Int. J. of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 3(1), 7-8, January-March 2008 7
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absTraCT
The implementation of double-loop-learning-based educational scenarios in instructional design in
worklow-like e-learning systems appears to be showing a gap; whereas the former assumes that pro-
cesses can be relected upon and can be modiied or amended by the learners, the latter only predeines
a limited set of rigid instructional processes. However, an important advantage of instructional designs
implemented in worklow-like e-learning systems using modeling standards is the ease with which they
can be exchanged with other (educational) institutions. The worklow environment described here aims
to make learner relection and change to instructional processes feasible while maintaining portability.
We present a description of the implementation of the educational scenario of the virtual company in our
worklow environment that makes use of dynamic worklow processes. Learners are provided with process
building blocks, called “atomic actions,” which they can use to create and revise processes on the ly, thus
supporting double-loop learning.
Keywords: distance education; double-loop learning; instructional design; virtual company; virtual
organization; Web-based applications
bridging the Gap between
Instructional Design and
Double-loop learning
Howard Spoelstra, Open University of The Netherlands, The Netherlands
Ellen Rusman, Open University of The Netherlands, The Netherlands
Jan van Bruggen, Open University of The Netherlands, The Netherlands
Rob Koper, Open University of The Netherlands, The Netherlands
Maristella Matera, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
INTroDUCTIoN
The COOPER project (Collaborative Open
Environment for Project-Centered Learning)
aims to deliver a learning and working en-
vironment for virtual teams whose members
are geographically dispersed. The members
have different backgrounds and competencies,
which they use to work and learn together on
projects that aim to solve complex, ill-structured
problems. We want to achieve this through the
use of a standards-based worklow system and
an educational scenario that uses double-loop
learning extensively.
The COOPER environment is a Web-based
working and learning environment that is cre-
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This paper appears in the publication, International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, Volume 3, Issue 1
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