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3rd Education and Technology Summer School and ConferenceBergen, 26. July – 6th August 2010

Common and typical aspects of a French academic research in Education: the case of CompUTICE

Second call for Proposals Res@tice 2008-2010Theme 3: Users and uses in French-speaking digital campuses (CNF) of the Agency of Universities of the French-speaking World (AUF)

Najoua Mohib, Junior/Assistant Professor in Sciences of Education

University of Strasbourg

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Outline of the presentation

Before the project…

From Res@tice to CompUTICE

How do CompUTICE researchers work?

Objectives of the project

Theory construction and Research methodology

Preliminary results

CompUTICE: a French-speaking “international” research project

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Before the project…

A pedagogical experience

The Euro Mediterranean and African Community on Distance Education CEMAFORAD 4 , Strasbourg, 04-11th April 2008.

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From Res@tice to CompUTICE

8 university and/or institutional partners, 6 countries, 16 researchers spread in 3 continents: Africa, Asia and Europe.

France

Morocco

Senegal Vietnam

Burkina Faso

Madagascar

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How do CompUTICE researchers work?

Team work

- the national team: 1 meeting every three months

- “Pair group” a group of two researchers: 1 meeting per month

- the coordinating team: 1 office hour per week

Collaborative research

- eWorking platform: Dokéos

- Online meetings tools, Web-conferencing, Video-conferencing, Phone, Instant messaging, Emails...

- 1st CompUTICE Seminar, Strasbourg, 5.-8th October, 2009

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Objectives of the project

Scientific objective

Research training objective

- to indentify the obstacles (instrumental conflicts) that the users/learners have to face with and to analyse the development of skills/professional competencies (power to act) of the users/teachers in the French-speaking digital campuses (CNF)

- Introduction to data collection and analysis, discussions focused on personal experience in scientific research, collaborative research, training seminar…

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Theory construction and Research methodology

H1: The elearning platform users (learners) have to face with instrumental conflicts of which they are not conscious (Marquet, 2005)

H2: Skills (Professional competencies) development = wanting to act + know how to act + power to act). The forms of “legitimization” leading to the process of authorization refer to a quest both towards socialisation (recognition by the group/authority figure) and pedagogy process (integration of educational models) (Durat & Mohib, 2008)

1. Theory construction

Activity theory

Activity Analysis

(Pastré, 1995 ; Clot, 2001)

ICT tools

(Rabardel, 1995)

Adult Education and Training

Educational Technology

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Theory construction and Research methodology

Qualitative approach

Overt observations (“pair group”: S+N), Semi-Structured Interviews (face to face with users/learners and members of the Agency of Universities of the French-speaking World, Interviews in crossed self-confrontation mode (face to face with the users/teachers)

Quantitative approach

Questionnaires (South North ), elearning trace analysis

2. Research methodology

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Preliminary results

Theory construction

Research methodology

1. About Theory construction and Research methodology

+ Extend concept of “User” (Vs L&T): “Obvious” and “Non obvious” Users

+ Semi-Structured Interviews (face to face with institutional members of the AUF in Paris)

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Preliminary results

Obstacles

Measures of development launched by the CNF

2. Common aspects

- discreet visibility

- Decreasing activity in the CNF

- Providing technical services

- Supporting universities in the setting up of a real policy for ICT integration

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Preliminary results

Research perspectives

3. Typical aspects

- Update the typical aspects in terms of services and of users:

what are the provided services? who takes advantage of them? what can we draw from them?

Impact of South Countries' ICT Infrastructure on Higher Education

- Development of new independent digital campuses

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CompUTICE : a French-speaking “international” research project

Common aspects

Typical aspects

- Sciences of Education ≠ Education

- International = French-speaking World area

- Specific concepts (eg. users, uses, competencies…)

- Difficulties ( material, financial, technical, time pressure…)

- Quantitative and Qualitative methods

- Intellectual skills (critical thinking, creativity, cognitive skills…) and personal effectiveness (self-reliance, enthusiasm, strategic approach, …)

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“Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing ”

Wernher von Braun (1912 - 1977)

Contact:Najoua Mohib, Junior/Assistant Professor in Sciences of Education CompUTICE Project LeaderUniversity of Strasbourg

najoua.mohib@unistra.fr

http://lisec.u-strasbg.fr

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References

Andriamparanv, L.-M et Rakotomala, A.-N. (2008). Les campus numériques francophones de l’AUF et l’émergence des universités ouvertes au Sud. Distances et Savoirs, 6, 253-268.

Depover, C. (dir). (2009). La recherche en technologie éducative. Un guide pour découvrir un domaine en émergence. Paris, Ed. des archives contemporaines.

Durat, L. et Mohib, N. (2009). Le développement des compétences professionnelles au regard de l’engagement dans l’agir. Questions Vives, 10, 25-40.

Marquet, P. (2005). Intérêt du concept de conflit instrumental pour la compréhension des usages des EIAH, in Tchounikine, P., Joab, M, Trouche, L. (Éds). Actes de la conférence EIAH 2005 (Environnements Informatiques pour l'Apprentissage Humain), Paris, INRP, 383-388.

Pastré, P. (dir). (1995). Le développement des compétences. Analyse du travail et didactique professionnelle. Education permanente, 123.

Rabardel, P. (1995). Les hommes et les technologies. Approche cognitive des instruments contemporains. Paris, Armand Colin.

Wittorski, R. (1998). De la fabrication des compétences. Education permanente, 135, 57-69.