TITLE:
Behind the Scenes with a Video Training Platform: The Challenges of Researching the Provision of Open Educational Resources
AUTHORS:
Ayse Kok
KEYWORDS:
E-Learning; Open Content; Video; Action Research; Activity Theory
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Internet of Things,
Vol.3 No.4,
September
18,
2013
ABSTRACT: Video training platforms are now being implemented on a large scale
in organizations. In this paper, I look at a video training platform including
open educational resources available for many employees with varying patterns
and motivations for use. This has provided me with a research challenge to find
methods that help other practitioners in the field understand and explain such
initiatives. I describe ways to model the research and identify where pressures
and contradictions can be found, drawing on a reflective view of my own
practice in performing the research. Open educational resources are defined as
technology-enabled educational resources that are openly available for
consultation, use and adaptation by users for non-commercial purposes [1]. The
bank subject to this case study has been the first organisation in Turkey that
provided open educational resources for all its employees. The video platform
(called “For @ Tube”) provides users with over 100 video lectures drawn from
reputable universities around the world including Yale and Harvard. Other
learning tools such as discussion forums, blogs and traditional e-learning
courses have been made available to the users on the e-learning
platform called “For @” since 2006. In this paper, I aim to introduce
the new video training platform (“For @ Tube”) and outline some of the main research
issues surrounding such an initiative. I seek to explore theoretical and
practical approaches that can provide suitable tools for analysis. Activity theory
is seen as a suitable approach for macroanalysis and its use is illustrated in
terms of the complexity of large scale research. Activity theory, besides
informing research perspectives, can be turned in upon the research process
itself, allowing us to consider the challenges and context of the research.
By using activity theory in this way and illustrating from a range of practical
approaches, I demonstrate and illustrate a useful research approach.