The Emotional Benefits of Diversity: How Does Exposure to Global Learners Open MOOC Instructors' Eyes and Reshape Their View of Online Education

• In Event: 66.028 - Culturally Responsive Teaching and Pedagogy: Promising Research and Practices

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the emotional benefits to teaching and learning resulted from an exposure to global audience. Participants were fifteen instructors and instructional designers in American higher educational institutions who were involved in designing and delivering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the Coursera platform. The paper described multiple roles of participants in their MOOC design, development and delivery; their perceptions of diversity (i.e. the merits and the challenges); and how exposure to global learners has caused them to be culturally sensitive through their thoughts, compassion and acts towards engaging global learners with the course content.

Authors

• Trang Phan, California State University, Fresno

• Curtis J. Bonk, Indiana University