Cultural and pedagogical implications of a global e‐learning programme

Abstract

An eleven country internal evaluation of the Cisco Networking Academy program across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, revealed a number of issues related to the globalization of e‐learning. The Academy program is a 280‐hour web‐based course that teaches students to install, maintain and troubleshoot computer networks. It was developed in the US by educators and Cisco network specialists and is taught in educational institutions in over 150 countries worldwide. Hitherto research on cultural influences on teaching and learning have been limited to overseas students being taught in an unfamiliar culture or online by teachers with unfamiliar pedagogical strategies. Through interviews with both students and teachers and observation in classrooms, this study reveals how important local tutors are in helping students adapt to the style of the material and to make a course developed in another country both culturally and pedagogically relevant.