Cultures of Participation and Social Computing: Rethinking and Reinventing Learning and Education

The rise in social computing (based on social production and mass collaboration) has facilitated a shift from consumer cultures grounded in an industrialized information economy (specialized in producing finished goods to be consumed passively) to cultures of participation in a networked information economy (in which all people are provided with the means to participate actively in personally meaningful problems). These developments represent unique and fundamental opportunities and challenges for rethinking and reinventing learning and education. Our research in the Center for LifeLong Learning & Design (L3D) explores theoretical foundations such as meta-design and social creativity and designs, develops, and assesses socio-technical environments for this transformation.