Teaching ICT to Pacific Island Background Students

This paper proposes that in order for students from Pacific Islands backgrounds in multicultural information and communication technology (ICT) classrooms to gain maximum benefit from their studies, teachers must be aware of their cultural background and expectations. Technologies and teaching approaches which are foreign to indigenous Pacific islanders must be introduced cautiously so that all involved may fully appreciate the opportunities offered by such technologies instead of rejecting them. Teachers should recognise cultural diversities and understand the cultural background of their students and adjust their delivery modes accordingly. Furthermore, to allow students originating from less developed societies to act independently, lecturers from more developed societies should avoid imposing their ideas upon the indigenous systems of learning and doing things. This paper is a contribution towards increasing participation, retaining, and encouraging Pacific Island background students to successfully complete their computing courses and programmes at tertiarylevel.