Exploring Pedagogies for Diverse Learners Online

2016

2018

Indian Journal of Open Learning, 2000

2018

For some savvy scholars and industry insiders, fully online learning— where instruction takes place entirely (or nearly so) over the Internet—and blended instruction—where instruction takes place both online and in a traditional physical space—were inevitable at all levels of education. But for many K-12 educators and the universities that prepare them, its emergence seemed sudden and rapid (Graham, 2006). Once it was here, online learning promised opportunities to take courses that were otherwise unavailable at traditional schools, including advanced courses and credit recovery. Online learning also offered the potential to reduce scheduling conflicts (Picciano, Seaman, Shea, & Swan, 2012). However, scholars have also sounded warnings about potential policy and practical challenges for students who need extra support for learning, including those with disabilities, in online envi

2014

Introduction The rapid rise in the number of education programs and degrees that are being offered in fully online formats (Kitsantas & Talleyrand, 2005; Licona, 2011) has raised questions about how well these programs are preparing preservice and inservice teachers to work effectively with diverse learners in K-12 settings. In particular, questions remain about how preservice teachers are demonstrating growth and change in asynchronous courses, in terms of shifting perspectives, assumptions, and attitudes about working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. The concerns about teacher education programs developing culturally responsive educators are significant in light of the fact that the number of linguistically and culturally diverse students will continue to increase in the future (Goodwin, 2002; Nieto & Bode, 2012; Villegas & Lucas, 2002). Teacher education programs recognize the significance of addressing student diversity in the preparation of future educators....

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 2021

Abstract As the United States and the rest of the world are trying to become more supportive of initiatives designed to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in various walks of life, higher education is also seeking measures to support diversity in higher education. Supporting culturally diverse students is central to the success of higher education institutions as the fabric of education is also changing. Culture has and continues to impact teaching and learning practices in the United States, Australia, The United Kingdom, and several other developed countries around the world (Ramburuth & Tani, 2009). Similarly, Milheim (2017) supported the role of culture in education by stating that, “not only does culture have an impact on the overall classroom experience, but it has also shown to affect learning, motivation, and satisfaction in a course” (p. 1). The elements of all cultures need to be studied and valued in the learning environment, because if they are not acknowledged or considered, there may be negative repercussions in the teaching and learning processes, such as higher attrition rates (Milheim, 2014). Further, Kang and Chang (2016) explained that “overlooking the critical role culture plays in online learning will lead to detrimental educational and psychological consequences” (p. 780). They also posited that if culture is not acknowledged in the online learning environment, students will experience feelings of isolation, frustration, alienation, feelings of being upset, anxiousness, and depression. These feelings may lead to higher attrition rates of online learners.

2019

Both individual online courses and fully online programs in the United States have gained widespread acceptance. They are also more diverse than ever due to students' demographic changes. There are multiple challenges to student learning and to instructor teaching, and in this chapter, the authors present literature on online learning challenges and possible best practices for faculty training, instructional design, course content, intercultural miscommunication, accessibility for students with disabilities, and social isolation. Use of inclusive teaching methods are recommended. These are methods that promote effective cross-cultural pedagogies including methods that create learning tasks that foster reciprocal learning about cultures, expose learners to multiple perspectives, and facilitate development of skills in global thinking and intercultural competence. Use of universal instructional techniques to address multiple learning styles and integrating multicultural perspectiv...

The impact of ever-increasing numbers of online courses on the demographic composition of classes has meant that the notions of diversity, multiculturality and globalization are now key aspects of curriculum planning. With the internationalization and globalization of education, and faced with rising needs for an increasingly educated and more adequately trained workforce, universities are offering more flexible programs, assisted by new educational and communications technologies. Faced with this diversity of populations and needs, many instructors are becoming aware of the importance of addressing the notions of multiculturality and interculturality in the design of online however this raises many questions. For example, how do we integrate and address this multicultural dimension in a distance education course aimed at students who live in diverse cultural environments? How do the challenges of intercultural communication in an online environment affect online teaching and learning? What are the characteristics of an online course that is inclusive of all types of diversity, and what are the guiding principles for designing such courses?

Teachers College Record, 2020

This qualitative study investigated online instructors’ perceptions of cultural diversity in the online classroom and the challenges encountered by instructors of online courses as they incorporate multicultural learning content into the online learning environment. An associated goal of the study was to explore the instructional strategies that online instructors employ to create conducive online learning environments that value cultural differences and educational experiences of students in online classrooms. The study drew on Bennett’s (2001) framework of multicultural research that explored cultural issues and how they affect teaching and learning process in the face-to-face classroom. Fifty instructors of online courses from three universities in the northeastern part of the United States participated in the study. The findings pointed to four themes, namely that: (a) differential perceptions of cultural diversity exist among instructors of online courses; (b) perceptions of cultural diversity depend on the academic disciplines taught by instructors; (c) a variety of instructional strategies—collaborative online learning activities, incorporating multicultural learning activities and global learning content, using cultural awareness project, addressing the impact of multicultural education—support cultural diversity in the online environment; and (d) there are significant challenges associated with promoting cultural diversity in online teaching and learning. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/016146812012200708

2020

Over the past few decades, the world of higher education has undergone significant transformation in a myriad of ways. In particular, the learner population has become increasingly diverse and online learning has become increasingly prevalent. Concerns have been raised, within the literature, that educational inequity may manifest if the educator does not account for this diversity in their professional, course development, and assessment practices. To address this potential inequity, educational researchers and practitioners have suggested the need for pedagogical approaches that foster, nurture, and sustain all learners’ cultural frames of reference, values, norms, knowledge, and linguistic conventions. This has led to the emergence of ‘culturally relevant’, ‘culturally responsive’, and ‘culturally engaged’ pedagogical approaches. While the most popular of these has been ‘culturally responsive pedagogy’, it has been criticised for not doing enough to nurture and sustaining the learners’ cultural backgrounds/identities. While ‘culturally sustaining’ pedagogical approaches appear promising, the bulk of the research on these approaches has been conducted in face-to-face learning. Less is known about culturally sustaining online pedagogies, and even less is known about educators’ perceptions towards, and experiences of, culturally sustaining online learning. This research used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate educators’ perceptions towards, and lived experiences of, culturally sustaining online learning. The research’s data was generated through semi- structured interviews with ten purposively sampled participants. The inclusion criteria, for this purposive sampling, was twofold. Firstly, it required participants to be educators who currently work with initial or continuing teacher education programmes at the research setting, a large university in te Ika-a-Māui, Aotearoa New Zealand. Secondly, it required participants to have a professional interest in cultural diversity and working with diversity, as evidenced by their research or teaching interests. This research was considered and approved by the Ethics Committee of Te Kura Toi Tangata. The findings of this research suggest that the participants are cognisant of the increasing diversity of their learner populations and the increasing prevalence of online learning. They want to acknowledge and celebrate this increasing diversity but are concerned with causing their learners’ discomfort, or possibly ‘othering’ them. Furthermore, they consider the rejection of deficit theorising and ‘knowing the learner’ important for the development of culturally sustaining practices, especially online. When compared to the findings of relevant prior research, the participants’ experiences of the increasing learner diversity and increased prevalence of online learning in contemporary teaching and learning was substantiated. Congruence with the literature was also identified in a number of areas, including the perceived importance of acknowledging and celebrating diversity, building and maintaining learner trust, ‘knowing your learner’, and the rejection of deficit theorising. However, the participants’ concerns about the potential for discomfort/‘othering’ of learners or some of the perceived benefits and disadvantages of online communication were not supported by the findings of previous research. This study hopes to contribute to the growing body of literature concerned with educational practices that may mitigate the inequity many learners face, especially in online learning. It shares the perceptions and experiences of a particular sample group, in a single educational institution, and is not intended to be extrapolated or generalised to a wider population. Instead, it is intended to raise awareness of possibilities for culturally sustaining online learning without contributing to the reinforcement of any stereotype, or creation of any new stereotypes. The results, however, may be of interest to educators, or groups of educators, elsewhere.