Table 1
Findings Chart (Freire, 2020).
| PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINES | PLATFORM TECHNICIANS | INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNERS | ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS | SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS | MEDIA PRODUCERS | TOTALS | PERCENTAGE | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARTICIPANTS | ALBERTO | PATRICIO | EMILIA | MARCELA | CELIA | XIOMARA | BEATRIZ | SILVANA | VALERIA | LUISA | DANIEL | CRISTINA | FELIPE | KEVIN | KARLA | SIMÓN | VÍCTOR | PAMELA | TERESA | RICARDO | |||||||
| FINDING | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Work-based Learning via Labor-integrated Activities | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 20 | 100% | |||||
| Developing Educational Resources or Learning Activities | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 16 | 80% | |||||||||
| Need for Improving Organizational Processes | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 17 | 85% | ||||||||
| Facing Constant Technological Upgrades | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 15 | 75% | ||||||||||
Figure 1
Activity system model (Engeström, 1987) depicting the five-phase HDFx MOOC design cycle (adapted from HDF internal documents, 2015).
Figure 2
Activity systems analysis: Needs Assessment tensions.
Figure 3
Activity systems analysis: Instructional Design tensions.
Figure 4
Activity systems analysis: Production tensions.
Figure 5
Activity systems analysis: Implementation tensions.
Figure 6
Activity systems analysis: Evaluation.
Table 2
Study Findings With Aggregated and Disaggregated Systemic Tensions.
| FINDINGS | PHASE OF MOOC DESIGN CYCLE | SYSTEMIC TENSIONS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finding 1: Work-based Learning via Labor-integrated Activities | Instructional Design, Production, Implementation | (X) Subject vs. Tool | Challenges of professional practice deriving in learning pressures for members of the multidisciplinary HDFx team upon using the edX MOOC platform for delivering MOOCs to LAC |
| Instructional Design, Production, Implementation | (Y) Tool vs. Object/Outcome | Technical or pedagogical challenges with edX platform/MOOC modality hindering the HDFx program’s objective of delivering top-quality educational opportunities for LAC | |
| Needs Assessment, Instructional Design, Production, Evaluation | (Z) Community vs. Division of Labor | Political and institutional environment at HDF that support or hinder participants’ work performance and multidisciplinary collaborations – contextual factors impacting the HDFx MOOC program’s evolution towards greater professionalization | |
| Finding 2: Developing Educational Resources or Learning Activities | Instructional Design | (X), (Y), (Z) ↔ (b) Subject vs. Object/Outcome | Complicated negotiation between SMEs and instructional designers over educational resources and learning activities for instructional design proposal |
| Production | (Y), (Z) ↔ (c) Rules vs. Division of Labor | Complex multidisciplinary collaborations and expensive staffing solutions required for producing media-based educational materials for MOOCs | |
| Implementation | (X), (Y) ↔ (e) Tool vs. Community | Learning pressures for participants in connection to the practical development and management of educational materials – e.g. discussion forums | |
| Needs Assessment | (Z) ↔ (a) Division of Labor vs. Object/Outcome | Uneven compliance among participants with the assigned responsibilities and anticipated time commitments listed on project chart | |
| Finding 3: Need for Improving Organizational Processes | Needs Assessment | (Z) ↔ (a) Division of Labor vs. Object/Outcome | Uneven compliance among participants with the assigned responsibilities and anticipated time commitment listed on project chart |
| Production | (Y), (Z) ↔ (c) Rules vs. Division of Labor | Complex multidisciplinary collaborations and expensive staffing solutions required for producing media-based educational materials for MOOCs | |
| Production | (X), (Z) ↔ (d) Tool vs. Community | Inconsistent adoption of collaboration tools by different team members with implications for multidisciplinary work streams | |
| Evaluation | (Z) ↔ (f) Tool vs. Division of Labor | Key gap of data analyst position for evaluating course offerings and conducting research via big data analytics for HDFx team | |
| Finding 4: Facing Constant Technological Upgrades | Production | (X), (Y) ↔ (d) Tool vs. Community | Learning pressures in connection to constant upgrades by edX platform |
| Implementation | (X), (Y) ↔ (e) Tool vs. Community | Preoccupation among participants with the provision of technical or content support for course registrants in response to changes with the functionality of the edX platform |
Figure 7
Activity systems analysis: HDFx MOOC program tensions.