Complexities in development of educational collaboratories as a socio-technical system: A situated study of the GK-12 Edgrid graduate teaching fellowship program

Mehra, Bharat; Bruce, Bertram C.; Harnisch, Delwyn; Comstock, Sharon

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/13392 Copy

Description

Title

Complexities in development of educational collaboratories as a socio-technical system: A situated study of the GK-12 Edgrid graduate teaching fellowship program

Author(s)

• Mehra, Bharat
• Bruce, Bertram C.
• Harnisch, Delwyn
• Comstock, Sharon

Issue Date

2002

Keyword(s)

• socio-technical systems
• Higher Education
• Science education
• Collaboratory
• Situated study
• Visualization
• Information technology

Abstract

Little is known about the role of educational collaboratories as information systems for management of social (human) and technical (technology-related) factors in interdisciplinary contexts. Within a milieu of interdisciplinary issues in education, science, and technology, this paper takes a situated approach towards identification of complexities in the development of educational collaboratories in the GK-12 EdGrid Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program (GK-12 EdGrid Program). A situated approach calls for recognition of multiple context of use of innovative technologies in educational settings. The GK-12 EdGrid Program is a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project to support University of Illinois graduate students in the sciences, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) disciplines. Selected graduate students collaborate with campus faculty and participating K-12 teachers to integrate the use of computer-based modeling, scientific visualization, and informatics in science and mathematics education. Based on initial experiences at four participating high schools across Illinois, this paper draws attention towards a range of factors that are being negotiated for successful progress and implementation of GK-12 EdGrid Program’s educational collaboratories during the project’s first year. Such a research endeavor will be helpful in two ways: First, it will help to understand how the formation and evolution of an educational collaboratory determines achievement of particular short-term and long-term goals. This may lead to formulation of an agenda for their future application in other similar contexts. Second, such a strategy will provide a clue towards how development of an educational collaboratory takes place as an outcome of negotiation between multiplicity in perceptions, cultural practices, work ethics, and personal preferences. This will help to understand the multifaceted dynamics that take place in the development of educational collaboratories in interdisciplinary contexts.

Publisher

International Institute of Informatics and Systemics

Type of Resource

text

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/13392

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0086455

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