Sino-Irish Teaching Dynamics through Learning Styles' Awareness

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is the investigation of Chinese students' learning styles through managed learning environments. Despite the diversity of cultures in the world and the implications of it within the teaching strategies and learning styles, knowledge transfer across cultures has been one of the most challenging tasks for the academic institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The paper discusses a case study of Asian undergraduate students in terms of their learning styles and the on-line delivery of courses from western academics. A review of relevant research is presented and certain issues of the multicultural character of education are discussed. Findings: Learning styles is the only information available to western academics, so that they can adjust the teaching strategy, enhance students' imagination and challenge them to the new for them "student-centered" teaching strategy. On-line managed learning environments can bridge the gap between the east and west academic pedagogies. Practical implications: It is hoped that the growing interest of on-line delivery of courses will be of particular value for courses delivered from western academics to Asia. The awareness of students' learning styles will provide the opportunity for the teachers from the western institutions to substantially contribute to global knowledge transfer across cultural borders. Originality/value: The diversity will always exist in the classroom and the success of teaching is based on the ability to use the awareness of differences, and facilitate skills to make these differences benefit the students and the class as a whole. (Contains 2 tables and 7 figures.)