Open Educational Resources Enhance Intercultural Competence in Collaborative Online Learning
Category: User-Centred Design · Effect: Moderate effect · Year: 2023
Integrating Open Educational Resources (OERs) into Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses can significantly foster intercultural competence among students by facilitating shared knowledge and content across diverse backgrounds.
Design Takeaway
Leverage Open Educational Resources (OERs) to build more inclusive and effective international collaborative learning experiences that foster intercultural understanding.
Why It Matters
This approach democratizes access to learning materials, enabling richer, more equitable international collaborations. It allows for flexible curriculum design that can be adapted to various cultural contexts, directly impacting the student experience and learning outcomes.
Key Finding
Using freely available educational materials (OERs) in online courses that connect students from different countries (COIL) helps students learn to understand and interact with people from other cultures more effectively.
Key Findings
- OERs provide a flexible and accessible platform for sharing content across international educational partnerships.
- The use of OERs in COIL courses positively impacts the development of intercultural competence.
- Collaboration between faculty, librarians, and instructional designers is crucial for successful OER integration in COIL.
Research Evidence
Aim: What are the perceptions of faculty and students regarding the benefits and challenges of using Open Educational Resources (OERs) in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses for developing intercultural competence?
Method: Case Study
Procedure: The study involved co-planning, implementing, and revising assignments for two college courses with international partners, specifically highlighting the use of OER instructional materials. Faculty perceptions were gathered and analyzed in conjunction with student outcomes related to intercultural competence.
Context: Higher Education, International Collaboration, Online Learning
Design Principle
Design for cross-cultural collaboration by utilizing accessible and adaptable resources.
How to Apply
When designing international online courses, actively seek out and integrate OERs that can be easily shared and adapted by students and faculty from diverse cultural and technological backgrounds.
Limitations
The findings are based on a case study of two specific courses, which may limit generalizability to all COIL contexts. The study primarily focuses on faculty perceptions, with less detailed exploration of student experiences.
Student Guide (IB Design Technology)
Simple Explanation: Using free online learning materials in international online group projects helps students get better at understanding and working with people from different countries.
Why This Matters: This research shows how using readily available online resources can improve learning and understanding between people from different countries, a key aspect of global design challenges.
Critical Thinking: To what extent does the 'openness' of OERs truly translate to equitable access and effective intercultural learning, considering varying levels of digital literacy and internet access among global student populations?
IA-Ready Paragraph: The integration of Open Educational Resources (OERs) within Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) frameworks has been shown to be an effective strategy for enhancing intercultural competence among students. By providing accessible and shareable content, OERs facilitate a more equitable and engaging learning environment, enabling students to develop crucial global competencies. This approach underscores the importance of resource accessibility in fostering international collaboration and understanding.
Project Tips
- Explore OER repositories for relevant content for your design project.
- Consider how OERs can facilitate collaboration between different user groups in your project.
How to Use in IA
- Reference this study when discussing the benefits of accessible resources in your design project's user research or ideation phases.
- Use the findings to justify the selection of OERs for a collaborative design task.
Examiner Tips
- Demonstrate an understanding of how resource accessibility impacts user experience in collaborative environments.
- Connect the use of OERs to the development of broader competencies, such as intercultural communication.
Independent Variable: Use of Open Educational Resources (OERs)
Dependent Variable: Intercultural competence, Student and faculty perceptions
Controlled Variables: Course subject matter, International partner institution, Online learning platform
Strengths
- Highlights the practical application of OERs in a real-world educational setting.
- Emphasizes the collaborative aspect of instructional design and resource integration.
Critical Questions
- How can the effectiveness of OERs in developing intercultural competence be quantitatively measured?
- What are the long-term impacts of using OERs on student learning and faculty development in COIL?
Extended Essay Application
- Investigate the impact of OER adoption on the development of specific design skills within international student teams.
- Explore how OERs can be adapted or created to address unique cultural nuances in design education.
Source
Building Global Relationships: Open Educational Resources and Collaborative Online International Learning Courses · Journal of Educational Technology Systems · 2023 · 10.1177/00472395231206812