This 3-credit course focuses on developing cultural competence and responsiveness in educators. Students will explore culture, diversity, and ways to create culturally responsive learning environments. The constructivist approach is used, with students relating concepts to experiences and engaging in discourse. Readings, videos, scenarios, and discussions are learning methods. Objectives are defining culture and diversity, assessing cultural awareness, and identifying responsive teaching practices. Outcomes include acknowledging diversity as an asset and implementing inclusive practices. The online platform is accessible. Weekly topics cover self-awareness, practices, and implementing strategies. A reflection addresses cultural awareness as a foundation for teachers.

1. Rachel T. Lugo
Dr. Tzipora Katz
Theory and Practice of e-Learning
March 17, 2013
Teaching with
Culture in Mind:
Th e Path to Bec om ing C ul tu ra ll y C om pe te n t

2. Course Description
This course focuses on cultural competence in
educators, cultural responsive teaching practices
and developing culturally responsive learning
environments.
Students will explore the topics of culture, diversity,
cultural competence, and cultural responsiveness.
Students will learn ways in which to develop and
maintain culturally responsive learning
environments.

3. Pedagogy
The course design focuses on the constructivist approach
to learning. As described by Rudestam and Schoenholtz-
Read (2010), the course “curricula [will] favor an open-
ended, negotiable approach that structures activities so
that students have opportunities to collaboratively
negotiate knowledge and to contextualize learning within
an emergent situation (p. 98).
After reviewing each week’s course materials, students
will relate learned concepts to their professional
environments and actively engage in discourse based on
their real-world experiences.

4. Methods for Learning
Professional reading – peer reviewed articles will be presented
for review, reflection and response
Videos – video clips from leaders in the field will be presented
for reflection and response
Scenarios/Cases – scenarios or cases will be presented for
analysis
Threaded discussion – discussion questions will be used to
synthesize concepts gained from reading or videos
Journal – journal assignments will be used for reflection and
application of knowledge gained from assigned reading and/or
videos

5. Objectives
Students will be able to:
Define culture and diversity
Recognize and evaluate their own cultural self-
awareness
Identify the link between cultural self-awareness
and cultural competence
Identify culturally responsive teaching practices

6. Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will:
Acknowledge student diversity as an asset
instead of a deficit
Implement inclusive teaching practices that
honor student diversity
Develop strategies for promoting culturally
responsive instruction

7. Accessibility
CourseSites by Blackboard, the online platform
through which the course will be facilitated, is
equipped with various tools to accommodate
students with special needs.
Blackboard Learning, Inc. (2012) outlines the
following accessibility features that are available
within the course environment:

8. Accessibility (cont’d.)
(Visually or Hearing Impaired; Movement Disorders Restricting Mobility )
Multiple modes of information including text,
diagrams, video, audio, images and multimedia,
format content for AT using heading tags in
documents and HTML, designated keyboard
strokes for various functions, allow for caregiver
assistance with a Guest account, use of the alt
and long description fields when adding images
and other media, use of a Mashup tool for
embedding YouTube videos so users have a more
accessible media player

9. Accessibility (cont’d.)
(Traumatic Brain Injury or Other Neurological or Psychological Disorder)
Documents and other content can be
downloaded for students to work offline at own
pace, use of Adaptive Release to allow students
to work at different paces, record synchronous
collaboration sessions to be reviewed later, use of
Task tool, Calendar Tool, Announcements Tool
and Syllabus to post dues dates and events

10. Accessibility (cont’d.)
(Language Barriers)
Use of the Content Editor to simplify the
presentation of text by adding bullet points and
sequential lists, augment text using diagrams,
illustrations, and graphs, use of Learning Modules
to present text with a Table of Contents, use of test
and assignment settings to provide clear
instructions, provide a rubric for each graded item,
create a Glossary to provide definitions, allow
students to select a different language pack to
translate the Backboard Learn interface (not
instructor’s content) into another language (pp. 1-3)

11. Discussion
Students are required to post an initial response (minimum 125
words) to the weekly discussion thread and two subsequent
responses to classmates.
The initial response and subsequent responses must be submitted
on two separate days.
The instructor will monitor the discussion forum regularly
throughout each week to ensure students are adhering to the
online communications code of conduct and to post comments to
include guiding questions which will further drive discussion.
Feedback will be provided to different students throughout each
week and to all students at the end of the week using a discussion
rubric, which will be visible in the student gradebook.

12. Weekly Topics
Week 1: student introductions, take a survey to begin analyzing their
common beliefs related to racially and ethnically diverse students
Week 2: students identify the link between self-awareness and
cultural competence.
Week 3: students will be introduced to culturally responsive
teaching practices through videos and readings, then analyze
classroom scenarios to identify ways in which teachers implement
culturally responsive teaching practices.
Week 4: students will select and implement a culturally responsive
instructional strategy and write a reflection on the outcome, e.g.
how students responded, whether there was an increase in
motivation and/or engagement, etc.

13. Reflection
This course is not intended to be an exhaustive training
on cultural awareness, cultural competence or culturally
responsive teaching practices. It is an introduction or a
foundation for teachers to understand their own
perspectives on race and culture and realize the
importance of not only acknowledging and accepting
students’ differences, but also teaching them in ways
they learn best. As asserted by Gay (2010), “teaching is
most effective when ecological factors such as prior
experiences, community settings, cultural backgrounds
and ethnic identities of teachers and students, are
included in its implementation” (p. 22).

14. References
Blackboard Learning, Inc. (2012). Getting started with…
creating accessible course content. Retrieved from
http://ondemand. blackboard.com/r91/documents/
getting_started_with_accessible_content.pdf
Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching (2nd ed.).
Banks, J. A. (Ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College
Press.
Rudestam, K.E., Schoenholtz-Read, J. (2010).
Handbook of online learning (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications.