Presentation to EdMedia 2009 in Hawaii

1. Fusing Technological Design with
Social Concerns: A Socio-technical
Study of Implementing Interactive
Videoconferencing
Jo Luck

2. Overview
• Context
• Research Design
• Actor Network Theory
• Sociology of Translation
– Problematisation
– Interessement
– Enrolment
– Mobilisation
• What does it all mean?
• Questions

3. Context

4. Deputy Vice-Chancellor on
“Knowledge-a-bull”

5. CQUniversity
• Main campus: Rockhampton Australia
• Eight other campuses in three Eastern states
• http://www.cqu.edu.au/

6. The rollabout IVC
system (circa 1992)

7. Large IVC
lecture
theatre in
Rockhampton

8. Research
Design

9. Research Design
• Actor-network theory:
– Research method
– Conceptual framework
– Analytical lens
• Qualitative research techniques:
– Gathering documents and other artefacts
– Participant observation
– Individual and focus group interviews

10. ANT

11. Actor-Network Theory
• Two French Sociologists:
– Michel Callon
– Bruno Latour
• An English Sociologist:
– John Law
• Early ANT or origin stories

12. ANT Concepts
– Actor
– Actor network
– Drilled bodies
– Obligatory passage point (OPP)
– Inscription
– Translation

13. Sociology of
Translation

14. Sociology of Translation
– Four moments of translation (Callon, 1986):
• Problematisation
• Interessement
• Enrolment
• Mobilization

15. Problematisation

16. Problematisation (how to become indispensable)
Actors Vice- CQU CQU CQU IVC
Chancellor students staff Faculties facilities
Obstacle/ Obstacle/anti-program: Obstacle/ anti-
program: Not all Obstacle/ anti-
Anti-program: Need to change their
OPP: Future teaching practices courses and programs program: Temporary
Enrol at a rollabout
Directions/ can be taught using
university in videoconferencing
Vision ’97 computer-enhanced
Brisbane
proposal communication
Goals Financial Complete a Retain university status Fill student quota Permanent, advanced
of the viability degree and working conditions and develop high interactive
actors of CQU communication system
quality courses

17. Interessement

18. Interessement (How the Allies are Locked into Place)
• Intermediaries are devices and strategies used
to come between actors and competing
interests
• Language used:
– Positive encouraging statements
– Short easily remembered acronyms
• Walking party
– Members were carefully chosen
– Charismatic leader

19. Enrolment

20. Enrolment (How to Define and Coordinate the Roles)
• Students:
– Enrolment in courses and programs
– Orientation to the IVC
• Staff:
– Negotiate new work roles
– Drilled bodies
• Faculties:
– Program & course offerings
• IVC facilities:
– Purpose-built, IVC-enabled rooms

21. Mobilisation

22. A composite photograph featuring
various aspects of an
IVC class in action

23. What does it all
mean?

24. Introducing New Technologies
• Changed academic work practices
• Mutual translation of people and things
• Key implications:
– Clear succinct statements of problem and
advantages of suggested solution
– Intermediaries need to be persuasive
– Displacements and translations continue
– Negotiations will be complex

25. Future Work
• Data collection phase of a study of university
students use of and experience with social
networking tools
• Convergence of video technologies and the
Internet

26. Contact
Jo Luck
 j.luck@cqu.edu.au
 +61 7 49309550
http://fabie.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/staff.do?site=536&

27. Acknowledgements
• Original study from Doctor of Philosophy
• Thanks to my passionate doctoral supervisors
for assisting me to form these ideas

28. Questions