of Design Thinking. The study uses in-depth qualitative interviews with international participants, pre-and post-course surveys, as well as observations from the discussion forums, in order to gain insights into learners’ perspectives. As a result, the authors offer instructional strategies that may accommodate the needs of MOOC learners from diverse cultural backgroun
ds. Considering that MOOCs promise opportunities for life-long learning to learners around the globe, it is of utmost importance to design learning experiences that are culturally inclusive.
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