Design-based research as a methodological approach to support participatory engagement of learners in the development of learning technologies

Following the origination of the design experiment as a mechanism to introduce learning interventions into the messy conditions of the classroom (Brown, 1992; Collins, 1992), design-based research (DBR) faced criticism from opposing paradigmatic camps before its acknowledgement as a promising methodology in which “formative evaluation plays a significant role” (Dede, Ketelhut, Whitehouse, Breit & McCloskey, 2009, p.16).

This session presents a case study of a researcher-practitioner investigation at a north of England HEI into the influence of asynchronous video on the learner experience of assessment and feedback. Employing a design-based methodological approach informed by both cognitive and social theories of learning (e.g. Mayer, 2001; Laurillard, 2002), three DBR cycles explored the effectiveness of a range of video-enhanced learning, assessment and feedback interventions, while a responsive approach to the integration of learner evaluation within iterative cycles of design, implementation, evaluation and refinement led to the emergence of design exemplars in each area.

With learning scaffolded through the provision of instructional tutorial videos, undergraduate students in the computing discipline produced screencasts to demonstrate their work, while engaging in learner-tutor dialogue around feedback using asynchronous video. Iterative phases of learner evaluation resulted in the introduction of regular video-diaries while also directing refinements to the frequency of video-feedback, with their effectiveness critiqued through ongoing dialogic interviewing (Knight & Saunders, 1999).

Underpinned by a grounded theory approach in which research follows the data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), and mirroring software engineering principles where end-users influence the development and evolution of electronic artefacts or systems (e.g. Boehm, 1988), the direct participation of learners in the design and refinement of interventions led to the formation of an integrated model of video-enhanced learning, assessment and feedback.