Session Information
06 SES 03, Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Open Learning
Paper Session
Contribution
This conceptual paper refers to the field of didactical quality in terms of cultural diversity.
It is assumed that in the field of e-learning cultural diversity is expressed in existing didactial diversity which points to different didactical traditions in European countries and which defines different didactical standards. These different didactical standards call for different standards of quality assurance.
Furthermore we assume that didactial quality is a relational concept, it is the appropriate relation of learner (learning process) and learning arrangement. But what “appropriateness” means may depend on didactical tradition (Meder / Iske 2009; Iske / Meder 2009, Flechsig 1996, Hopmann 2007).
Empirically this diversity can be analysed as intercultural didactical diversity using the example of concrete arrangements of online teaching processes, as for example expressed in lesson-plans as specific sequences in online teaching (e-didactics).
Which concepts are needed to analyse online teaching arrangements empirically with regard to didactical diversity on a European level?
To respond to the above question a systematical theory-based framework will be presented in order to propose hypotheses and to conduct empirical research of cultural diversity.
Overall objective of this framework is
(a) the empirical analysis of arrangements of online teaching processes (learning environmens; online courses) on the basis of didactial factors and didactical patterns based on a didactical ontology (Meder 2006)
(b) the identification of – constant and variable - didactical factors within these teaching processes,
(c) the analysis of didactical factors as an index for didactical diversity.
(d) the identification of didactical patterns as structures and regularities of specific sequences of didactical factors, i.e. their relation to a specific (European) cultural background.
The proposed framework enables the analysis of inter-cultural diversity (differences between cultural backgrounds) as well as intra-cultural diversity (differences within the same cultural background): for example, different arrangements of learning processes which are usually expressed in different lesson-plans for the same topic. Within the context of the applied didactical ontology these specific arrangements are analysed as mikro-strategies (i.e. patterns on a micro-didactical level): Different arrangements of teaching processes (lessons-plans) are analysed in relation to different cultural backgrounds.
Furthermore it is assumed that these specific arrangements of elements (content and learning activities) can be interpreted as an index for underlying -intentional or subconscious- teaching strategies. As a crucial hypothesis of this paper these didactial strategies and intentions are analysed under the perspective of cultural diversity, i.e. differences in structuring learning processes.
Currently a systematic framework for empirical research in didactical diversity is mssing in educational and didactical research. Currently there are only few research results which point to the importance of such a framework to analyse cultural diversity as the relation of cultural background and the arrangement of a learning environments in an empircal way. For example, Swertz / Frick (2009) described different teaching styles which are related to cultural background in the context of the EC funded project „Lancelot“; research results of Pepin (1999, 2007), Burghes et al. (2004) and Irvine / York (1995) point to cultural background as an important determinant and influence on teaching strategies.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Burghes, D./Kaur, B./Thompson, D.R. (Eds) (2004). Kassel Project. Budapest: Muszaki Konyvkiado, Wolterskluwer.
Flechsig, K.H. (1996): Kleines Handbuch didaktischer Modelle. Eichenzell: Neuland.
Hopmann, S. (2007): The common core of didaktik. In: EERJ (6) 2, pp 109-127.
Irvine, J. J./York, D. E. (1995): Learning Styles and Culturally Diverse Students: A Literature Review. In: Banks, J.A.; McGee, C.A. (Eds.): Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education, New York: Macmillan.
Iske, S. (2007): Navigationsanalyse: Methodologie der Analyse von Prozessen der Online-Navigation mittels Optimal-Matching. Duisburg-Essen: DuEPublico.
Iske, S. (2008). Educational Research Online: E-Learning Sequences Analyzed By Means Of Optimal-Matching.
In: Proceedings of Ed-Media, Chesapeake, AACE, (pp. 3780-3789).
Iske, S.; Meder, N. (2008). Evaluating Interactional Processes of Learners with Hypertextual Online Learning Environments", Presentation at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), EERA, Gothenborg, Sweden, 10.-12.09.2008.
Iske, S.; Meder, N. (2009): Organizing Quality Assurance: How to integrate processes of quality management in an e-learning portal. In: Proceedings of EDULEARN09, IATED, Barcelona, Spain, 06.-08.07.09, pp 2757-2765.
Iske, S.; Meder, N. (2009b). Evaluating the Quality of Online-Courses based on the Relational Quality Criteria Catalogue (RQCC)", Presentation at the European Conference on Educational Research 2009 (ECER), EERA, Vienna, Austria, 28.-30.09.2009.
Meder, N. (2006). Web-Didaktik: eine neue Didaktik webbasierten vernetzten Lernens. Bielefeld: WBV.
Meder, N.; Iske, S. (2009): Quality Assurance by RQCC: How quality is attributed to the relation between learner and e-learning environment. In: Proceedings of EDULEARN09, IATED, Barcelona, Spain, 06.-08.07.09, pp. 2766-2774.
Pepin, B. (2007) Culture, language and mathematics education: aspects of language in English, French and German mathematics education, In: S.Ongstad (Ed.) Language in Mathematics?- A comparative study of four national curricula, Report to the Council of Europe, May 07.
Swertz, C. & Frick, E. (2009). Measuring Intercultural Pedagogical Differences expressed by Teachers in an Educational Metadata System.
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