Even a virtual synchronous classroom has walls: There's more to collective meaning making than the technology

Abstract

The parade of new technologies is relentless. Are newer learning paradigms, such as sociocultural perspectives, reflected in the design and delivery of e-learning experiences? Studying the triad of stakeholders involved in a workplace e-learning experience---learners, adult educators, and software developers---I explored how technology, workplace context, and assumptions about learning influence collective meaning making. The setting for this qualitative case study was a multi-national organization using a sophisticated web-based technology. Multiple data collection methods helped construct a multifaceted understanding of teaching and learning in the virtual synchronous classroom (VSC). The findings point to the gap between contemporary learning research and the use of e-learning technologies, highlighting that the human and contextual dimensions ultimately define the nature of the learning. Through communities of practice, sociocultural perspectives allow us to envision how the VSC could shape more dynamic learning that extends beyond the walls of a classroom---physical or virtual.