Transcultural approach in multicultural MOOCs: A pathway to enhanced global learning.

Abstract

In a complex and globalised era, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have emerged as a truly multicultural spaces, attracting worldwide learners from diverse backgrounds and cultures on a massive scale. MOOC learners expect to access the best learning quality without any particular previous requirements. While MOOCs typically offer fixed content, they can be designed so that learners can interact and learn from each other. When learners communicate and interact, there is the potential for cultural forms and practices to be articulated, negotiated, rejected, or transcended into a new form of knowledge that blurs cultural boundaries within online discussions. This can enrich the learning materials and the overall learning experience. However, limited empirical research explored the transcultural dimension in MOOCs, particularly for understanding cultural and social elements in relation to the learning process and outcomes. This research investigates whether learners’ discussions in MOOCs might be affected by the transcultural dimension, leading to enhanced learning. To explore the role of transcultural interactions, this research analyses comments of two cycles of an existing FutureLearn MOOC. Learners’ comments are coded for level of cultural awareness (cross-cultural, intercultural, or transcultural) and correlated with the extent of knowledge co-construction evident in the comments. In addition, ten MOOC learners are interviewed in depth to evaluate their learning experiences, with a particular focus on their impressions regarding the transcultural contribution to learning. That was supplemented with a survey to reach a diverse group of MOOC learners. The findings of this work reveal the presence of a small but measurable amount of transcultural elements represented in these MOOCs, originating from learners’ previous diverse experiences. In addition, a significant positive correlation is observed between the level of transcultural awareness and the knowledge that is collectively constructed. The results suggest that the benefits of discussions were not only confined to the learners who participated. The outcomes of this research recommend considering MOOC discussions a unique global and rich resource of knowledge and highlight the importance of incorporating transcultural interactions in learning design. This research contributes to understanding the potential of transculturality in MOOCs, paving the way for the creation of inclusive and empowering learning environment. By embracing and leveraging cultural diversity, MOOCs can provide transcend learning experiences for learners worldwide. Further exploration and development of learning design strategies are recommended to encourage and guide transcultural interactions within MOOCs, promoting enriched learning outcomes and fostering global understanding.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Rana Shahini: orcid.org/0000-0002-7998-2304

ORCID for Mark Weal: orcid.org/0000-0001-6251-8786

ORCID for Kate Borthwick: orcid.org/0000-0003-2251-7898

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