Abstract:

Indigenous university instructors from Pacific regions, including American Samoa, Hawai‘i, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, offer critical perspectives on the role of emerging technologies in facilitating the indigenization of distance education. Employing a qualitative institutional self-assessment methodology, data were gathered through surveys, interviews, and artifact analysis to examine the perceived effectiveness of distance learning tools in fostering culturally responsive online projects and assignments for graduate teacher educators at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The institutional self-assessment process involves continuous reflection, where organizational members collaboratively gather and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate institutional performance. The exploration of the fit between innovative distance learning technologies and Indigenous educational initiatives is particularly significant given the absence of comparable case studies within similar research contexts. Collaborative analysis of the data revealed emergent themes, and the findings will inform decisions regarding the alignment of future technological tools with Indigenous educational theory and practice. This qualitative autoethnographic study underscores the value of the institutional self-assessment process and provides recommendations for the implementation of distance learning technologies that Indigenous university instructors identify as valuable for fostering an online, culturally responsive master’s degree program.

Keywords:

Indigenous, Education, Distance Technology, Culturally Responsive Education, Multicultural Education.