To Be or Not to Be Ethiculturally Sensitive in E-Learning: An Analysis to Knowledge Authoring

Abstract

Using as a starting point Shakespeare’s quotation, to be or not be, this paper aims to underline if higher education knowledge authors within distributed learning environments assume an ethical and cultural sensitivity. This research question reflects the existing ethical and social dilemmas that e-learning evolution imposes to knowledge “creators” (coordinators and tutors); although, the straightforward answer clearly acknowledges a negative attitude concerning ethicultural sensitivity! To promote a plausible and reliable justification the authors will shed some light over Silva’s framework, namely the knowledge/content management layer, as well as some keen empirical examples from his PhD research project. The manuscript recognizes five sections: background (etymological roots and challenging the paradigm); e-learning (generations and knowledge authoring); knowledge flows; knowledge dimensions (political, economical, social/cultural and digital); and, argument (conceptual framework, ethicultural sensitivity and evidences)