Reflections on Methods for applying Activity Theory to CSCW research and practice – The AODM Approach

CSCW research and practice incorporates the design and analysis of computer-basedtools as resources for supporting work-based activities. Within this remit, the design and analysis of these tools need to address mediational aspects of these resources in relation to the context of operation and motives of those engaged in work activity. In this regard, several researchers and practitioners have highlighted the suitability of activity theory in conceptualising the dynamics of tool and user interactions in context (Nardi, 1996; Kuutti, 1996; Bodker, 1991). However, variations in methodological perspectives on putting activity theory ideas into practice continue to trigger interesting debate regarding the feasibility of applying activity theory to the design and analysis of computer systems and tools for supporting work activities (Mwanza, 2001a, 2001b and 2001c). Towards this end, various methodological propositions have been put forward (Mwanza, 2002; Korpela et al., 2000; Kaptelinin et al., 1999)

Methods and models of next generation technology enhanced learning - White Paper

Our understanding of learning with technology is increasingly lagging behind technological advancements, such that it is no longer possible to fully understand learning with technologies without bringing together evidence from practice-based experiences and theoretical insight to inform research, design, policy and practice. Furthermore, whilst practical experiences and theoretical insights make significant contributions towards understanding learning with new technologies, the dynamic nature of learner practices and study contexts make it difficult to predict future requirements in terms of methods and models for next generation technology enhanced learning. We therefore require formal and comprehensive methods and models of learning with technology that accommodate theory and practice whilst allowing us to anticipate methodological innovations that capture future transitions and changes in learner practices and study contexts, in order to inform research, design, policy and practice. Workshop participants represented different communities of interest including research, design, evaluation and assessment. The overall objective was to anticipate methodological innovations in technology enhanced learning research and design over the next 5/10 years

Practice-centred approach to research in design

This paper gives an overview of practice-centred research programmes at Sheffield Hallam University and discusses the principles behind practice-centred research, its place in the Design School, its effect on the regional economy and the community and the resources and methods employed. Implications for research degrees are discussed and developments in the form of the PhD are described.</p

Practice led research into stream-form composition methods, freeassociation, and synaesthesia in audio/visual compostion.

.haul / S is a portfolio of audio/visual works, all with a common start point, synaesthesia: a powerful and highly personal phenomenon. In this portfolio I examine my own synaesthetic perceptions of sound and image, and how they direct my compositional decisions and aesthetic tastes. These perceptions, and the resulting compositions, are compared to the experiences of synaesthete composers, and their goals in composing from such an abstract source material, as well as synaesthetes not engaged in musical endeavours. In doing so, I speculate how the act of making from such personal, abstract, and ultimately indescribable and unsharable experiences affects an audience’s reception of the pieces produced. As such, I produce works that are as close to being about nothing as I could posit: pieces that feature no defined subject, theme, or narrative, outside of their constituent parts. This nothingness, or lack of concrete reference is speculative, aiming to open discussion on perception and synaesthesia (which I do not consider a special condition only experienced by few), and strives to inform further work actively influenced by this composer/audience feedback loop. The compositions in this portfolio are also the result of practice-led research into stream form composition methods, and examinations of free-association in audio/visual composition. The aim of this research is to open discussion on intuitive composition practices, and composers’ aesthetic judgments and decisions when producing a work. It also examines synaesthesia as a compositional tool, as a means of suggesting further research in a field which is still poorly understood

Systemic intervention

This paper describes the practice of systemic intervention, emphasizing (1) the need to explore stakeholder values and boundaries for analysis; (2) responses to the challenges of marginalization processes; and (3) a wide, pluralistic range of methods from the systems literature and beyond to create a flexible and responsive systemic action research practice. After presenting an outline of systemic intervention, the author discusses several other well-tested systems approaches with a view to identifying their potential for further supporting systemic intervention practice, and action research more generally. Two practical examples of systemic intervention are provided to illustrate the arguments