Adapting workflow technology to design-based research: development of a method for organizing the "messiness" of research in technology-rich online learning environments

Authors:
Alan J. Hackbarth;Sharon J. Derry;Brendan R. Eagan;Julia Gressick
Affiliations:
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI;University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI;University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI;University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI
Venue:
ICLS '10 Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - Volume 1
Year:
2010

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Abstract

A fundamental challenge of design-based research is that there are many variables that affect success of a design. Designers collect large amounts of data, but limited time and resources make analysis difficult and conclusions uncertain. Workflow technology is utilized in business and applied science environments to automate work processes and reveal "know-how," often tacit in scientific processes, which facilitate multiple levels of reuse. We developed a method for representing activity in an experimental online course as workflow expressions. Bielaczyc's (2006) Social Infrastructure Framework (SIF) is utilized to identify important variables, and comprehensive data mining (CDM) techniques are used to recover data from course session modules and activity logs. In this paper we review the literature related to our theoretical framework, describe the CDM-based methodology, and give an example of how we are using it to support design-based research within an online college course.