John Silva Blog

Cultural and geographical diversity can be a thorny issue. One thing I remember reading about cultural differences is the challenge of the constructivist nature of online learning and some cultures views of teaching. Some countries prefer teachers to be the focus as subject-matter experts delivering information to students. E-learning programs might be in conflict. E-learning might also bridge some cultural gaps. In a culture where genders or social classes might not mix in person, e-leanring may allow it.

As for geographic diversity you run into communications issues such as time differences, language differences, and possibly software/hardware differences. A person in one part of the country might not have access to high-speed Internet access for example. A person in Hawaii is obviously on a different schedule than someone in Virginia.

As to how it would affect my managerial style, it simply means I need to be more aware of the differences of all of my students. I need to ensure my program has the necessary flexibility to identify and deal with these differences.