2.3 Understanding the learners

Learners who register for an online course have a huge variety of reasons for studying. Some may be using it as a ‘taster’ to find out about a subject, and decide whether they want to embark on further study. Others may use the online course to supplement other study they are engaged in. Some will have an academic background, whilst others have may have no experience of higher education. In Myanmar, an online course could be part of a blended learning course where some learning is delivered face to face and some is delivered online. Some learners are new to online learning forums or might be shy. In almost every case English will not be the first language of the learner, and learners may be based in very diverse parts of the country. These points need to be considered when you engage with your learners.

As well as being spaces for learning, online forums can provide the opportunity for social discussions and interaction not specific to the course – we can consider this type of online forum as providing a ‘social space’ for interaction, replicating in some ways what can happen on a campus where learners can get to know each other socially. The learners enrolled on a course will often be from a diverse background both culturally and educationally. This diverse mix adds to the wealth of experience and discussion that will take place during the conversation and in the presentation of their work.

You need to be aware that assumptions and misinterpretations can be a particular issue in an online environment due to a lack of visual and non-verbal clues, such as approving smiles and nods. Such misinterpretations can be made as much about the people posting messages as they can about the messages they post. As such, it is important not to jump to conclusions about what people mean or understand, or about the type of person they are. This does not mean that you will not make judgements about people or what they write.

In your role as an online facilitator, you will need to assess whether the messages being posted are appropriate to the nature and population of the audience. In order to do this you need to understand how such assumptions and misinterpretations might be avoided. Work in the field of anthropology (Hogan-Garcia, 2003) suggests that there are a number of competencies or skills that are helpful in overcoming perceived assumptions based on racial, cultural, educational or social background.

These cultural competencies are: