Technology Enhanced Learning

Carrie Heeter
Michigan State University
Department of Telecommunication
heeter@msu.edu
 

 
4.0 Concluding comments

Writing this paper made clear to me how difficult it is to locate a comprehensive list of I2 projects. The National Library for Applied Network Research (NLANR) hosts on online database currently with 147 projects (http://dast.nlanr.net/) last updated in April 1999. Some are and some are not I2 projects, and it is hard to tell how complete the list is. Fields in the database include Status, Description and Usage. Sociotechnical dimensions are not part of the database. (NLANR should consider adding sociotechnical issues and research as a database field for all projects.)

The Digital Library Federation lists twenty-two partner institutions, and coordinates initiatives across those partners. However even they do not have a listing of digital libraries. I2 management itself should maintain an active online I2 and related projects database which includes sociotechnical considerations.

Nora Sabelli, Senior Program Director for NSF, describes different outcomes that drive technology-enhanced learning research [13]: theory building, building the knowledge base, and establishing education practice. She calls for research on education practice to be systemic, research on education policy to be credible, and long term reform research to be achievable, fundable, and lead to demonstrable, sustainable

and scalable outcomes.

The domain of technology-enhanced learning research is vast. Each of the subsections in this paper could be a paper unto itself, identifying more specific key research issues in that domain. Some I2 projects are conducted by education scholars but most are developed by engineers and content experts. Education researchers might consult with emerging I2 projects to identify areas of potentially fruitful research and to provide education research expertise. Some projects already developed by engineers and content experts present opportunistic research test beds. Other I2 projects should be developed with education researchers as key participants from their inception.

 

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