Online Case Discussions: an activity theory perspective

In this paper we present a perspective of case discussions in an online learning environment based on Activity Theory, which allows us to analyse the embedded nature of students’ learning activities. We see Activity Theory as a first step towards structuring the complexity of students’ experiences in today’s higher education systems, recognising the distinction between potential and actual learning activities. Preliminary results of a study of an undergraduate course which used several forms of synchronous and asynchronous communication demonstrate the effect of taking an activity theory perspective of instructional design decisions. Although online case discussions can be supported through scripts and scaffolds to overcome the logistical and epistemological problems of online collaboration, the use of synchronous communication technology revealed that constraints such as low bandwidth and a complex software interface still present major hurdles to the smooth integration of synchronous technologies. 1. MEANINGFUL CASE DISCUSSIONS A major challenge in Information Systems (IS) education is the integration of technology theory with business analysis. Case-based learning (CBL) claims to bring real world examples into the classroom, allowing students to learn by doing, fostering constructive and independent thinking; and bringing organisational impacts, social values and ethical issues to the forefront of IS education [1, 2]. In his influential article ‘Because wisdom can’t be told’ Gragg [2] compared lectures with case-based teaching, finding that the greatest benefit of the case method was its stimulation of students’ thinking and collaboration in order to analyse a number of interpretations of a single problem. The focus on collaboratively constructing insight is part of a fundamental distinction between two assumptions about learning: the ‘acquisition’ metaphor, which views knowledge as a set of concepts readily available for transfer; and the ‘participation’ metaphor, in which knowledge is seen as the object of multi-perspective evaluations and thus consists of shared activities [3]. ‘Meaningful participation’ is therefore the true collaborative effort to understand and critically reflect on varying interpretations of a problem, rather than a search for a single, approved solution.