Studying Professional Knowledge Use in Practice Using Multimedia Scenarios Delivered Online

Abstract

We describe how multimedia scenarios delivered online can be used in instruments for the study of professional knowledge. Based on our work in the study of the knowledge and rationality involved in mathematics teaching, we describe how the study of professional knowledge writ large can benefit from the capacity to represent know-how using multimedia representations of practice and alternatives to it. These instruments can be used to study what professionals notice and decide to do in practice in ways that improve upon earlier uses of written representations of professional scenarios or videorecorded episodes. In particular, storyboards and animations of nondescript cartoon characters can be used to explore professional knowledge variables systematically while the multimodal representation of human activity in context ensures the face validity of questions.