The Project in Brief

MC-DIP (Multicultural Diagnostics Information Profiling) is a two year project finishing in 2007, funded by the European Union under the Socrates Minerva initiative. The partners are from the UK, Denmark, Austria and Greece. The project has been developing and investigating the use of learning-styles profiles to help personalise e-learning.

You can try our learning-styles diagnostic tool yourself - just join the site and click on the links which appear on the ;eft-hand side ofthe pages whern you are logged in.

Overview of Project Objectives

The projects four specific objectives are to:

• describe the usage of e-learning emerging in ethnic minority groups through LMS solutions that support a move towards adaptive on-line knowledge sourcing and learning;
• development of an multicultural diagnostic tool kit (MC-DIP) that enables the development of cultural sensitive content design and learning design in supporting skills development and qualifications for groups and individuals and this will be specific to race, ethnicity, and language;
• test the multicultural diagnostic tool kit (MC-DIP) on LMS's in collaboration with vendor development teams with direct support throughout the process from ethnic minority groups
• disseminate the results of the project to organisations involved in network learning through seminar and workshops across the transnational network.

Project Objectives

The objectives are intended to directly support immigration, ethnicity, anti-racism and discrimination in network learning communities. It is proposed the objectives will facilitate embedding cultural sensitivity, towards ethnic minorities and immigrants, directly into the design and development process of Learner Management Systems (LMS). This will directly tackle transnational social exclusion within specific minority groups through positive action in supporting the emergence of 'borderless education' by focusing on co-operation and exchange.

Multicultural education is at the heart of the proposal and is viewed by the transnational partnership as the process of comprehensive educational development in the context of race, ethnicity and language in our ever increasing multicultural communities across Europe. Our multicultural pedagogic method and didactic approach for MC-DIP tools for teaching and learning challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in our education institutions and society and accepts and affirms the pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic and gender, among others) that students, communities and educators reflect. For the purpose of this project we define multicultural education by the following dimensions (Neito, 2002): content integration, knowledge construction, process, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, empowering educational culture and social structure. These dimensions are integral to the design of the multicultural diagnostic tool and how it integrates with online learning environment applications. The importance of such an approach is eloquently illustrated in the following quote: "in a globalised economy, the future lies with people who can think and act with informed grace across ethnic, cultural, linguistic lines" (Hughes, 1993).

Language diversity in the context of LMSs needs to recognise:

Language, literacy and culture are becoming more integrated in our European educational institutions with a growing awareness of their intersections (REF) and this leads to re-moulding the teaching and learning process. Language, literacy and culture cut across the dimensions identified by Neito and provide a richer picture of learning, especially for learners whose identities - particularly those associated with minority language, race, ethnicity and immigrant status - have traditionally been associated with low status in our communities. Language diversity in the context of learner management systems (LMS) needs to recognise:

1. Language diversity as a resource rather than as a deficit,
2. Understanding the key role language plays in European education,
3. Placing language diversity within a multicultural education context and redefining the benefits of language development in educational institution achievement,
4. Understanding the central role of community language in educational development,
5. Making the education of ethnic/language minority students the responsibility of teachers and wider reference groups including educational software developers.

Advances in technology have created an environment that enabled e-learning based collaborative multicultural education that supports regional communities of practice across Europe. E-Learning is becoming an integral part of a large system of practices and policies designed to prepare and support a high-skilled workforce. The power of multicultural diagnostic tools for adaptive e-learning applications comes from the opportunity to leverage technology and information to alter the basic tenets of learning by eliminating the one-size-fits all approach to instruction and customizing content to meet individual needs and learning styles on multiple dimensions specific to multicultural education. Hence multicultural e-learning design can undertake a major role in the context of cultural change at a community level in combating prejudice such as racism and xenophobia. E-learning has the potential to significantly improve both work and social integration within our communities and hence overcome social division in the context of ethnic minorities in the community (Public Personnel Management, 2002).

Four key pedagogic concepts and methodological approaches

In the design and development of MC-DIP tools there are four key pedagogic concepts and methodological approaches which underpin the proposal. The first is that to provide direct support for learner's individual race, ethnicity, and language as a powerful tool for individual motivation and competence development. This is especially relevant for ethnic minority groups where many pupils are socially excluded from both peers and in some cases educators. The second is the need for increased links between schools, colleges, universities, software vendors and ethnic minority communities in developing learning opportunities through the increased use of ICT in bridging the formal education provision with the community divide and bridging the digital divide for many families. The third is that core competences will be developed through the use of the MC-DIP tools by educators and LMS software developers and this is intended to create greater cultural understanding and awareness in the development process. The fourth is that the methodology with be driven by the need for greater cultural sensitivity and diversity in LMS design and development process and this is viewed as a powerful tool for motivation and self esteem building for pupils studying through the use of e-learning applications. In achieving the deliverable outcomes the partners are all integral in the sub-tasks in the different stages of design and development of the multicultural diagnostic tool kit that will be formulated through directly embedding the '10 key Principles for Inclusive Services and Policies' (Draft Joint Report on Social Inclusion- Part 1, 15223/01, p.81)in the context of LMS's and the target group.

The multicultural diagnostic tools have directly positive benefits

The proposal will take stock of and significantly add to existing knowledge on multiple levels in the context of multicultural e-learning education innovation that is specific to race, ethnicity, and language. On-line communities are clearly becoming integral for many in the social tapestry of everyday community life and for others may provide an opportunity for bridging the digital divide through the introduction of e-learning. The multicultural diagnostic tools have directly positive benefits to cultural development at both a regional, national and European level. Innovations in the proposed MC-DIP tools and pedagogic approach are:

1. design approach is focused on cultural sensitivity and diversity through multicultural diagnostic tools in supporting the development of content for e-learning and also activities for teaching in the classroom;
2. understanding individual and group learning needs specific to race, ethnicity and language that can then adapt content accordingly through ICT education;
3. opportunity for learners to gain greater understanding of their community that is facilitated through a scaffolding design approach to the virtual learning environment;
4. 'Rich' virtual community building tool that builds a greater sense of belonging for all pupils;
5. multicultural diagnostic tool enabling all knowledge and skills components to be provided in multi-formats for different learning preferences.