This paper discusses the influence of cultural dimensions on Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) introductory videos. The study examined the introductory videos produced by three universities on Coursera platforms using communication theory and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. The results show that introductory videos in MOOCs are influenced by the national culture of the country in which the university is based. Based on this finding, this paper raises interesting questions about the effect of these cultural elements on potential learners from different countries and cultures around the world. The paper also makes suggestions about introductory video production in MOOCs. Published article website: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2729

1. Exploring the influence of national culture on
educational video:
The case of MOOC introductory videos
Rebecca Yvonne Bayeck
Jinhee Choi
Penn State University

2. 2

3. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been growing rapidly
in higher education
40%
4.1%
From 196
countries
5.9%
5.2%
4.1%The US
Canada
Brazil
India
China

4. MOOCs are cultural artifacts, influenced by cultural values
of their developers
US-based institutions provide 60% of courses
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5. Research focus in MOOCs
Increasing number of enrollment across global regions
-The openness and free nature of MOOCs attract learners across nations
(Baggaley, 2013; Bayeck, 2016).
-More than 25 million people enrolled in MOOCs between 2012 and 2015,
including 39% from less-developed countries
(Kizilcec, Saltarelli, Reich, & Cohen, 2017).
MOOCs as a cultural product
-Little is known on culture and its influence on the design of MOOCs.
-MOOCs are cultural artifacts that are prone to be influenced
by the cultural values of their developers
(Dunn & Marinetti, 2007; Edmundson, 2007).
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6. Research Question
1) Do features in the video align with Hofstede’s description of
each country’s culture?
2) To what extent are Hofstede’s dimensions of Power Distance,
Individualistic/Collective and Masculinity/Femininity culture
reflected in the introductory videos produced by French,
American, and South Korean institutions?
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7. Theoretical Perspectives
Communication theory
“We [humans] pay more
attention to, and remember,
message that we like”
(Morgan & Welton, 1992, p.59).
Hofstede’s cultural
dimensions
“The collective programming of the
mind” (Hofstede, 2001, p.4)
- Cultural elements of website images (Bansal & Zahedi, 2006)
- Content analysis in video game research (Wohn, 2011)
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8. 8

9. Methods
French
C’est bone Korean
좋아!
English
Good!
Case Study with introductory videos in Coursera
- Coursera’s introductory videos help to promote and attract learners
(Mihaescu & Vasiu, 2014).
- The introductory videos influence the potential learner’s decision to
either join or ignore the course.
Videos from the United States, South Korea, and France
- The three universities were ranked within the 100 world top universities
in engineering and science fields in 2015 by the World University Ranking.
The ranking of these institutions provides a structural equivalence 9

10. Cultural dimensions of selected countries
Country Power Distance In
dex (PDI)
Individualism
(IDV)
Masculinity
& Femininity
France High High Femininity F
South Korea High Low Femininity F
U.S. Low High Masculinity M
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11. Findings 1: Power Distance Index (PDI)
High PDI: French & Korean
• Focusing camera on one person,
• Dressing professional attire,
• Posing in formal manner
Low PDI: The U.S.
• Authority figure in the background
• Casual attire (in one video),
• Lighting the artificial stage dimly.
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12. Cultural dimensions of selected countries
Country Power Distance In
dex (PDI)
Individualism
(IDV)
Masculinity
& Femininity
France High High Femininity F
South Korea High Low Femininity F
U.S. Low High Masculinity M
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13. Finding 2: Individualism (IDV)
and collectivism (CVI)
IDV: French & the U.S.
• American videos: a single instructor
• French videos: two instructors.
Communicate rarely & camera focuses
only on one.
CVI: Korean
• Videos often depict group of people
gazing in the same direction, and
interacting together.
• Non-human objects appear in multiple
such as multiple leaves, fruits, logos, and
funny objects. 13

14. Cultural dimensions of selected countries
Country Power Distance In
dex (PDI)
Individualism
(IDV)
Masculinity
& Femininity
France High High Femininity F
South Korea High Low Femininity F
U.S. Low High Masculinity M
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15. Findings 3: Masculinity and Femininity
Masculinity: The U.S.
• U.S. videos: non-smiling faces,
black & somber color in
background
Femininity
• French & Korean: by smiling frequently,
arranging bright colors,& placing natural
environment such as flowers & natural
landscape.
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16. Conclusion
The effect of culture on people’s understanding, interpretation of images, and co
ntent, this study problematizes MOOCs’ ability to reach diverse learners.
Considering that MOOCs heavily rely on videos, we contend that MOOC
developers “need to be aware of the role of visual communication and
the impact on the learner” (Hedberg & Brown, 2002, p. 23).
This study was limited in its scope because it only focused on the introductory
videos of three institutions of higher education. The scope of the study limits the
generalizability of our findings.
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17. References
Bansal, G., & Zahedi, F. (2006). Exploring cultural contents of website images. AMCIS 2006
Proceedings, 170.
Baggaley, J. (2013). MOOC rampant. Distance Education, 34(3), 368–378.
Bayeck, R. Y. (2016). Exploratory study of MOOC learners’ demographics and motivation: The case of students
Involved in groups. Open Praxis, 8(3), 223-233.
Dunn, P, & Marinetti, A. (2007). Effective learning strategies for cross-cultural e-learning. In A. Edmundson,
(Ed.), Globalized e-learning cultural challenges (pp. 267–290).
Hedberg, J. G., & Brown, I. (2002). Understanding cross-cultural meaning through visual media. Educational
Media International, 39(1), 23-30. doi: 10.1080/09523980210131123
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences (Second Edition.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Wohn, D. (2011). Gender and race representation in casual games. Sex Roles, 65(3-4), 198-207.
Kizilcec, R. F., Saltarelli, A. J., Reich, J., & Cohen, G. L. (2017). Closing global achievement gaps in MOOCs.
Science, 355(6322), 251-252.
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18. Thank you!
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