Knotworking as an Analytical Tool for Designing E-Learning While Targeting Industry Competence Needs

This chapter outlines challenges and opportunities for teachers in higher education in their design work of e-learning courses targeting practitioner’s competence development of production technology knowledge. Teachers are challenged to develop up-to-date learning material and digitize learning tasks such as virtual labs and machine-related cases that align to workplace knowledge needs. Design work used for campus education is argued to be insufficient to meet e-learning education while targeting industry competence requirements. Teachers and practitioners are in a transformative process when they engage in mutual design work that both encompass a new e-learning situation, and a new target group of experienced practitioners and workplace demands within smart manufacturing. The theoretical concept knotworking, is applied to shed light on the complexity of designing courses for work-integrated e-learning aiming to enhance professional competences. Knotworking refers to tying, untying, and retying together seemingly separate threads of activity. Based on a longitudinal competence development project, this chapter analyzes considerations of an e-learning design practice through the knotworking concept for understanding learning and practices across professional boundaries

Why do an online Change Laboratory?

This technical submission was created collaboratively, by a group of researchers united by shared interests and experiences in conducting research online using the Change Laboratory methodology. Our current contribution seeks to inform and engage colleagues, setting out a collaborative response to a relatively unsophisticated yet reflexive and timely question: Why do an online Change Laboratory? To us, it seems that this question could be interpreted in multiple ways: why should people become involved in an online Change Laboratory, as discrete from an onsite Change Laboratory; why should people become involved in an online Change Laboratory, as discrete from using other online options; or why should people become involved in any type of research-intervention at all. As individual researcher-interventionists, who meet regularly to share our experiences and interests in online Change Laboratories, we also interpret this question in multiple ways, and we hope that our collaborative response reflects our diversity of thought (a closing section of this paper described how we worked in its production). We seek to encourage colleagues to further explore these and other questions about online Change Laboratories, and we call for others to join us in purposeful conversations to advance the methodology

Needs and challenges with respect to establishing a collaboratory within library and information science: Practioners' perspectives

This paper reports on a study that explored the needs and challenges with respect to the creation of a collaboratory for library and information science practitioners. To identify needs and challenges interviews were conducted with practitioners at a variety of institutions. The results suggest that there is a need for a collaboratory to facilitate on-demand, personalized knowledge sharing. The collaboratory should also be well integrated into the everyday practice of library and information science practitioners

Samarbetsbaserad undervisning i historia och samhällskunskap : utmaningar och möjligheter. IKT didaktik och lärande om människors villkor. Boundary object som stöd för IKT-didaktisk planering

Med bas i ett EU-finansierat projekt Gränsöverskridande Nordisk undervisning (GNU, http://projektgnu.eu) mellan skolor i Sverige, Norge och Danmark har vi genom praktiknära och aktionsinriktade ansatser studerat och tillsammans med lärare bedrivit ett tre-årigt skolutvecklingsarbete med fokus på samarbete i och med digitala verktyg som grund för lärande i samhällsorienterade ämnen.   Vikten av det praktiknära perspektivet poängteras i en omfattande översikt av 132 svenska forskningsstudier av samhällsorienterade (SO) ämnen. Johansson Harrie (2011) visade att det fortfarande finns ett stort behov av studier av vad som faktiskt sker i klassrummen i syfte att få en större förståelse för hur klassrumsaktiviteter och undervisningsresultat hänger samman. Att studera det som sker i klassrummet är viktigt då samhällsorienterade ämneskunskaper möjliggörs eller hindras i mötet mellan lärare och elever menar Schüllerqvist och Osbeck (2009) då intentionerna i läroplaner konkretiseras just i mötet.    Utöver behovet av fler studier kopplade till vad som sker i skolmiljön i SO-undervisningen finns också ett behov av att lyfta in bruk av digitala verktyg i den didaktiska situationen. Lärare likväl som elever förväntas att utveckla sin förmåga att använda sig av digitala verktyg i skolan för att lära. Lärarens utmaning i det didaktiska upplägget handlar om det aktiva valet av när vad fungerar som stöd för önskat undervisningsresultat vid bruk av digitala verktyg (Grönlund et al 2013). I relation till samhällsvetenskapliga ämnen lyfter Lund och Hauge (2011) fram hur viktigt det är att man som lärare behöver ‘designa in sig själv’ i de olika aktiviteter som eleverna skall göra samt skapa förståelse för både sig själv och sina elever att de digitala verktygen i sig också spelar roll i lärandet.   Givet de identifierade utmaningar från tidigare forskning som poängterar vikten av att belysa det som konkret sker både gällande hur man interagerar, vilka verktyg som tas i bruk och på vilket sätt det innehållsliga stoffet sätts i relation till och utvecklas av bruk av digital teknik i samarbete med andra, illustreras dessa möjligheter och utmaningar i två konkreta undervisningsförlopp. De två skilda didaktiska uppläggen sätts i relation till Boundary object teorin, vilken lyfter fram hur människors sätt att förhålla sig till varandra och samarbeta underlättas genom att samlas kring något som upplevs tydligt och förståeligt för de inblandade människorna.

Shared Virtual Environments: Technology, Social Interaction, and Adaptation over Time

This thesis investigates social interaction and adaptation over time in shared virtual environments. Shared virtual environments (SVEs) are computer generated 3D graphical spaces where geographically distributed people can meet and interact with each other in a graphical space. Although there have been a number of studies about social interaction in shared virtual environments, there has been almost no research looking into changes over time, which this thesis does. It also relates the use of shared virtual environments to the broader context of other types of technologies used for bridging distances and linking people together. In order to gain more knowledge about social interaction over the longer term, this thesis compared and contrasted two different shared virtual environments. One was an internet-based virtual environment on desktop computers where many users could interact at the same time. The other were two networked immersive projection technology systems in which two participants performed a variety of tasks together. Observations and other methods of analysis were carried out, focusing on differences and similarities in people’s behaviour in processes of adaptation. The four papers contained in this thesis analyse the various processes of adaptation over time. This thesis argues that technology becomes not only a tool for social interaction; it also becomes a key aspect in social interaction. While the technology filters out some social cues that we are familiar with from face-to-face situations, it also “filters in” new cues that become important for how people can connect to each other inside the shared virtual environment. Over time, these social cues become essential for people to adapt to; otherwise people find it difficult to relate to each other and do things together in the shared virtual environment. The more difficulties people have in adapting to how to use the technology while interacting with others, the less people will accept the technology as an appropriate tool for connecting people and doing things together. The reason for this is that social and technical issues can only be separated analytically in shared virtual environments; in practice, as this thesis shows, they are highly intertwined. The thesis puts forward a dynamic model identifying the importance of looking more explicitly at individuals, technology, tasks and time in different contexts in social interaction. In this way, the thesis integrates a number of elements of the process of adaptation over time in SVEs into an overall framework, and paves the way for more extensive and in-depth future research into this topic

Connected Practice: The Dynamics of Social Interaction in Shared Virtual Environment

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of social interaction in shared virtual environments (SVEs), supported by virtual reality (VR) systems over time. SVEs are computer generated 3D graphical spaces where geographically distributed people can meet and interact with each other in a graphical space. Although there have been a number of studies about social interaction in SVEs, there has been a lack of research looking into changes over time, which this thesis does.In order to gain more knowledge about social interaction over the longer term, this thesis compares and contrasts four different types of VR systems that supported various SVEs. Two of the systems were internet based SVEs on desktop computers where many users could interact at the same time. One of the SVEs had voice based communication. The other SVE had text based communication. The other two were based in laboratory settings. One setting was networked immersive projection technologies (IPT) in which two participants performed a variety of tasks together. The other was one IPT connected to a desktop VR and participants changed systems half way through the trial in which they collaboratively solved a task together. In both settings voice based communication were used. Observations and other methods of analysis were carried out, focusing on differences and similarities in peoples behaviors in the process of social interaction over time in SVEs.The six papers contained in this thesis explore social interaction over time in shared virtual environments. This thesis argues that technology becomes not only a tool for social interaction; it also becomes a key aspect in social interaction. While the technology filters out some of the social cues we are familiar with from face to face situations, it also ‘filters in’ new cues that become important for how people can connect to each other in the shared virtual environment. Over time, these social cues, that people creates among themselves while using the technology, become essential for people learn about; otherwise they find it difficult to relate to each other and do things together in the shared virtual environments.The more difficulties people have in figuring out how to use the technology while interacting with others, the less they will accept the technology as an appropriate tool for connecting people and doing things together. The reason for this is that social and technical issues can only be separated analytically in shared virtual environments; in practice, as this thesis shows, they are highly intertwined.This thesis puts forward a dynamic model identifying the importance of looking more explicitly at individuals, technology, task and time while studying social interaction in SVEs. In this way, the thesis combines a number of insights both from previous social science theories of social interaction and practices - together with observations from the studies this thesis builds on. The thesis puts forward a concept that includes these insights - connected practice, defined as the dynamics of social interaction in technical systems. This concept can guide future studies to incorporate both technical and social aspects over time since it was shown to be the key to understanding the phenomenon of this thesis. It is finally suggested in the thesis that the concept connected practice can be utilized in other technical systems apart from SVEs in future research of social interaction in technical systems

Running online formative interventions – experiences from an international research community

The aim of this presentation is to share the successes and challenges that we have experienced, as an international community of researchers, running formative interventions in online research environments. We will consider lessons learned from six projects focused on interventions in diverse educational settings: 1) part-time adult learners working in facilities management, who were unhappy with online teaching and learning for the professional diploma courses they were undertaking; 2) K-6 school personnel seeking to create models, with which they aspired to tackle inequalities in accessing education; 3) post-compulsory education providers seeking to engage community stakeholders, in a particularly disadvantaged area with poor educational outcomes; 4) staff in a specialist school for blind students designing a model of inclusive practice, to respond to the changing nature of the student profile in their local community; 5) online educators in Higher Education Institutions, seeking to understand their own professional development needs; and 6) doctoral students from a range of disciplines, working alongside a multinational corporation to scope systemic and social challenges, developing an inclusive environment for neurodiverse employees to prosper. By sharing our successes and challenges, we will contribute to existing knowledge about the various methodologies we used to design and conduct these diverse projects, so as to continue to build collaboration in the use of formative interventions by the wider international research community. 

Connected Practice: The Dynamics of Social Interaction in Shared Virtual Environment

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of social interaction in shared virtual environments (SVEs), supported by virtual reality (VR) systems over time. SVEs are computer generated 3D graphical spaces where geographically distributed people can meet and interact with each other in a graphical space. Although there have been a number of studies about social interaction in SVEs, there has been a lack of research looking into changes over time, which this thesis does.In order to gain more knowledge about social interaction over the longer term, this thesis compares and contrasts four different types of VR systems that supported various SVEs. Two of the systems were internet based SVEs on desktop computers where many users could interact at the same time. One of the SVEs had voice based communication. The other SVE had text based communication. The other two were based in laboratory settings. One setting was networked immersive projection technologies (IPT) in which two participants performed a variety of tasks together. The other was one IPT connected to a desktop VR and participants changed systems half way through the trial in which they collaboratively solved a task together. In both settings voice based communication were used. Observations and other methods of analysis were carried out, focusing on differences and similarities in peoples behaviors in the process of social interaction over time in SVEs.The six papers contained in this thesis explore social interaction over time in shared virtual environments. This thesis argues that technology becomes not only a tool for social interaction; it also becomes a key aspect in social interaction. While the technology filters out some of the social cues we are familiar with from face to face situations, it also ‘filters in’ new cues that become important for how people can connect to each other in the shared virtual environment. Over time, these social cues, that people creates among themselves while using the technology, become essential for people learn about; otherwise they find it difficult to relate to each other and do things together in the shared virtual environments.The more difficulties people have in figuring out how to use the technology while interacting with others, the less they will accept the technology as an appropriate tool for connecting people and doing things together. The reason for this is that social and technical issues can only be separated analytically in shared virtual environments; in practice, as this thesis shows, they are highly intertwined.This thesis puts forward a dynamic model identifying the importance of looking more explicitly at individuals, technology, task and time while studying social interaction in SVEs. In this way, the thesis combines a number of insights both from previous social science theories of social interaction and practices - together with observations from the studies this thesis builds on. The thesis puts forward a concept that includes these insights - connected practice, defined as the dynamics of social interaction in technical systems. This concept can guide future studies to incorporate both technical and social aspects over time since it was shown to be the key to understanding the phenomenon of this thesis. It is finally suggested in the thesis that the concept connected practice can be utilized in other technical systems apart from SVEs in future research of social interaction in technical systems