Abstracts - Earli

G 1130 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 0.89 JedlikSymposiumLearning across sites; new tools, infrastructures and practicesChair: Sten Ludvigsen, InterMedia, University of Oslo, NorwayOrganiser: Sten Ludvigsen, InterMedia, University of Oslo, NorwayOrganiser: Andreas Lund, InterMedia, University of Oslo, NorwayDiscussant: Roger Säljö, Dep. of Education, University of Gothenburg, SwedenAims: The aim of this symposium is to further advance our understanding of how learning takesplace in specific situations and under certain institutional conditions, but also how these twoaspects relate to each other. We will "unpack" the idea of collaboration and show howcollaboration connects actors in and across settings, through tools and networks. The differentpresentations will give insights as to how learning is constituted in both schools and workplaces.This gives possibilities to compare and contrast different learning practices and under whichconditions they become productive at the individual and collective level. Scientific relevance:Learning and development of knowledge increasingly take place in networks and across multipleand diverse settings and contexts, both within the educational sector and in workplaces. In eachsector and sub-sector the development of knowledge is specialized, based on domains andparticular divisions of labor. This specialized knowledge is bounded by language and tools in thelocal settings. The consequence is that expertise and knowledge appears as in-depth specializationattached to local contexts. However, such specialization creates challenges for reuse and forknowledge integration when problems in society, in institutions, and for individual actors demandsolutions that go beyond the local context. This means that we need to improve our understandingof learning when problems are complex and go beyond the school curriculum or given workpractices. Educational relevance: The implication for education is not given. We know fromtransfer research that knowledge does not travel easily between different settings like schools andworkplaces. By including studies of how learning practice is constituted both in schools and inworkplaces as well as designed efforts to change the practices we can develop deeper insights intohow learning takes place in and across sites within new infrastructures and with digital tools.The mediation of collaborative learning relationships in higher educationCharles Crook, University of Nottingham, United KingdomI argue that research on the computer mediation of collaborative learning has become rathernarrowly focussed. In particular, there has been a narrow interest in two distinct scenarios forCSCL: the face-to-face interaction at a computer resource and the asynchronous text-basedinteraction conducted through computers. These two research lines do not necessarily speak tohow CSCL contributes to the potential strengths of campus-based university education. Moreover,confronted with a growth in virtual/distance alternatives, the traditional campus now needs to bequite clear about what those strengths are and how to cultivate them. Evidence from diaries,interviews and VLE system logs is reviewed. Together it suggests that computer supportedcollaborative learning continues to play only a minor role in the undergraduate’s experience ofhigher education. It is argued in this paper that prevailing research traditions that addresstechnology and collaborative learning need to be extended. It is stressed in this paper that solvingproblems with others is an arrangement that can be driven by emotion as well as cognition But– 391 –