Globalized E-Learning

Globalized e-learning (or eLearning) is online learning, or distance learning, offered to learners in other parts of the world. However, globalization means understanding what learners in other cultures expect and desire and then incorporating those attributes into products or services. It also means removing any influence of the designing culture that could interfere with learning in other [Page 369]cultures. Marketing companies globalize products and services all the time. For example, a U.S. donut company that wanted to enter the Asian market discovered, via research and analysis, that Asians typically prefer savory pastries to sweet ones. Instead of forcing the sweet U.S. donut onto unwilling or unaccepting consumers, the donut company created savory versions that had Asian flavors like bean paste and seaweed. The company’s entry into that Asian market was highly successful. In the same manner, eLearning needs to be adapted, or globalized, if learning is the expected outcome.

eLearning is a cultural artifact, a product embedded with cultural values, preferences, characteristics, and nuances, which inherently create challenges for people from other cultures. For example, a U.S. course on leadership typically espouses risk taking and empowering supervisees to act independently. However, in more hierarchical cultures, leaders are frequently expected to act cautiously and in a manner that promotes group harmony. Supervisees would not necessarily act independently. In many contexts, the U.S.-designed eLearning course could be irrelevant to learners from more collective cultures. In addition, these learners would be less likely to implement a U.S. model of leadership into their culturally different work environment.

The ramifications of failing to globalize eLearning courses are extensive. For example, if cultural differences in eLearning result in poorly trained learners, especially on topics related to safety, legal, health, or regulatory issues, an organization incurs unnecessary risk. If cultural differences prevent learners from applying the desired skills, the organization has wasted its training resources (time, effort, and expertise). If the eLearning content accidentally offends learners in other cultures, an organization risks alienating its people or even being expelled from another country. If the content confuses learners, the organization risks inconsistent implementation of learning.