Cultural Influences on Chinese Students' Asynchronous Online Learning in a Canadian University

This study explored six Chinese graduate students’ asynchronous online learning in a large urban Canadian university. Individual interviews in Mandarin elicited their perceptions of online learning, their participation in it, and the cultural factors that influenced their experiences. In general, the participants had a positive attitude towards online courses. They perceived that online learning had both advantages and disadvantages for their studies in Canada. The study revealed some features of their participation in online courses, particularly the factors that affected their contribution of messages and their personal experiences. The study also identified six cultural factors that affected their online learning. These findings prompted some suggestions for Western instructors in online courses