AODM (Activity-Oriented Design Method)

This post unpacks the AODM (Activity-Oriented Design Method) which forms the basis of the methodology adopted for the research proposal (Oyekola, 2020) and class activity (Teaching and Learning during COVID-19) described in other posts.

AODM as a framework and model for characterising learner experiences with technology 

 “Learner interactions with mobile and ubiquitous technology can be personally meaningful to the individual, and contextually sensitive to the social and cultural practices of the settings in which technology is used. Therefore, the design of future learning systems depends on a thorough understanding of the complexity of learner practices and interactions with technology” (Mwanza-Simwami, 2011, 76).

Emerging technologies (ET) provide great opportunities that enhance the learners experience. They are rapidly changing how learners engage with one another and educational resources. On the flip side, the continuous changes in learner requirements, perspectives, individual anticipations and stances towards technology use, make it challenging to successfully express learner experiences with technology, and to envisage prospective practices. Learning models and frameworks can aid in this regard. Nevertheless, most available learning models and frameworks do not consider the learner’s conceptual knowledge and experiential knowledge with technology (Engeström, 1999; Barab et al., 2001). These are captured by the Activity Oriented Design Method (AODM).

“The Activity Oriented Design Method (AODM) (Mwanza, 2002; Mwanza- Simwami, 2009) is an activity theory (Leont’ev, 1978) based iterative approach to analysing and characterising learner practices with tools or technologies whilst paying attention to learner motives, and, social and cultural issues that exist in the context in which learning activities are carried out” (Mwanza-Simwami, 2011, 78). AODM is based on an activity system by Engeström (Figure 1) (Engeström, 1987). 
Figure 1: Activity system (Engeström, 1987).
Components of an activity system are described as follows;
  1. Subjects: those participating in the activity e.g. Learners and teachers.
  2. Tools/ Instruments: mediators such as technology used to deploy the activities.
  3. Object:  these are aims and objectives for carrying out the activity.
  4. Outcomes: these emanate from the object after it has gone through a transformative process
  5. Rules: they represent guidelines, cultural standards and practices of those involved in the activity.
  6. Community: represents both the physical and theoretical environments in which the activity is carried out.
  7. Division of labour: this indicates differences in roles and duties when carrying out human activities.

Two of the four components of AODM, adopted at different phases reported in this Blog are (i) the Eight-Step-Model (Table 1), which clarifies the different components of the activity system, and (ii) the Technique of Generating Research Questions (Table 2), which unpacks the different sub-activity systems contained in the main activity system (Mwanza-Simwami, 2011). 

Table 1: AODM’s Eight-Step-Model (Mwanza, 2002).

Table 2: AODM’s Technique of Generating General Research Questions (Mwanza, 2002).

References

Barab S. A., Kenneth E. H., Barnett M., Kurt S (2001), Constructing Virtual Worlds: Tracing the Historical Development of Learner Practices, Cognition and Instruction, 19(1), 47-94. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. 

Engeström Y. (1987), Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki, Finland: Orienta-Konsultit Oy. 

Leont’ev A. N. (1978), Activity, consciousness, and personality, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Mwanza D. (2002), Towards an activity-oriented design method for HCI research and practice. 
Unpublished PhD thesis. The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. 

Mwanza- Simwami, D. (2009). Using activity-oriented design methods (AODM) to investigate mobile learning. In Vavoula, G; Pachler, N, and, Kukulska-Hulme, A (eds). Researching Mobile Learning: Frameworks, tools and research design. Oxford: UK: Peter Lang Verlag, pp. 97 – 122. 

Mwanza-Simwami, D (2011). AODM as a framework and model for characterising learner experiences with technology. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 7(3) pp. 75–85.

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