Bridging Spaces: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Promoting Positive Online Learning Experiences

Abstract

The globalization of online courses has transformed online learning into cross-cultural learning spaces. Students from non-English backgrounds are enrolling in credit-bearing courses and must adjust their thinking and writing to adapt to online practices. Online courses have as their aim the construction of knowledge, but students' perceptions of the learning environment and teacher interactions may influence the quality of educational experiences. Limited social presence, delayed feedback, lack of social cues, gender, and cultural dynamics contribute to the complex online social context. This article explores how the globalization of online learning creates unique challenges in online courses in terms of how dominant pedagogical structures based on Western educational practices reinforce ways of knowing, thinking, and writing. Online courses can transform learning through self-reflection, critical thinking, and consciousness-raising when culturally inclusive assignments are designed to link both instructors' and students' lived experiences to classroom learning.