Jason Hughes

Elearning and virtual Communities of Practice

Using the more academic model of CoP which is about how learning actually is.

critical overview of Lave and Wenger's analytical approach to learning, and then application to a group of e-Creatives who worked together for 3 months during this project. Within Lave and Wenger's 1991 text, ' not a presrciptive model, not an educational form, but an analytical approach or lens to reveal learning as it actually is', and then later in their text, they position legitimate peripheral participation as different from traditional educational approaches. Oscillate between writing about learning actually is (academic approach) and how learning should be (practitioner model).

Wenger 1998 text
Components of learning as social participation [get from paper]

Degree students in design - photography, design, art. 22 countries, 61 students, 35 colleges.
Students allocated to groups in virtual studios.
One design brief given later in the project was "design an image that expresses the notion 03>04>05"
Discussion forum was the main communication mode for this brief.
Earlier in the project there were other briefs and groups had to decide on what briefs meant. Over time the level of groupwork increased and collaborative production of work.

Students found the provided tools annoying ie java issues, so some use of msn chat and so on emerged which was then not available to the researcher.

from the mentor - "ultimately you all have been taking time to consider what you are doing, [probably far more than you are used to] instead of the technical issues of what you are doing"

through the project moved to full legitimate participation - learning to talk and participate. Not definite outcomes but rather the process.
from a learner "taking the time to look back on everything that has happened at each stage of this process and considering the why, reflecting, questioning and learning more as we go [Kim]"

Using the CoP model orients the researcher towards-
learning to rather than learning from.

Through the process, researcher got to see some exchanges, but not the actual work process that was taking place beyond the web eg selection of images by individuals, also the use of tools beyond the provided platform meant that some dialogue was not available for consideration. Where there is not spatial co-presence, you miss some of the learning that takes place.

Using the lens of CoP - can miss some things, eg knowledge of how well students could use the keyboard, and the impact that this would have on participation. Should be looking at how learning actually is, and then see how it ought to be. Creating better models, and theorising practice.