Traversing Situations and Contexts in Networked Learning

The Role of Situated Readiness in Business Education

Authors

  • Stephanie Wilson The University of Sydney
  • Dewa Wardak The University of Sydney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54337/nlc.v14i1.8069

Keywords:

Situated readiness, Participation, Networked learning, Business education

Abstract

To meet the goals of business education and develop responsible business leaders, educators need to design networked learning environments that nurture and leverage connections. This includes connecting students to each other, their teachers, to industry and to the community. This paper aims to understand factors that support or inhibit students’ participation in networked learning in a business education context. Productive participation in learning networks is essential if students are to connect meaningfully with people and resources in ways that support their learning and experience. As the physical and digital learning environments students engage in often include complex configurations of tools, tasks, and epistemic resources, they require the skills and dispositions to effectively transition between these environments. Using a situated readiness framework by Hachmann and Dohn (2018), this study presents an analysis of focus group data from business students in higher education to identify ways in which students’ level of readiness impacts on their ability to participate effectively in learning networks. Students in the present study highlighted a range of challenges they faced when attempting to traverse between face-to-face and online learning environments. However, our study also revealed numerous other situations or contexts that business students needed to traverse as part of their networked learning experience. These were grouped into five overarching categories: domain; space and configuration; format, structure and resources; people or groups; and purpose and responsibility. Overlayed onto the situated readiness framework, these categories can be used by other researchers to gain a more nuanced understanding of how students navigate the complexities of networked learning environments. Future research conducted across a range of learning contexts would allow the categories to be refined and built upon. The study also identified skills and dispositions that contributed to students' level of readiness to navigate situations and contexts within networked learning environments, and some preliminary design considerations based on the findings. To support business students in higher education on their journey to becoming responsible business leaders, it is imperative that they are able to participate productively in complex networked learning environments. As educators, this requires us to understand their level of readiness to do so and equip them with the skills and dispositions they need to participate effectively.

Author Biographies

Stephanie Wilson, The University of Sydney

Stephanie Wilson is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director (CLaS Project) with Business Co-Design (BCD). Prior to this she worked with Educational Innovation in Business as Academic Lead, Teaching Practice. From 2014-2019 she was responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of a range of professional development programs in the Business School including the Tutor Development Program. In 2017-2018 she coordinated the Educational Practice in Business Research Group and co-convened the Innovative Learning Spaces SIG for the Centre for Research on Learning and Innovation. She is a Senior Fellow (SFHEA) of Advance HE (UK) and an assessor and mentor for the Sydney Educational Fellowship Program. Her research spans educational futures, studio learning, co-design in education, networked learning and the designed environment in higher education.

Dewa Wardak, The University of Sydney

With a background in Learning Sciences, Dewa Wardak leads the design, development, and evaluation of large units of study at the Business School. Working as part of the multidisciplinary Business Co-Design team, Dewa collaborates with academics at the Business School to transform the learner experience through co-designing engaging and authentic activities and assessments. Dewa is a Fellow of Advance HE (UK) and had been a teacher educator at the Sydney School of Education and Social Work for many years before joining the Business School. Combining her passion for technology supported learning with educational design, she explores broad areas of research including networked learning, pattern languages, meaningful learning experiences for students in higher education, multimodal approaches to the analysis of learning and teaching, and research supervision and mentoring.

Dewa is a member of the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC1) at the University of Sydney and is passionate about the ethical conduct of research, particularly by students. Outside university, she has volunteered on community projects since 2014 and is passionate about supporting and mentoring women from diverse and refugee backgrounds to attain higher education qualifications.

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Published

07-05-2024

How to Cite

Wilson, S., & Wardak, D. (2024). Traversing Situations and Contexts in Networked Learning: The Role of Situated Readiness in Business Education . Proceedings of the International Conference on Networked Learning , 14(1). https://doi.org/10.54337/nlc.v14i1.8069