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Tech Report kmi-00-11 Abstract


Mind the Gap: Activity Theory and Design
Techreport ID: kmi-00-11
Date: 2000
Author(s): Daisy Mwanza
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This paper describes the application of the Activity Theory framework to the analysis of work practices in an organisation, to inform the design of a computer system for supporting collaborative learning in the workplace. A study involving the analysis of an organisation and using Engestrsm's expanded triangle model of human activity [5] is described. A methodology developed during the study for breaking down the extended triangle and applying it is given, together with practical examples. The paper concludes by highlighting strengths and weaknesses of the model, and suggests a number of refinements for its practical application.

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Submitted to CSCW'2000, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, December 2 - 6, 2000.
 
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Knowledge Management is...


Knowledge Management
Creating learning organisations hinges on managing knowledge at many levels. Knowledge can be provided by individuals or it can be created as a collective effort of a group working together towards a common goal, it can be situated as "war stories" or it can be generalised as guidelines, it can be described informally as comments in a natural language, pictures and technical drawings or it can be formalised as mathematical formulae and rules, it can be expressed explicitly or it can be tacit, embedded in the work product. The recipient of knowledge - the learner - can be an individual or a work group, professionals, university students, schoolchildren or informal communities of interest.
Our aim is to capture, analyse and organise knowledge, regardless of its origin and form and make it available to the learner when needed presented with the necessary context and in a form supporting the learning processes.