Towards an Activity-Driven Design Method for Online Learning Resources

Abstract

In this chapter we focus on the challenges we have encountered in the development of an activity-driven design method for online resources in an education programme for school leaders. The study is part of a follow-up research of the Digital Leadership Project (DLP) at the University of Oslo. The design method is experimental and grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). The study can be seen as a contribution within CHAT in terms of moving from the current use of CHAT as simply a descriptive evaluation tool between analysis and design or design and redesign towards a more developmental model. The study addresses the research problem of interrupting an existing education course design with new technologies and learning objects/resources to try to bridge the gap between different designs for learning. This research contributes to the understanding of how the interplay between cultural artefacts, such as pedagogical ideas, design methods, and technological solutions in a design activity can influence solutions and lead to tensions, which create opportunities for the transformation of the design as a whole.