Online Learning Perspectives of Native American Students

Abstract

With Native American college matriculation on the rise and with online learning increasing in popularity, a need exists to bridge the two and to develop online learning practices that are culturally responsive. Kirkness and Barnhardt identify four principles central to American Indian education: respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility. These four principles were used as the framework of this ethnographic, qualitative study, which included two Native American female students enrolled in an online course at a large 4-year University in the southeast. Results showed that students wanted supportive learning environments, Indigenous curriculum and perspectives represented online classrooms, interaction with professors and peers, and opportunities for project-based learning.