Iris Tabak

We propose that ethnographic studies that precede, but inform, design, can be a productive addition to CSCL design practices. We anchor our claims in a case example of an ethnography of an undergraduate history course. We describe how the ways in which learners self-organized and created practices for producing, sharing and reproducing knowledge in the course can serve as a blueprint for CSCL design. Such learners’ counterculture practices may not readily emerge in participatory design discussions. This approach identifies points of contact between pre-existing collaborative practices and pedagogical considerations. Designers can then infuse pedagogical innovations into the activities that participants already value and perform, achieving benefits akin to participatory design. This research was supported, in part, by the I-CORE Program of the Planning and Budgeting Committee and The Israel Science Foundation (1716/12) through the Learning in a Networked Society (LINKS) center.