Intercultural Blended Design Considerations: A Case Study of a Nordic-Baltic Course in Autism Intervention
Journal article, Peer reviewed
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https://hdl.handle.net/10642/2472Utgivelsesdato
2014Metadata
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Originalversjon
Käck, A., Roll-Pettersson, L., Alai-Rosales, S. S., Høium, K., Männikkö-Barbutiu, S., & Fors, U. G. (2014). Intercultural Blended Design Considerations: A Case Study of a Nordic-Baltic Course in Autism Intervention. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 17(1), 93-107. http://www.eurodl.org/?p=archives&year=2014&halfyear=1&article=612Sammendrag
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.