Designing a cross-cultural collaborative online learning framework for online instructors

Abstract

Online education has now become an integral part of the educational landscape in the United States and around the world, where it serves as the primary source of enrollment growth in higher education. The rising student population in online learning mandates instructors and instructional designers to be aware of the importance of cultural factors that influence students’ learning experiences and academic performance in online environments. This study explored instructors’ perspectives on designing a cross-cultural collaborative online learning framework. Particularly, instructional strategies that promote designing a cross-cultural collaborative online learning framework. It also investigated challenges instructors face in designing a cross-cultural collaborative online learning framework. Drawing on collaborative online learning theory, this study analyzes qualitative interview data and online activities of 40 online instructors from two universities. Results show the following themes: (a) instructional strategies that facilitate crosscultural collaborative online learning, namely, group work, self-introductions and cultural awareness activity, computer-supported collaborative learning activity, the inclusion of global examples, and internationalized curriculum and (b) challenges of designing a cross-cultural collaborative online learning framework and teaching diverse learners. Findings suggest the need for online instructors to be trained in the best pedagogical practices to promote cross-cultural collaborative activities in online learning environments.