Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines and Effective Practice from Around Globe, 2008a

9 – Quality Assurance by Design
ger, 1991; Wenger, 1998; Wenger et al., 2002). Collaborative
computer-supported collaborative learning has
contributed significantly to the socio-cultural field.
Network-supported collaborative learning (NSCL):
NSCL has emerged as a similar educational paradigm. It
includes cognitive sciences, sociology, and computer
engineering. See Banks, Goodyear, Hodgson & McConnell,
2004; Steeples and Jones, 2002. This interdisciplinary
approach has also introduced the role of learning
technologist (Conole & Oliver, 2002; Conole, 2004).
However, owing to inherent difficulties in performing
evaluation in general, as well as evaluation in its own
field, very few systematic and complete studies have
been reported in NSCL literature (Retalis et al., 2006).
Research in computer-supported collaborative learning
and network-supported collaborative learning have
found common ground between disciplines, and is now
focused on learners working collaboratively. There is
still the need, however, for the teacher and the technologist
to acknowledge the individual e-learner’s requirements.
In fact, the learner behaves as a learner, a user,
and a customer. Even though learning technologists
have aimed to fill this gap, the result is still technocentric
design and poor usability (Diaz, 2002; Notess,
2001). The problem remains. There is need for learning
management systems to provide an integrated platform
for collaborative learning in communities of practice
(CoP, Lave & Wenger, 1991). Delivery of the learning
product, supporting management, engagement, and
tracking of information and activities should facilitate e-
learning communities. The Web 2.0 philosophy and
tools are currently in favour of such initiatives, but the
systems are still in the first stage of development supporting
information provision that community knowledge
building.
Socio-technical design requires social software qualities
of sympathy, trust, and integrity (Mumford, 1983).
In e-learning this has been referred to as affective
learning (AL). Affective learning properties link the
individual with the community. Such properties include
the emotions, intentions, attitudes, interests, attention,
awareness, trust, motivation. or empathy enable communication,
consultation, and participation (Zaharias,
2004). For example, Grosz and Sidner (1986) suggest
that the discourse structure is intimately connected to
intention; for instance intentional information in discourse
structure creates adaptation of a conversational
channel (Woodruff & Aoki, 2004). Empathy is another
example, which is considered essential for participation
in online communities (Preece, 1999; Preece & Ghozati,
2000; Lambropoulos, 2005).
Affective learning in design: A learner-centred approach
to e-learning quality relies not only on cognitive
but also on emotional and affective learners’ engagement
(Zaharias, 2004). Such a learner-centred approach
acknowledges the importance of context, and views
learning as a social and collaborative process. In the
learner-centred paradigm, learners are the focal point—
the centre of the learning process. They should take responsibility
for their own learning, reflect, and make
sense of their experiences. Interconnections between the
dual persona of the learner as a user, as well as the inclusion
of affective learning factors are the links between the
individual and the learning community in the e-learning
world. The development of brain research (LeDoux,
1998) and cognitive neuroscience allowed Rizzolati and
Arbib (1998) to discover the areas where the mirror
neurons are located, interacting in both hemispheres
(Broca are 44 and PE/PC). Such neurons are responsible
for representing the existence of other people in the
brain. This discovery resulted in the scientific identification
of empathy, widespread in online communities
(Preece & Ghozati, 2000).
According to Zaharias (2004), such affective networks
justify the why in learning as humans pursue
goals, develop preferences, build confidence, persist in
the face of difficulty, establish priorities, and care about
learning. And yet, affective networks are not considered
important in educational technology. It is generally difficult
to engineer empathy, but with the advantage the
affective learning factors provide, learning theories for
the individual can co-exist with socio-cultural learning.
The learning activity is the outcome, as Zaharias
stressed. Learner-centred frameworks and principles
should require learners to be active participants in every
quality assessment process. In order to achieve this, Zaharias
provided a set of quality principles and their implications
for e-learning instructional design quality. His
seven quality principles associated with specific implications
for e-learning design quality are:
• individual differences relevant to learning styles and
preferences
• information overload
• contextual learning
• social learning
• active learning
• reflective learning
• emotional engagement focusing on motivation.
Zaharias’ quality principles echo the need for a systems’
design model that can support the formation of
e-learning communities for the benefit of the individual
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