Publication
Toward an Inclusive Future: A User Study on Gender-Sensitive Design in Online Course Advertising
Lorena Göritz; Elif Yurtseven; Nina Kolchmeyer; Maja-Gwendoline Reibold; Nele Kälberloh; Glenn Schröer; Oliver Thomas
In: Richard Landers (Hrsg.). Technology, Mind, and Behavior (TMB), Vol. 0, Pages 1-32, American Psychological Association (APA), Washington, D.C. 2026.
Abstract
Despite ongoing efforts, many professional fields lack gender diversity, but inclusive digital education can play a key role in addressing this challenge. This study examines the effects of gender-sensitive online course design on the perceived attractiveness and self-assessed success of online courses in the male-dominated information technology and female-dominated nursing professions. Using a mixed methods approach, three studies were conducted to assess how inclusive design strategies influence prospective participants’ perceptions. Study 1, a between-subjects online experiment (N = 502), demonstrated that gender-sensitive information technology course displays significantly enhanced course attractiveness and self-assessed success, regardless of gender. Studies 2 and 3 focused on nursing courses. Study 2 provided qualitative insights that helped refine the online course design, while Study 3, a quantitative follow-up (N = 224), found no significant effects of gender-sensitive design in the nursing context. To explain these differing results, we discuss possible influencing factors, including gender-specific socialization and the associated psychological mechanisms, as well as the social and cultural connotations of stereotypical job profiles. These job profiles can differ particularly between the nursing sector and the information technology sector in terms of social perception, financial appreciation, and political prioritization. Our findings contribute to the discourse on inclusive education by illustrating both the potential benefits and the contextual limitations of gender-sensitive course design.