Blended professionals, technology and online learning: Identifying a socio‐technical third space in higher education
Blended professionals, technology and online learning: Identifying a socio‐technical third space in higher education
The idea of a ‘third space’ located between academic and professional domains has proven useful in exploring changing academic and professional roles in higher education, including in online learning. However, the role of technology in accounts of third space activity remains under-explored. Drawing on research into the introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at three UK higher education institutions, it is argued that both social and technical factors must be considered to understand, plan for and manage the third space roles and structures which emerge in such initiatives. This study focuses on learning designers, confirming that they act as third space ‘blended professionals’ in the somewhat distinctive case of MOOC development. However, it also proposes the concept of a socio-technical third space in which blended professionals act as hubs in a metaphorical network of activity, using social and technical means to shape their own roles and those of others.
blended professionals, third space, learning designer, MOOCs, socio-technical
161-174
White, Steven
70933f3e-72e4-4291-8569-b75129806d93
White, Su
5f9a277b-df62-4079-ae97-b9c35264c146
Borthwick, Kate
34fa2da0-35c3-4302-932c-141b94aec4b4
10 February 2020
White, Steven
70933f3e-72e4-4291-8569-b75129806d93
White, Su
5f9a277b-df62-4079-ae97-b9c35264c146
Borthwick, Kate
34fa2da0-35c3-4302-932c-141b94aec4b4
White, Steven, White, Su and Borthwick, Kate
(2020)
Blended professionals, technology and online learning: Identifying a socio‐technical third space in higher education.
Higher Education Quarterly, 75 (1), .
(doi:10.1111/hequ.12252).
Abstract
The idea of a ‘third space’ located between academic and professional domains has proven useful in exploring changing academic and professional roles in higher education, including in online learning. However, the role of technology in accounts of third space activity remains under-explored. Drawing on research into the introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at three UK higher education institutions, it is argued that both social and technical factors must be considered to understand, plan for and manage the third space roles and structures which emerge in such initiatives. This study focuses on learning designers, confirming that they act as third space ‘blended professionals’ in the somewhat distinctive case of MOOC development. However, it also proposes the concept of a socio-technical third space in which blended professionals act as hubs in a metaphorical network of activity, using social and technical means to shape their own roles and those of others.
Text
Blended professionals, technology and online learning Identifying a socio-technical third space in higher education
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 8 January 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 February 2020
Published date: 10 February 2020
Keywords:
blended professionals, third space, learning designer, MOOCs, socio-technical
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 438468
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/438468
ISSN: 0951-5224
PURE UUID: 6437ca9e-35ec-486d-a91c-ed29841bc13c
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 11 Mar 2020 17:30
Last modified: 23 Oct 2024 04:01
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Steven White
Author:
Su White
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics