Time, cost, and resource constraints.
The issue of resource and time constraints can be tackled by making information on cultural
profiles and issues easily accessible for designers to bring cultural expertise to the design
and analysis process. Establishing a database created by the support of a research community
and building professional organizational networks dedicated to cross-cultural design
and analysis is the first step. The goal of such a database would be to provide a repository of
varied philosophical, pedagogical, cultural, and epistemological underpinnings of diverse
learners based on predefined categories. Such a database would serve as a knowledge base
for practitioners and researchers worldwide.
Although the potential benefit of such a repository is significant, the need for cultural analysis
does not end with the initial design. Cultural dimensions based on national cultures and
other models will help identify some characteristics of the cultural profile of global learners,
but focus on intercultural communications and interactions in the online course room
itself is essential. Hence, what becomes critical in shaping the cyber-identity of the learner
is the communication or interactions in which they are involved, so it is important that not
only the designers but also the facilitator and the learners be aware of the cultural profiles
of learners to make sense of the diversity in cyberspace.