This document discusses research methodology in technology-enhanced learning (TEL). It covers several key areas: the TEL landscape and emerging technologies; methodological issues in TEL research including choice of research methods; theoretical perspectives like activity theory and actor network theory; and methodologies like design-based research and learning analytics. The document emphasizes that TEL research requires varied, flexible approaches to address its heterogeneous nature and ensure impact on both policy and practice.

1. Research Methodology
in TEL
Gráinne Conole,
University of Leicester
12th June 2012
UNISA, Pretoria

2. The TEL landscape
Emergent technologies
and affordances
Theory and methodology
E-pedagogies, strategies
and learning design
Resources, OER and
Pedagogical Patterns
Evaluations Jameson and De Freitas, 2012 Interventions

4. Contemporary perspectives
in e-learning
Methodological Current research &
issues development
Mapping the field
Historical
Discourses &
perspective & policy
tensions
timeline

5. Emergence of a research field
1. Pre-subject area – no
perceived interest
2. Beginnings – questions
arise
3. Emergence – more
researchers
4. Diversification – different
schools
5. Establishment – defined
community and alignment
with other fields
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/3399204993/

6. E-learning as a field
 Between stages 3 and 4
 Influx of researchers into the area
 Growth of new units and research
centres
 Specialised journals
 Dedicated conferences
 Community for fostering debate

7. Structures & processes Changing roles
Staff development Strategy & policy
E-literacies Organisational Mobile & ubiquitous
technologies
issues
New pedagogies
Learning design The Grid:
E-Science
Pedagogical Underpinning
Experiences aspects technologies
& perceptions Personalised
& adaptive
Case studies
of innovation Standards
Models of practice
Infrastructures
The e-learning landscape

8. Contextual factors
 Funding and policy drivers
 Cultural dimensions
 Subject-specific aspects
 Current hot topics
 Accessibility
 Widening participation
 Lifelong learning
 E-business
 Plagiarism, digital rights, IPR
http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/2731067095/

9. Underpinning technologies
 New and emerging technologies
 mobile and ubiquitous
 intelligent agents
 Understanding the media
 multiple forms of representation
 different characteristics of media
 Distributed electronic environment
 standards and interoperability
 infrastructure and architectures
 Access to information
 structuring and distributing information
 integrating different portals, gateways and
resources
 exploiting the different communication
mechanisms
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephanridgway/2942306223/

10. Pedagogical aspects
 Student and staff experiences
 Best methods of
 representing information
 Designing and accessing resources
 encouraging communication&collaboration
 integrating with other learning and teaching methods
 Development issues
 new forms of literacy
 mechanisms for skills updating and development
 Understanding the affordances of technologies
 Exploring the potential for new forms of pedagogy

11. Organisational issues
 Developing models for
 mapping institutional structures
 supporting institutional processes
 sharing knowledge
 distributing information
 supporting change
 engaging different stakeholders
 Awareness of external factors
 Understanding changing roles&
identities
 Linking strategy and practice
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/4169533699/

12. Common characteristics
 Change
 Political dimension
 Interdisciplinary
 Access and inclusion
 Convergence&interoperabilit
y
 Interactivity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexlc13/3563736956/

13. Themes
 The good& the bad of ICT
 Speed of change
 New collaborations and
discourses
 User focussed
 Changing practice
 Wider impact
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76269968@N04/6851364201/

14. Theme I
 ICT: the good and bad
 Institutional vs. loosely
coupled systems
 Affordances of
technologies
 Appropriateness, fit for
purpose
 Ownership vs. open
source
 Simplifying the complex
 Balance of content&
activity

15. Theme II
 Speed of change
 Web 2.0, Web3.0
 Immense amounts of
information
 New tools and resources
 The Web for nomads
 Predicting the
unpredictable
 A world beyond the Web

16. Theme III
 Supporting new
collaborations& discourses
 New distributed and self-
sustaining Communities of
Practice
 Interacting with the media
 Tailored and contextualised
 Making sense of it all - new
forms of digital literacy& the
power of narrative
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fernand0/3368971634/

17. Theme IV
 Understanding users
 Adaptive and personalised
 Ethnographic approach to users
 Semantic web of meaning
 Supporting the whole learning
cycle
 The perpetual beta
 Developing for the unknowable
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/3448804778/

18. Theme V
 Changing practice
 Reflective /practitioner
 Changing roles
 Passive to interactive
technologies
 New organisational
structures& processes
 How do you motivate people
to do this?
 New methodologies for design
and evaluation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/centralasian/5234238544/

19. Theme VI
 Wider impact
 New models for society
 Blurring of boundaries
 Distributed cognition
 ‘Compelling’ experiences
 A changing world
 Technology is here and will
continue to have an impact

20. Discipline issues
 Variety of feeder disciplines
 education research, cognitive
psychology, instructional design,
computer science, business&
management, philosophy,
semiotics, critical discourse analysis
 Benefits
 wealth of methods& approaches
 different perspectives
 Drawbacks
 no shared language and
understanding
 lack of cohesion to the area
http://www.flickr.com/photos/argos_t/3381333665/

21. Choice of research methods
 Tension between
 Focus on evaluation or research
 Quantitative vs. qualitative
approaches
 Choice of methodologies
 Has an impact on outcomes
 Tends to be based on previous
experience, favoured methods
 Approaches
 Exploring individual case studies
 Developing generic models
 Undertaking systematic reviews
 Applying specific theoretical
perspectives
 Active involvement and action
research
 Accounting for context - Activity
theory, Actor Network http://www.flickr.com/photos/59937401@N07/5857443389/
Theory

22. Methodological issues
 Tensions
 between policy makers&
practitioners
 stakeholders with conflicting agendas
 efficiency gains/effectiveness vs
improving learning
 Research vs. roll out to policy &
practice
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caseorganic/4068771695/

23. Methodological issues
Lack of rigor/ Tension between
anecdotal, quantitative and
Academic credibility qualitative
Feeder disciplines
Wealth of methods
No shared language
Methodological New theoretical
innovations? frameworks

24. Practice
Informs
Developmen
Resources
t
Consolidates Improves
Develops Enhances
Theory Research Learning
Shapes Builds
Policy Guides Networks
Strategy

25. Methodologies
• Activity Theory
• Actor Network Theory
• Design-Based Research
• Learning Analytics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcoutas/4996881007/

26. Activity theory

27. Theoretical perspectives
• Activity theory
– Takes account of context
– Subject and object focus
– Mediating Artefacts
• Actor Network Theory
– Actants and non-actants
– Networked perspective
• Design-Based Research
– Agile
– Problem, solutions, development
and evaluation

28. Actor Network Theory (ANT)
• Humans and tool equal
• Good for describing networks

29. Design-Based Research
A systematic, but flexible methodology aimed to
improve educational practice through iterative
analysis, design, development and implementation,
based on collaboration between researchers and
practitioners in real-world settings, and leading to
contextually-sensitive design principles and theories.
Wang and Hannafin, 2005

30. Benefits
• Means of dealing
with real learning
contexts
• Iterative: design,
implementation,
evaluation, refine
• Gives rich insights
into complex
dynamics

31. Facets
• Make assumptions and theoretical bases explicit
• Collect multiple types of data
• Conduct ongoing data analysis
• Invite multiple voices to critique
• Have multiple accountability structures
• Engage in dialectic among theory, design and
extant literature
Barab, 2006

32. DBR and Learning Design
• Builds on theory & prior • Builds on ID, OER, Ped
research Patterns research etc.
• Pragmatic • Practical tools & resources
• Collaborative • Work with practitioners
• Contextual • Real, authentic contexts
• Integrative • Mixed-method approach
• Iterative – problem, • Problem, implementation,
solution, evaluation evaluation and refinement
• Adaptive and flexible • Agile, based on practice
• Generalisation • Coherent LD framework

33. Problem and solution
• Teachers want
– Examples of good
practice
– Others to talk to
• Solution
– Social networking site
– Best of web 2.0
– Iterative design and http://cloudworks.ac.uk
evaluation

36. Evolving: socio-technical co-evolution
Content Event support, flash Open reviews, expert
seeding debates, etc consultation, etc
Social
interventions
Vision
Evaluation
Technical
interventions
Beta release RSS feeds, activity Events listing, voting,
streams etc favourites, etc

37. Problem and solution
• Teachers want
– Design guidance
– Means to share and
discuss designs
• Solution
– Design representations
– Based on empirical
evidence and theory

38. Learning Analytics
Measurement, collection, analysis
and reporting of data about
learners and their contexts, for the
purposes of understanding and
optimising learning and the
environments in which it occurs
US Department of Education

39. • We leave trails
everywhere we go
and that data is
valuable
• (George Siemens)

43. Erik Duval

45. Other approaches
• Cultural research –
narrative and gender
• Post-cognitivist turn
• Phenomonology
• Critical and historical
research

46. What is needed in a world of
new and proliferating e-
learning practices are
research approaches that are
multiple and varied and that
recognise their heterogeneity
explicitly. (Friesen, 2009)
From Web pages and
forums to complex online
interactions
Are we up for the challenge???

47. Conclusion
• Exciting and important time
for TEL research
• Multiple theoretical research
perspectives and
methodologies emerging
• What are the key research
questions we need to
address?
• How do we ensure impact on
policy and practice?