Cross-cultural learning design: Past the head and the hands to the HEART of the matter

Abstract

Developing countries are looking to satisfy evergrowing demand for education by leveraging the access and communication capabilities afforded by e-learning and the increasing range of open education resources made available through universities and development organisations globally. However a ‘one size fits all’, predominantly Western approach to developing and implementing educational initiatives has often failed in information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) projects. Over the past few years, we have been piloting and refining a learning design support strategy, entitled HEART: HEaring And Realizing Teachingvoice. HEART aims to enhance educators’ learning design awareness and capability by eliciting and depicting the pedagogical beliefs underpinning a course or learning design. HEART has shown its potential to promote discussion and reflection of the beliefs and values that underpin course design. These beliefs can otherwise act as invisible but powerful obstacles to achieving the cross-cultural understandings necessary for effective e-learning design and implementation. This workshop will enable each participant to use the HEART visualization strategy to elicit and depict cultural-pedagogical beliefs relating to a teaching project or learning context of personal interest, demonstrating its ability to facilitate more effective cross-cultural learning design practice.