Title: Cross-cultural instruction in business
Author Name: Eric
1. Introduction
The effective creation and implementation of cross-cultural instructional interventions in any environment is cumbersome. This challenge is magnified in a global business setting, where instructional designers and learning content creators, are tasked with designing for a diverse workforce located all over the world. And with the globalized workforce becoming more commonplace, there are a growing number of resources such as the 4 global training and development strategies that work and Four Cornerstones of Successful Cross-Cultural Training that learning practitioners can reference to help develop a curriculum framework. However, no single guide can effectively provide the designer with the necessary knowledge to navigate around cultural and societal influences such as differences in backgrounds, levels of proficiency in the English language, time zones, comprehension of key concepts and ideas, usability of technology, etc., which only represent a portion of the issues that may have to be considered during the design phase. The other factor involves choosing the right pedagogical approach that will ultimately support the successful transfer of knowledge in the learners and make for an effective final instructional product. The focus of this e-book will highlight the considerations and steps that an organization, Sartorius, and specifically, its Global workforce learning design team implemented in support of a need to create a cross-cultural virtual instructional intervention.
2. Overview of the Case
Covid-19 caused a paradigm shift in the way Sartorius, a global partner of the biopharmaceutical industry, executed the training for new sales personnel in each of the represented regions around the world. Prior to the pandemic, the learning design teams located in Germany, China, India, and North America, respectively, each utilized a base curriculum that consisted mainly of lecture-based instruction, supported by some hands-on activities and open-discussions in an exclusively face-to-face format to support its, “Introduction to Basic Bioprocess Solutions for Sales,” course. Outside of these base requirements, each Regional team created their own content and variations to the course based on local needs and consultations with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and Sales Managers. Post-Covid, with worldwide travel restrictions instituted, the global design team had to collectively evaluate how best to respond to organizational training objectives for its new sales personnel requiring the basic course. It was decided that a migration to a digital platformed, blended learning format presented an opportunity to collaborate on the creation of a single, cross-cultural instructional intervention.
Through active discussion and cooperation, the team selected the following topics to be the key areas of focus for the final instructional product: (1) General Overview Bioprocess with a focus on Monoclonal Antibodies (mAB), (2) Single-Use Technologies and its Applications, (3) Upstream Processing, (4) Purification (Downstream Processing), (5) Filtration and Integrity Testing, and (6) a final week for Wrap Up and topic reinforcement. With the topics established, and learning objectives assigned to each for the week, it had to be then decided how best to implement the solution. To that end, there were certain questions that needed to be addressed. For example, with the limited availability of the facilitators, how best to handle delivering the curriculum? And what platform offers the most efficient means to conduct discussions, collaboration, and posting of assignments? When conducting the training face-to-face, an essential element of learning centered around the hands-on activities. How can these activities be replicated virtually, and what technologies can be utilized to accomplish the task? Research shows that students who “collaboratively engage in purposeful, critical discourse and reflection will be more likely to achieve a successful educational experience” (Garrison et al 2000). Therefore, as a design team, should a team-based approach, particularly in a virtual environment, be considered to help promote active learning? Active learning is broadly defined as “any instructional method that engages students in the learning process” (Prince, 2004; Michael, 2006). And how best to evaluate the success of the program, both on an individual and team-based level? Over the span over several weeks, the design team conducted numerous meetings to specifically address each of the aforementioned questions. Each resolution was documented and incorporated into the project’s implementation plan. The solutions employed will be discussed in further detail in the corresponding section.
3. Solutions Implemented
The global design team wanted to experiment with a different pedagogical approach for this virtual intervention and decided to incorporate the principles of the flipped classroom. “A flipped classroom is structured around the idea that lecture or direct instruction is not the best use of class time. Instead, students encounter information before class, freeing class time for activities that involve higher order thinking,” (The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, para. 1, 2020). The flipped classroom in practice moves the instruction and guidance from the actual learning environment and puts more of the onus on the individual learner to perform pre-work. This pre-work sets a foundation that allows for active discussion and application of knowledge in the learning environment. Put into practice, all course participants were required to complete a set block of e-learnings and e-readings prior to the first virtual class. Participants were also provided an overview of the learning objectives for the entire week, and a breakdown of each work package required for each day of the week.
The platform for the “class” was Microsoft Teams. The individual learners were placed into groups and were encouraged to informally connect with their fellow team members and discuss pre-learning topics. The criteria for group placement, where feasible, focused on geography, background, and sales and/or industry experience. Within Teams, work packages were created via Microsoft Forms and placed on the class channel. The work packages at the outset of the week consisted of open forum discussion questions based on the content of the pre-learnings and simulated hands-on activities. For example, groups were asked to create and submit a whiteboard depiction of a process flow for Upstream application involving mABs. That week’s facilitator would review the submissions and ask probing questions to the group to guide understanding of their choices and help scaffold key areas that require a greater understanding or clarity. Per Caruana (2012), “Look at the scope of the course and come up with mini assignments or learning experiences that can be purposefully introduced throughout the schedule of sessions in a way that offers learners time to learn and practice these prerequisite skills.”
As the week progressed, the work packages culminated into the context of a real-world scenario, based on that week’s subject matter. The groups would then be required to formulate their own solution to the scenario and present their approach in a live virtual session. As part of the final assessment to the learners for that week, they would, along with the facilitator, be required to provide feedback to the presenting group. This learning format would repeat itself for each week of the selected overview topics. Depending on the complexity of the topic, the facilitator might include a pre-recorded Microsoft STREAM video that the learners could review at home prior to the asynchronous discussions in the active learning environment. The final Wrap-Up week would consist of a live session that included a virtual tour using the Mixed Reality (MR) device, HoloLens 2 from Microsoft. This would allow users the ability to interact with the facilitator via the Microsoft Remote Assist feature. In a virtual classroom environment, the users, for example, can ask questions, insert annotations or objects such as pictures into the room where the facilitator is wearing the HoloLens 2 device. Further, the facilitator can insert 3D images, for example of equipment, to better simulate functionality and benefits to the end-use customer.
In addition to the virtual tour and interactive session, the learners would be required to participate in a gamification styled final quiz. Each facilitator would be required to submit at least two to three questions each that highlighted key discussion takeaways for their respective weeks and topics. These questions are inputted into the game-based learning platform, Mentimeter. The learners will be required to individually answer each of the questions, while the facilitators continue to scaffold knowledge in areas where the results of responses appear to show that there is a gap. At the completion of the quiz, a final summation of the overall course is elucidated, the learners are encouraged to bring up any final questions and submit their feedback for the course via Microsoft Forms.
4. Outcomes
The goal of this intervention was to create a one-size-fits-all solution that could be used to address the training needs of a diverse, globally dispersed group of trainees. To ease societal and cultural issues, the design team grouped participants in teams where there was a similarity in time zones or regions and backgrounds, but also made room for growth by offering the rotating influence of facilitators from each training region as well as the insight from fellow learners around the world. Based on the interaction and feedback from the participants, this worked very well. The design team attempted to replicate, as best as possible, the hands-on activities that the participants would have been able to enjoy prior to Covid-19 travel restrictions. By leveraging technologies such as the Microsoft HoloLens 2, Remote Assist, STREAM, and Whiteboard, users were not only introduced, in some cases, to new technology, they were able to closely mimic a lot of the hands-on activities, and more importantly apply knowledge in a real context. This too, proved to be a success based on feedback from the participants.
The pedagogical approach of the flipped classroom gave the learners more control over their own capability and seemed to be well received and embraced. Through observation, it appears, however, that the more the learners got used to the new learning format, the better the interaction and quality of work submitted. Using Microsoft Teams as the learning and collaboration platform offered mixed results. The ability to clearly post work packages, especially through the leveraging of Microsoft Forms, worked very well. Conversely, the ability to track active discussion questions and responses proved difficult as the platform being used this way tends to get a little “busy” with all of the back-and-forth communication.
The use of real-world scenarios through group-based collaboration proved to be the clearest aspect of success the learning product produced. The level of detail and thought put forth by the teams showed the instructors just how well they understood the concepts as well as presented the facilitators the best opportunity to offer additional scaffolding. The gamification aspect was a fun, interactive, and engaging end of course activity. It also allowed for the facilitators to identify trends, such as were there certain topics that required further clarity? Did a certain region of individuals miss the same questions? Ultimately, the first iteration of the, “Introduction to Basic Bioprocess Solutions for Sales,” proved to be successful, with some valuable lessons learned as detailed below.
5. Implications
The effective creation and implementation of a cross-cultural instructional intervention in a Global business environment requires detailed planning by the learning design team. In addition to taking into consideration both societal and cultural factors, the team has to consider the pedagogical approach, learning platform, carefully select the pre-learning material, particularly if an active learning methodology like flipped classroom is employed. Team-based work is an extremely effective way to not only share the workload but allow the learners to create an internal network of support that can resonate beyond the course. The incorporation of gamification, especially on a learner-based platform like Mentimeter, embraces the competitive nature of the learners, allows for a fun way to examine topic comprehension, and provides insightful feedback that could lead to improved ways to present key topics. Perhaps the two most important key takeaways from this instructional intervention is that of communication and flexibility. The design team introduced a structured program but learned along the way to listen to and receive feedback from the participants and institute changes in a dynamic fashion that made the learning product better on a daily and weekly basis.
References
Caruana, V. (2012). Scaffolding student learning: Tips for getting started. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/scaffolding-student-learning-tips-for-getting-started/
Garrison, D.randy, et al. (2000). “Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education.” The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), pp. 87–105., doi:10.1016/s1096-7516(00)00016-6.
Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2014).
Michael, J. (2006). Where’s the evidence that active learning works? Advances in Physiology Education, 30, pp.159-167.
The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. (2020) Flipped Classrooms. https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/flipped-classrooms
Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of engineering education, 93(3), 223-231.