Active Learning, Diversity, 3

The online classroom necessarily includes many different cultures from around the world, many different economic levels, and widely variant political and religious perspectives. When I teach online world religion, one of the most divisive courses in potential, I encourage diversity in the following ways:

1. Posting a message on mutual respect the first day of class. I welcome people expressing themselves but caution them against attacking the beliefs of others.
2. Asking various religious groups to explain their culture. When people feel free to discuss their own religion, I let them serve as the experts in that religion for the class. Everyone benefits from this approach.
3. Warning students who make others defensive. For instance, one student began making fun of Latter Day Saints, and feigned innocence when he continued the attacks. “I am just quoting former Mormons.” A private message and a note in the classroom showed that would not be allowed to continue.
This particular course has taught me how many different variations there are to consider in Adult Education.

Conclusion
The role of the facilitator works best in Distance Education because online work requires additional stimulation to overcome the passive nature of the computer. Facilitating also works well in dealing with the global nature of the classroom today and its cultural diversity.