Conceptualising work activity for CAL systems design

As computing technology has increasingly become relevant to people ’s everyday lives, emphasis is being placed on ensuring Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) tools support users in ways that are meaningful to them. This requirement has highlighted the need to understand the complex and often dynamic social and cultural organisation of collaborating individuals in context. Here, the aim is to conceptualise the natural flow and evolution of work practices so as to inform the design of these systems. This paper reports on empirical findings of an investigation into the design requirements for a CAL system for supporting knowledge sharing activities in an organisation.

Keywords:

Information systems, collaboration, mediated, professional, case study.

Correspondence:

Daisy Mwanza, Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA.

Email: D.Mwanza@open.ac.uk

Publication(s)

In the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, March, 2002 (18), issue number 1, pages 84 - 92, Blackwell Science Ltd, UK.