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2) Introducing E-learning with PD and evolutionary design
techniques
• Research question:– How can participatory design be useful
for E-learning?
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Participatory Design
• Techniques for involving workers in the design of systems that will affect their work
• Originated in Scandinavia• Roots in trade union activities in Norway in the
1970s and some pioneering projects in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the 1980s,
• A goal has been to make user participation design-oriented and to leverage actual users’ domain expertise and skills
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User interface in cardboard and paper
Laser printer made from cardboard box
Mock-ups developed in Utopia project in the 1980s
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Why PD and e-learning?
• “One size doesn’t fit all”• Complex problem domains (both in
education and workplaces) may require tailor-made E-learning
• Workplaces and schools that can leverage domain-expert users (“super users”) to maintain their e-learning systems may gain advantages
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LAP project
• Learning and Knowledge Building at Work (LAP is the acronym in Norwegian)
• 3 year project among researchers and service industry companies in Norway
• Goal: Introduce e-learning in two large corporations in Scandinavia (Statoil Detaljhandel and Visma Services)
• Empirical studies of the adoption process• Analyze empirical and technical innovation
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Statoil – The gas station division• Goal: develop an e-learning system for gas
station attendants and identify new learning opportunities to supplement traditional training
• The work at the gas stations is until now mostly manual labor; serving customers is the main task of the employees
• Young staff with average 12 months on the job
• Knowledge demand is high, ranging from how to prepare hot food to knowing the automobile products
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Techniques employed
• Design workshop: involving employees at multiple levels in the organisation
• Intermediate abstractions: creating a smooth transition from user representations to software systems
• Evolutionary design: transfer knowledge and code from one system to another in incremental steps
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Design workshop
• Focus groups• Learning scenarios• Role playing• Mock-ups• Breakdown
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Identifying work situations that can be improved (focus group)
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Learning scenarios
• Create– Collaborative design in groups of 4– Including station attendants and regional managers– Recorded on video
• Act (demonstrated in 3 video clips)1. Illustrate current work situation (and learn role playing
technique)2. Simulate a future situation that improves upon current
work practice3. Breakdowns and creative work-around (with drama
instructor) to invent new ways of working and learning
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Role playing
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Mock-up information display created by one of the employee groups
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Video clip 1
• Illustrate current work situation(identifying an opportunity for learning)
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Video clip 2
• Simulating a future situation(incorporating electronic information display)
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Video clip 3
• Breakdown and creative work-around(Breakdown: computer stops working)
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Intermediate abstractions
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Evolutionary design
• Transforming a mock-up to a computer prototype
• Intermediate abstractions aided the process, bridging informal and formal systems
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System prototype v.1
• First prototype crated by IT in Statoil based on one of the intermediate abstractions
• Installed at pilot station for 3 months
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System prototype v.2
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Third prototype: Laptop interface
• Third prototype has more functionality than its predecessors, but turned out to be less user friendly
• Company profile alignment became as important as local engagement
• System integrates well with the company’s advanced information and communication infrastructure
• Deployed at 25 gas stations as of 7/2004• Mixed results, since less active use• Plans for roll-out to more stations during Dec/2004
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System prototype v.3
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System prototype v.4
• The prototype has been intregartedb into the cash register, during 2005
• It has been deployed to many gas stations
• We have not yet made any follow-up studies of current use
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References• Mørch, A.I., Engen, B.K. and Åsand, H-R. H. (2004). The
Workplace as a Learning Laboratory: The Winding Road to E-learning in a Norwegian Service Company. Proceedings of the Eighth Conference on Participatory Design (PDC 2004). New York, NY, USA: ACM Press, pp. 142-151.
• Mørch, A., Engen, B., Åsand, H., Brynhildsen, C., Tødenes, I. (2004). Introducing E-learning in a Norwegian Service Company with Participatory Design and Evolutionary Prototyping Techniques. Paper presented at Workplace Learning- From the learner’s perspective (WL-2004). Copenhagen. Nov. 25-27 2004.