E-Learning, Gender Sensitive

Abstract

With the introduction of new media in education the possibilities for using technological means in didactics, organization of learning and content presentation have extended. But the appropriation of these devices and possibilities, like all artefacts, also is a cultural means and it makes culture. Thereby also symbolic connection between gender and technology come into play. In fact sometimes effects on inclusion versus exclusion of groups of people, as women have been observed. On the other hand it can be expected that with growing intensity and broader use of the technical means these barriers are sinking. This for two reasons: Once the rising diversity of user groups requires possibilities for adapting technological means and media didactics to their wishes. On the other hand also more diversified groups of users become more familiar with the technical means thereby mediated education. The text deals with changes mediated education has to take in order to include diverse groups, respecting especially gender and other cultural, ethnical and age diversities. The effects of e-learning on these groups have been analyzed in several investigations, many of them also showing gender and other differences in one or the other category. Concerning gender and all other diversities, in this text the intentions are deconstructive, that is we do not presuppose biologically essential gender (or other) differences in competences, attitudes, motivations etc., but only socially constructed ones. This brings about difficulties: The analysis of gender and other differences can easily turn into self referential results and facilitate essentialist beliefs. This paradoxical situation has to be handled and we will present possibilities for it. To this aid we present empirical results, which are refined with respect to gender together with other items, such that gender differences can be deconstructed by dissolving them into other differentiated categories.