1. National Teaching
Fellow 2012
Trajectories of e-learning: theory
and methodology explore
Gráinne Conole
University of Leicester
18thApril 2013

2. Outline
• The technological context
• Research complex online
interactions
• Approaches
– Social Network Analysis
– Actor Network Theory
• Learning design
– Activity Theory
– Design-Based Research
– Community Indicator Framework

3. Multimedia resources
80s
93
The Internet and the Web
94
Learning objects
Learning Management Systems
95
Mobile devices
98
Learning Design
99
Gaming technologies
00
E-Learning timeline
01
Open Educational Resources
Social and participatory media
04
http://halfanhour.blogspot.be/2012/02/e-learning-generations.html
Virtual worlds
05
07
E-books and smart devices
08
Massive Open Online Courses
http://scienceoftheinvisible.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/a-ramble-through-history-of-online.html

4. Technological trends
• Mobiles and e-books
• Personalised learning
• Cloud computing
• Ubiquitous learning
• BYOD (Bring your own device)
• Technology-Enhanced
learning spaces
• Learning analytics

5. The MATEL study
http://www.menon.org/matel/
• Productivity and creativity
• Networked collaboration
• Content creation
• Visualisation and simulation
• Learning Management Systems
• Learning environment
• Games
• Devices, interfaces and
connectivity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/462376660/

6. Game changers
• Harnessing the power of new
media
• Need to rethink education
• Key questions
– How can we reach more
learners, more effectively?
– What is the impact of free
resources, tools and expertise?
– What new business models are
emerging?
– What new digital literacies are
needed?
http://www.educause.edu/game-changers

7. The e-learning landscape
Emergent technologies and
affordances
Theory and methodology
E-pedagogies, strategies
and learning design
Resources, OER and
Pedagogical Patterns
Evaluations Interventions

8. MOOCS
Helen
Keegan
www.evolllution.com/distance_online_learning/massive-open-online-learning-creativity-and-competency/

9. From Web pages and
forums to complex online
interactions
What is needed in a world of
new and proliferating e-
learning practices are
research approaches that are
multiple and varied and that
recognise their heterogeneity
explicitly. (Friesen, 2009)

10. Themes
• Complex,
disruptive,
evolving
• More open
practices
• Distributed,
networked

11. Social Network Analysis

12. OER communities
• 7 in-depth case studies
• Articulate the nature of the OER communities
and the patterns of user behaviour
• Using the LOOK SNA tool
• Relationships between individuals and themes

13. Actor Network Theory (ANT)
• Humans and tool equal
• Good for describing networks

14. Learning design
• Activity Theory
• Design-Based Research
• Community Indicators
Framework
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcoutas/4996881007/

15. The Larnaca Declaration,
Sept 2012

16. Socio-cultural perspectives
Mediating
Design Mediating Artefacts
Concepts
Artefacts (MA)
Tools
Dialogues
Activities
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Research questions
What Mediating Artefacts do teachers use? Other teachers and learners
What Mediating Artefacts can we create to can use or repurpose
guide the design process?
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

17. Analysis: Activity Theory
Mediating
Artefacts (MA)
Creates Learning activity
or Resource
Teacher
Division of
Rules Community labour
Design and learning occur within a context

18. Design-Based Research
A systematic, but flexible methodology aimed to
improve educational practice through iterative
analysis, design, development and implementation,
based on collaboration between researchers and
practitioners in real-world settings, and leading to
contextually-sensitive design principles and theories.
Wang and Hannafin, 2005

19. • Means of dealing with real learning contexts
• Iterative: design, implementation, evaluation, refine
• Gives rich insights into complex dynamics

20. Benefits
• Means of dealing with real
learning contexts
• Iterative: design,
implementation,
evaluation, refine
• Gives rich insights into
complex dynamics

21. Facets
• Make assumptions and theoretical bases explicit
• Collect multiple types of data
• Conduct ongoing data analysis
• Invite multiple voices to critique
• Have multiple accountability structures
• Engage in dialectic among theory, design and
extant literature
Barab, 2006

22. DBR and Learning Design
• Builds on theory & prior • Builds on ID, OER, Ped Patterns
research research etc.
• Pragmatic • Practical tools & resources
• Collaborative • Work with practitioners
• Contextual • Real, authentic contexts
• Integrative • Mixed-method approach
• Iterative – problem, • Problem, implementation,
solution, evaluation evaluation and refinement
• Adaptive and flexible • Agile, based on practice
• Generalisation • Coherent LD framework

23. Problem and solution
• Teachers want
– Help with design
– Ways to represent
designs
• Solution
– Design representations to
guide and make design
explicit

25. Problem and solution
• Teachers want
– Examples of good
practice
– Others to talk to
• Solution
– Social networking site
– Best of web 2.0 http://cloudworks.ac.uk
– Iterative design and
evaluation

27. Evolving: socio-technical co-evolution
Content Event support, Open reviews, expert
seeding flash debates consultation
Social
interventions
Vision
Evaluation
Technical
interventions
Beta release RSS feeds, Events listing, voting,
activity streams favourites, etc

28. Interactions and
Communities
• Interactions
– Type
– Time
– Location
• Communities

30. http://www.slideshare.net/GrainneConole
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-research-alliance
grainne.conole@le.ac.uk
http://e4innovation.com