Cultural Awareness
It is likely that the participants in your online classes will hail from countries all around the globe. Online courses have made it possible for participants to take classes and receive credit from colleges and universities while living and working abroad. One definition of culture is "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group" (culture, 2008). Notice that this definition of culture does not speak to location, but rather beliefs, traits, and group membership. Culture can relate to a place ("Southern Culture"), but can also be family heritage, background, beliefs, and behavior.
For many of our participants, culture is influenced by family heritage more than place. We can't assume that someone living in Nigeria is a Nigerian and exhibiting typical central African culture. That individual could be South African, or American. And the reverse is also true, a Nigerian-born American living in New York City might exhibit more African cultural traits than African-American traits, based on his beliefs and behavior…not the place he lives. It could also be a blend or combination of heritage and location, showing aspects of both.
Consider your culture. What makes you "you"? With what groups (racial, religious, or social) do you identify? Take a few moments now to complete the first learning activity "Who Am I" as we begin this module on Cultural Awareness.
As an online facilitator it's imperative that we be proactive when it comes to working with diverse participants in our online classes. As an online facilitator, we can't assume that everyone we work with thinks like us, or learns like us, or lives like us. As a matter of fact, we need to start with the assumption that everyone in our classes is different. Understanding various learning styles is a start. Being aware of common communication behaviors of other cultures is another step toward better collaboration within an online class.