Addressing Learner Cultural Diversity in Mooc Design and Delivery: Strategies and Practices of Experts

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigates the design and instructional practices of massive open online courses (MOOCs) instructors within the learning environment to address the cultural diversity and learner personalization needs. Leveraging a grounded theory approach, the researchers analyzed two rounds of email interviews (n1= 25; n2=19) with MOOC and open education leaders about cultural sensitivity and personalization in MOOCs. Those interviews led to the formation of a 30-item online questionnaire completed by 152 MOOC instructors. While many of the MOOC instructors within the sample did not fully grasp the complex issues of cultural diversity, most made attempts to modify their instructional practices to accommodate cultural variances. To address cultural and linguistic differences, instructors added subtitles to video content and offered transcripts for video or audio content. Additionally, instructors were careful with language use and hand gestures, used simplified language, slowed their pace of speech, made the course content easy to navigate, limited text by leveraging (multi)media, and encouraged learners to translate and localize content for their peers. Furthermore, many instructors favored collaborative, small group learning; however, instructors could not agree on best practices to establish these groups. Implications and future directions for MOOC instructors and instructional designers are offered.

The effects of openness, altruism and instructional self‐efficacy on work engagement of MOOC instructors

“…The primary motivators for the MOOC instructors in our database included to experience teaching a MOOC and connect to a large and diverse audience (73%), explore innovations in online teaching and learning (73%) and increase learners’ access to higher education worldwide (70%). Many also hoped to build their institutional and personal reputation (60% and 42%, respectively) (Zhu et al ., ). Suffice to say, there are myriad motivational factors determining whether one decides to teach a MOOC.…”

“…For instance, Zhu et al . () indicated that 58% of the 143 survey participants in that particular study had designed just one MOOC. The primary motivators for the MOOC instructors in our database included to experience teaching a MOOC and connect to a large and diverse audience (73%), explore innovations in online teaching and learning (73%) and increase learners’ access to higher education worldwide (70%).…”

“…Given the extent of this growth, research needs to consider the role of MOOC instructors in the design, delivery and ultimate success of these MOOCs. The contributions of MOOC instructors cannot be overemphasized given that MOOCs are offered for free or at a low cost, yet require extensive planning and foresight to effectively address the diverse array of potential learners in these courses (Zhu, Sabir, et al , ).…”

Teachers’ Perception About MOOCs and ICT During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Initially, MOOCs were used to meet the educational demands of adults (Arnavut et al, 2020;Zhu et al, 2021). Over time, the openness and flexibility of these technological tools led that universities design new courses to facilitate the teaching-learning process from any country (Zhu et al, 2021).…”

“…Technological advances are changing the planning and organization of the courses under the distance and face-to-face modalities (Arnavut et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2021;Zhu et al, 2021). In particular, the incorporation of MOOCs in the school activities allows the creation of new virtual spaces for learning and teaching (Albelbisi et al, 2021;Kim et al, 2021;Lorente-Ruiz et al, 2021).…”