Intercultural Blended Design Considerations: A Case Study of a Nordic-Baltic Course in Autism Intervention

• Authors: Annika Käck , Lise Roll-Pettersson , Shahla S Alai-Rosales , Kari Høium , Sirkku Männikkö-Barbutiu , Uno G.H Fors
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Specialized educational programs previously unavailable to many students are now accessible to students spread throughout the world. In particular, this globalization presents new opportunities and challenges for universities educating professionals in the field of autism treatment. The aim of the present case study is to analyse the experiences of students who participated in an intercultural graduate level blended learning course in applied behaviour analysis with an autism focus. Students were enrolled in universities in four Nordic-Baltic countries. Country based focus group interviews and surveys were used to explore student’s experiences and perceptions. Results indicate that access to expertise and interacting with other cultures were noted to positively affect learning experience. Risk for cultural divide due to discrepancies in technology, differing pedagogical traditions, and understanding of English were also reported. Implications regarding the potential risks and benefits inherent in intercultural blended learning courses are discussed and suggestions are offered for enhancing the success of such courses.

Keywords

EN

applied behaviour analysis; intercultural; blended learning; higher education; multiinstitutional

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 93-107

Dates

published

2014-07-01

online

2014-12-11

Contributors

author

Annika Käck

• Stockholm University, Sweden

author

Lise Roll-Pettersson

• Stockholm University, Sweden

author

Shahla S Alai-Rosales

• University of North Texas, United States of America

author

Kari Høium

• Oslo and Akershus University College, Norway

author

Sirkku Männikkö-Barbutiu

• Stockholm University, Sweden

author

Uno G.H Fors

• Stockholm University, Sweden

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/eurodl-2014-0006