Design for evolution

 

 “The key to designing for evolution is to combine design elements in a way that catalyzes community development” (Wenger et al., 2002, p. 53). The initial preparation of the SCoPE site was intentionally minimal in order to facilitate opportunities for the members to shape the environment. As mentioned in chapter 5, the community was launched with a scheduled discussion called “SCoPE: Next Steps”. At that stage there were no content or graphics on the site, and even the name SCoPE was tentative.

 

Where are we in the evolution of an online community? Our immediate goal was to attract members who are interested in education research and practice, and to connect with individuals who are interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise by moderating scheduled seminar discussions. We have certainly achieved that, and there is a strong commitment to continue with moderated seminar discussions as the core activity in SCoPE. Seminar discussions offer something unique and fresh topics build anticipation from one month to the next.

 

As of July, 2007 we had organized 18 seminars on a variety of topics (see table 5). In most cases the topics have been proposed by members. In all cases members have volunteered their time to facilitate the seminars, some investing considerable effort in planning, consulting on facilitations strategies, and in preparing summaries. SCoPE has clearly evolved into a culture that values the mutual exchange of ideas, resources, and time; in two years 28 members have volunteered to facilitate seminar discussions.

 

(ADD TABLE)

Seminar    Dates    Posts

Personal Learning Environments           June 4-24, 2007    130

Supporting and Advancing Online Dialogue        May 7-27, 2007    85

Serious Games and Virtual Worlds           April 4-24, 2007    216

Learning the Art of Online Facilitation         March 1-21, 2007    249

Blogging to Enhance Learning Experiences    February 12-25, 2007    452

Knowing Knowledge    January 10 - 30, 2007    74

Accessibility of eLearning:        December 4 - 17, 2006    193

The Use of Open Source and Free Software in Education    November 6-26, 2006    130

The Educational Value of Podcasting           October 4-22, 2006    95

Informal Learning    May 15 - June 4, 2006    340

Designing and Sustaining Virtual Communities for Teachers     June 15-July 7, 2006         19

Enhancing and Extending the Classroom through Learning Communities        April 24-May 10, 2006    70

Talking the Walk: Narratives of OLC     March 22-April 02, 2006         75

The Role of Online Communities in Developing the SoTL    February 17 - March 5, 2006    38

Panda Walks Into a Bar     January 17-February 5, 2006    46

WebCT & Blackboard Merger          November 21-December 4, 2005    63

The Dance of the Instructional Designer    October 31 - November 20, 2005    104

Next Steps          August 8 - September 2, 2005    68

 

Special Interest Groups (SIGs). SIGs are where most of the activity takes place outside of the seminar discussions area. They are formed in response to suggestions from community members and have been introduced gradually. Some of these groups are for focused projects, and may come to an end when the project is finished. For example special areas have been set up to accompany face-to-face conferences and workshops for the duration of the event. Other SIGs are intended to support ongoing dialogue and resource sharing based on interest. Table 6 shows SIGs, events, and special projects.

 

Table 6 Special Interest Groups, Events, and Projects

 

Blogging to Enhance Learning Experiences Book Project

public    During the February 2007 seminar discussion on blogging we decided an obvious next step would be to write a book together. This SIG is our workspace for the book project.

 

Teaching and Learning Readers' Group

public    Members of this SIG select books related to teaching and learning to read and discuss as a group

 

Accessibility of eLearning

public    Special Interest Group (SIG), moderated by members of the Adaptech team, for individuals interested in the use of computer, information, and adaptive technologies by students with disabilities.

 

Faculty of Education Field Programs

private    Online meeting place for teachers and mentors in Field Programs, SFU - Faculty of Education

 

Community Enthusiasts

public    This is a gathering place for community coordinators, hosts,

cultivating and sustaining online communities to share resources,

experiences and opportunities.

Simon Fraser University

public    This Special Interest Group provides the opportunity for SFU faculty

and staff to explore topics of particular interest to our university.

 

TechOne Redesign

    This is a working space for curriculum developers in SFU's TechOne Program.

 

University/College/Institute Professional Development (UCIPD) Committee

private    The UCIPD SIG is a working and thinking space for members of British Columbia's University/College/Institute Professional Development group. UCIPD is a loosely knit community of professionals who are involved in educational development in British Columbia. Many people have worked very hard to maintain the network. This site is offered as a vehicle for building closer ties and facilitating the growth of UCIPD.

 

Symposium on Innovative Teaching

public    The Symposium on Innovative Teaching is held each year at Simon Fraser University in May. The theme for 2006 was Dialogue in Teaching and Learning: An Educational Framework for Linking Coursework and Community. After the conference we continued to explore the challenges and rewards associated with dialogue-based learning as an innovative practice in pedagogy.

 

Collaborative Online Book Project: Teaching and Learning Online

public    This is a book project coordinated through the BCcampus eLearning Marketplace and Expo Online Community. This book is a practical guide for faculty with an emphasis on demonstrating exciting opportunities offered by new technologies and outlining step-by-step how you can use the Internet to improve the educational quality of your teaching.

 

UBC Okanagan 2nd Annual Learning Conference Open Knowledges Exchange

public    Participants from the UBC Okanagan 2nd Annual Learning Conference and others were invited to join this forum on open knowledges exchange.

 

TechOne Open Course

private    This is an open area for members of the TechOne program to experiment and discuss program redesign.

 

SCoPE Research

private    This is a private space to organize SCoPE community research activities

 

Queensland University of Technology - Teaching Projects

public    This is a special interest group for faculty members at Queensland University of Technology who are exploring the possibilities of online communities of practice for advancing their work.

 

TeleSCoPE

private    This is where selected members plan and discuss site

administration, configuration, customization, upgrades, and all those other topics that fall under the technical side of things.

 

 

Early on we identified an interest in pursuing and supporting research activities related to online communities. Members have been actively brainstorming ideas and seeking funding opportunities for research and development. For example, an action research project designed to advance SCoPE and to contribute to research on communities of practice in higher education is in progress. Also, SCoPE is offered as a venue for researchers interested in studying online communities. Research activities catalyze community development and there is a mutual benefit between the community and the researcher. These initiatives are raising new questions related to virtual ethnography (Feenberg & Bakardjieva, 2001; Hine, 2000) and how we should prepare for future research projects.