Allison-

Thank you so very much for your reply. I have not encountered your work before, and I find it quite energizing and thought-provoking in a timely fashion, both related to the MOOC session as well as its potential use for my own ongoing research.

A few thoughts in reply.

Given your situation about the oil spill, did the knowledge workers intend to reach beyond themselves for suggestions, or was that accidental? I am asking as I wondering about the next issue, which is to what extent can this be done in a formal or “official” way of learning, or must this remain informal or otherwise “accidental” if used on a larger scale?

Take out discussion here. We may chat and continue to develop ideas, though it is informal (we are doing this for intellectual curiosity, personal interest, ongoing exploration of future research, or the like), and not because we have a set direction or anticipated outcome or other objective that can be used to guide, in advance, what is explored. Taken another way, we can engage in this, but I could not assign this MOOC to a course or for an established purpose, even collectively, as it seems the learning needs and directions may differ and formal learning usually requires some sort of objective / direction before the learning begins (as if learning only happens when following an established path).

Then again, as I am writing this, I am thinking about problem-based learning or action learning, where a problem is identified and solutions worked through by the participants and researcher / facilitator / leader (etc.) together. Pre-suppositions are often initially discarded, as the issues are often such that they have already defied simple solutions.

Could that be something of where you see this?

Jeffrey