Design for learning for the social network generation: themes from a LAMS evaluation project

by Dr Philippa Levy, Dr Sabine Little, Mr Ola Aiyegbayo

Social networking - the use of Internet applications to connect people in communities of interest and resource exchange - has long been a central concept of 'networked learning' or 'computer-supported collaborative learning' approaches to the use of learning technology. However, it is only relatively recently that social networking tools and environments have become widely and freely accessible on the web and that it has become possible to think in terms of the existence of a generation of learners for whom the practice and values of online social networking (with all that these imply about autonomy, participation, collaboration, democracy and so on) are central to their day-to-day interactions with technology.

As such, the Web 2.0 context throws into sharp relief some important questions about learner-focused uses of technology in formal teaching and learning contexts. Two such questions are: can e-learning tools that support design for learning, and the facilitation of learning, promote creative engagement with practices and values associated with the social networking context? Is it important that they do so?

This paper considers these questions from the perspective of a JISC-funded Design for Learning project that is exploring the use of an activity-focused e-learning tool - LAMS (Learning Activity Management System) - for inquiry-based learning. This pedagogical approach is grounded in principles of student-led exploration, investigation and research, often in collaborative settings. LAMS includes tools for communication and group-work, and enables the creation and orchestration of sequences of learning activity (e.g. small group discussion followed by web research followed by sharing and discussion of the results and personal reflection) with associated content. The study includes an exploration of the impact of LAMS as a stimulus for new and innovative designs for learning; the 'fit' between the pedagogical model that underpins LAMS, and the purposes and values of inquiry-based learning in different contexts; the student experience in terms of autonomous engagement in inquiry. The aim is to contribute to current debate and theory about design for learning by providing a focused, in-depth analysis of the relationship between design for learning practice and pedagogical values and intent, and of the strengths and weaknesses of a specific learning design and reuse tool in relation to these and other contextual factors.

Adopting a primarily qualitative research approach, the project is examining the experiences and perspectives of academic staff, students and educational developers as LAMS users. Methods include pre- and post-implementation interviews with academic staff, feedback from student users, and monitoring of educational development (and technical support) issues. The paper will draw on these data to critically explore the relationship between activity-focused design for learning, as instantiated through LAMS, and principles, values and practices associated with inquiry-based learning for the 'social network generation'. The focus will be less on LAMS per se, than on broader theoretical issues that emerge from the research in relation to current debate about design for learning.

ID Number: 1274

Date: Tuesday, 4th September 2007

Time: 1545

Location: East Midlands Conference Centre, Lecture Theatre

Theme: Learning technology for the social network generation