| Research on the practice of instructional designing has taken a variety of forms, from the elaboration of process models to retrospective case studies. Seldom has the research provided portrayals of design work as it happens, nor has it integrated in a coherent way the interaction of social, cultural, and historical influences on the way the work unfolds. Activity theory, based on the work of Vygotsky and Leont'ev, has provided researchers in other fields with a way of studying work that integrates context and the factors mediating action into a representation of human activity. This study tests the usefulness of an activity-oriented approach in describing and explaining the work of designing an international distance education course in business entrepreneurship at Indiana University.; The researcher observed design meetings, televised class meetings, technology training sessions, and lectures. Observation sessions were followed by interviews which focused on disturbances in communications occurring during the observed activities. The disturbances were then traced to fundamental contradictions underlying the work activity of designing and implementing a course of study at Indiana University. Multi-faceted views of the object/outcomes of work emerged, which led to both breakdowns in the processes of the work activity and to innovation and modification. Views of a course of study as a contractual obligation, a well-functioning "machine", and "an experience" endured an uneasy co-existence throughout the life of the project. The sets of assumptions embraced by the communities of practice to which participants belonged strongly influenced what each individual considered correct and appropriate behavior. Concrete, empathetic ways of doing guided by an ethic of care emerged as the more influential forces in gaining knowledge and guiding action in this case. The researcher suggests that accepting these forces as the set of assumptions underlying design practice creates new potential for re-shaping and renewing the practice of instructional design, its research agendas, and design education. |
