Guided Self-organisation in Learning Networks as a Means to Optimize Cognitive Load and Transfer of Information Seeking Skills

Abstract

Learning Networks are designed to support the lifelong learner. In such settings, learning needs to be guided for self-organisational processes to emerge. Using a cognitive load approach it is argued that without guidance, learners have to allocate cognitive capacity to structuring the cooperative process of knowledge sharing, thus diminishing the capacity available for knowledge sharing and learning. In the domain of online information-seeking, it is investigated whether peer-tutoring can be used as guidance and how peer-tutoring is modulated by the distance in tutee-tutor expertise levels. A design-experiment is conducted to fine-tune the technical infrastructure needed to guide selforganisation.