Matt's Adventures in mLearning: FO2010

Wow!

It’s interesting how you just don’t consider things until they are pointed out to you in black and white.

I have been designing and running virtual classroom and online facilitation events for the past three years, and it wasn’t until today that the concept of cultural competence really struck a chord with me.

I had always been careful in ensuring that the language I use is broken down and designed for my learner.  That is, it is easily digestible, with no jargon or acronyms etc, but after reading “...the digital skills we need to be life-long learners in a culturally diverse online environment by S. van de Bunt-Kokhuis and M. Bolger (2009): Talent competences in the new eLearning generation, I actually got a much clearer picture of what it is really all about.  

I had never considered the difficulty that would face individuals where English was their second language (in my own defence the audience I generally design for is Australian, 20-40 somethings, male and female) Individuals who speak English as their primary language have a hard enough time understanding all of the terminology.  Imagine trying to translate the English into a native tongue and then try and understand what it means!

The one example within the document that really brought it home for me was where an extremely talented individual, who may have an amazing discovery to share, had to submit a paper about their discovery in for example, English.  A language that wasn’t their native one.  Now, due to their inexperience with English the paper would get knocked back and not published due to poor punctuation.  Yet if it was composed in their native language, people would be clamouring to get it in a publication.

The other example was the one where those that use screen readers are disadvantaged in ‘chatrooms’ because the screen reader can not pick up the text out of a java-based chatroom.  I had no idea that was the case.

So the question that was posed is “How do I ensure I am being a culturally competent facilitator in an online environment?”  Here is what I decided was necessary:

·         Be aware of your own assumptions and don’t leap to any conclusions

·         Learn a bit about the cultures that are participating in your sessions

·         Use an online translator for any difficult words.  If you are lucky to have someone who is bilingual ask them if it’s ok to assist

·         Be forgiving on mistakes in spelling or punctuation, esp. if English isn’t their primary language

·         Check that screen readers will function with the tools you will be using

·         Make learning objects as accesible as possible i.e. subtitles, good use of contrasting colours, alternative media etc

·         Be culturally sensitive.  What is appropriate banter for a bunch of male Australians may not be necessarily appropriate for any other cultures, especially where there are marked differences in what’s appropriate according to gender.

·         Be aware of your online communication and resources.  Consider whether they are appropriate for your learners and the various cultures, genders, sexuality, race or personal beliefs.

·         Re-assess your material as often as required or as new individuals join the online environment.