ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses intercultural variables from J. Hall, Hofstede, and G. Hampden-J. W Turner and F. Trompenaars to provide an intercultural density of learning management systems. It provides observations for technical communicators and educators who facilitate and design training and curriculum for people from diverse cultures in online learning environments. The chapter considers various cultural variables, such as individualism, collectivism, context, presence, and diffusiveness—all of which are prevalent in online environments. It explores how intercultural communication evolved from cross-cultural studies, in which single cultural frames of reference are analyzed without interaction, to the point at which cultures are examined as interacting frames of reference. The chapter proposes a series of observations on the affordances and disadvantages of learning management systems when users are culturally diverse and offer examples that can be applied in online environments. The chapter concludes with a real scenario showing how intercultural considerations may assist technical communicators and educators as they develop curriculum and training for culturally diverse users.
