Designing and Managing Learning for the Global Audience

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What does globalization mean for us as educational technologists, corporate trainers, instructional designers, higher-educational instructors, or K-12 teachers? In this course, you will have an opportunity to explore some of emerging issues in global teaching and training. This course attends specifically to the cultural differences we need to consider as we extend the global reach of an institution or organization. You'll examine theories, strategies, and models for adapting e-learning to other cultures, discuss best practices in global employee training, and explore cross-cultural design research.
Meets 3/11 & 3/25. 8:30am to 4:30pm. Schedule # 10883

Overview

A google search on “Going global” generated 587,000 results. Indeed Going Global can mean many different things, such as expanding into new geographic and cultural markets, cross-cultural training, developing global websites, and conducting global research. So what does Going Global mean for us, educational technologists, corporate trainers, instructional designers, higher-educational instructors, or K-12 teachers? In this course, you will have an opportunity to explore some of the intriguing and emerging issues in global teaching and training. This course attends specifically to the cultural differences we need to consider as we move to the international setting.

Audience

This course targets students/learning professionals that need to reach beyond the walls of teaching facilities in the U.S. and deal not only with different geographies, but different cultures, audiences, and delivery modes.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, we’ll first examine theories, strategies, and models for adapting e-learning for other cultures. We’ll then discuss best practices in global employee training, cross-cultural design research, and innovations to extend the global reach of an institution or organization. You will learn how to:

Identify cultural elements affecting teaching and learning in a learning environment that involves participants of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Describe cultural considerations in online teaching and learning.
Analyze the cultural considerations in existing curriculum or programs.
Identify opportunities in a curriculum or program which can be enhanced to target a diverse audience.
Identify Principles of Pedagogy, Task and assessment design for effective cross-cultural online learning.
Develop web sites, courses, and practices that take cultural differences into consideration.
Assess cross-cultural localization examples.
Review techniques for rapid localization.
Refine your strategy for blended, international delivery.

Resources and Readings

A growing list of course-related links are available here and will be maintained after the course is over.

Course Outline

Session 1 (Download files from Blackboard)

Overview of cultural differences in teaching and learning

What are the cultural and linguistic differences and how do they manifest themselves in global online learning environments?

Cultural considerations in online instruction and learning.
Constructing culture in online learning: ways of communication

Explore cultural models and rubrics and use them to analyze existing programs/practices:

The 5 dimensions of Culture related to teaching and learning (Hofstede)
- Case studies of their applications (see Assignment 1--sample work on BB)
The third Dimension of ADDIE (on BB, readings zipped)
a Sample Evaluation Rubric (on BB)

Prepare for Session 2 Activities:(details on BB)

Read and Think: Develop a program for better global teaming;
One of the two case studies

Session 2 (Download files from Blackboard)

Adapt high-tech curriculum for the low-tech zones (Micronesia example & other cultural issues)
Activity: Develop a program for better global teaming
Discuss the real cases of global design and delivery:
- The International Adventures of Chris
- Training for McDonald's
Localization: a few short stories on culture, training & globalization:

Starbucks Consumption in Beijing (Localized globalization)
Case study: e-learning localization (on BB, readings zipped)

Start your Assignment (choose 1 or 2)

During this seminar, we will discuss interesting real cases of designing instructional materials for the global audience. Discussion topics: what worked for them, what did not, how are their efforts related to cultural models or theories? How could they go beyond?

Sessions 3: Your Presentation

Finalize and present your project, an oral presentation, a role play, or a technology-assisted presentation (PowerPoint, a webpage, a short video, or any other format you can think of).
Online section: You may present asynchronously (recording, video, PPT+audio, or any other creative format). We'll use the class time to discuss and comment on your work.

Media Use in all sessions

Interesting Videos related to cultural difference in teaching, learning, or training. [Because of copyright, some of the following files will be stored in Blackboard.]

Seinfeld for American Express (what's the message in this video? what are the cultural issues?)
Youtube video: Nescafe Ads (you may also download FLV or Mp4 file from Blackboard; get free FLV player)
Looking for Comedy (same questions).
Miss White: what's the level of her UAI (uncertainty avoidance index)?
Miss Sierra (how about hers?)
A Multicultural discussion in SecondLife (By Joe Pacino)
Video from Google: The Brain: intelligence and culture (downloadable file on BB)
Cultures: similarities and Differences (downloadable file on BB)
Growing up in Japan ( viewed through the eyes of American teenagers)
SMILE: McDonald's Training video (on BB)
Building a Global Educational Portal (on BB)

Weeks-in-Between

SCAN or read the PDF articles on Blackboard.

Online group: please download and pre-view videos before class. During class, you'll have time to watch them again on your own and then return to Connect to discuss.

Assignments

For 1-credit class, choose Assignment 1 or 2.

Assignment 1: Read and identify a program/organization for your first project--a mini-analysis of existing global programs. Samples of online learning and training programs or global websites:

Yahoo (US, China, France, Africa) or Google ,
Mercedes, Sweden's Royal Library, Malaysian hotels, and Monster.com
Penn State’s World Campus
MIT's OpenCourseWare
Oracle’s online university, or
The training simulations used in the U.S. Navy
or cultural issues you experienced in work or life: see the AVIATION SAFETY example
A list of Virtual Learning Environments

For this project, you will analyze existing globalizing efforts with a few half-defined rubric (download from BB's Course Documents) or any other model. You will specifically:

Analyze the cultural considerations in existing curricula, teaching or training programs
Identify opportunities to enhance one or more elements of a curriculum or program to target a diverse audience

Questions to guide this analysis:

What are the pedagogies underlying these courses? (examples: individual learning, collaborative learning, teamwork, memorization, resource-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning)
What are the cultural considerations as reflected in teaching, learning, and assessment?
Suggestions and recommendations for making the course more global: If you are going to design or teach it, what would you do differently?

Assignment 2 : you can work solo or in teams to design and present a short technology-assisted meeting or training activity that reflects the consideration of cultural diversity. For example, you might lead an international meeting, conduct safety training online to a dispersed audience, show a diverse audience how to use a particular software, or introduce a new product to buyers from China. This project will continually challenge you to respond to the question “How do you do that in a way that works globally?”