Co-evolution of Learning, New Media, and New Learning Organizations

Our research at the Center for Lifelong Learning & Design (L3D) over the past two decades has been focused on creating a new understanding of learning, new media, and new learning organizations. Our co-evolutionary perspective explores the dialectical relationship between: • how a deep understanding of learning (specifically: lifelong learning, self-directed learning, and informal learning) creates innovative demands and design criteria for future generations of social-technical environments; • how the unique potential of computational media (specifically: meta-design, distributed cognition, contextaware environments) impacts and transforms learning by transcending "gift-wrapping" and “technologycentered” approaches; and • how new learning organizations (specifically: cultures of participation, learning webs, niche communities in Long-Tail environments) contribute to reinvent learning and education in the 21st century. The conceptual framework is illustrated by specific developments of social-technical environments that we have designed and evaluated including: courses-as-seeds; collaborative, domain-oriented design environments, context-aware systems, courses with massive enrollments, and course environments for large number of topics.