Beyond Learning Management Systems - Designing for Interprofessional Knowledge Building in the Health Sciences

Oct 15, 2026

This paper analyzes theoretical, pedagogical, and technological differences between two platforms used in undergraduate interprofessional health sciences at the University of Toronto. WebCT 2.0 supports online coursework, while Knowledge Forum 2.0 supports collaborative knowledge-creation by communities. Seventy students from six health programs participated in a five-day online initiative on pain assessment and management. The study highlights Knowledge Forum affordances for knowledge-building discourse, integrated sociocognitive functions, and multidimensional social-cognitive assessment, arguing they can open learning pathways that traditional LMS designs leave closed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Comparison of technologies for Knowledge Building

Course context and study outcomes

Knowledge Forum affordances

Knowledge-building discourse support

Integrated sociocognitive functions

Multidimensional assessment resources

Beyond Learning Management Systems: Designing for Interprofessional Knowledge Building in the Health Sciences Au-delà des systèmes de gestion de l’apprentissage: concevoir la coélaboration de connaissances interprofessionnelle en sciences de la santé Leila Lax, Marlene Scardamalia, Judy Watt-‐Watson, Judith Hunter, and Carl Bereiter Authors Leila Lax, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga & Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Correspondence regarding this article can be sent to [l.lax@utoronto.ca](l.lax@utoronto.ca) Marlene Scardamalia, Presidents' Chair in Education and Knowledge Technologies and Director of the Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology, OISE, University of Toronto. Judy Watt-‐Watson, Professor Emerita and Executive Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Professional Practice, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto Judith Hunter, Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Carl Bereiter, Professor Emeritus, Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology, OISE, University of Toronto. Abstract This paper examines theoretical, pedagogical, and technological differences between two technologies that have been used in undergraduate interprofessional health sciences at the University of Toronto. One, a learning management system, WebCT 2.0, supports online coursework. The other, a Knowledge Building environment, Knowledge Forum 2 .0, supports the collaborative work of knowledge-‐creating communities. Seventy students from six health science programs (Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy) participated online in a 5-‐day initiative to advance understanding of core principles and professional roles in pain assessment and management. Knowledge Forum functioned well as a learning management system but to preserve comparability between the two technologies its full resources were not brought into play. In this paper we examine three distinctive affordances of Knowledge Forum that have implications for health sciences education: (1) supports for Knowledge Building discourse as distinct from standard threaded discourse; (2) integration of sociocognitive functions as distinct from an assortment of separate tools; and (3) resources for multidimensional social and cognitive assessment that go beyond common participation indicators and instructor-‐designed quizzes and analyses. We argue that these design characteristics have the potential to open educational pathways that traditional learning management systems leave closed. Résumé Cet article examine les différences théoriques, pédagogiques et technologiques entre deux technologies utilisées en sciences de la santé interprofessionnelles de premier cycle à l’Université de Toronto. Une, un système de gestion de l’apprentissage, WebCT 2.0, soutient le travail en ligne. L’autre, un environnement de coélaboration de connaissances, Knowledge Forum 2.0, permet le travail collaboratif entre les communautés de création de la connaissance. Soixante-‐dix étudiants de six programmes de sciences de la santé (médecine dentaire, médecine, soins infirmiers, thérapie occupationnelle, pharmacie et physiothérapie) ont participé en ligne à un cours de cinq jours pour améliorer leur compréhension des principes debase et des rôles professionnels dans l´évaluation et la gestion de la douleur. Knowledge Forum a bien fonctionné en tant que système de gestion de l’apprentissage. Cependant, afin de permettre la comparaison entre les deux technologies, toutes ses fonctionnalités n’ont pas été utilisées. Dans ce texte, nous examinons trois possibilités distinctes de Knowledge Forum qui ont des implications sur le développement de l’éducation en sciences de la santé : (1) soutenir le discours en coélaboration de connaissances de façon distincte des fils de

FAQs

What two technologies does the paper compare in interprofessional health sciences education?

It compares WebCT 2.0, a learning management system for online coursework, with Knowledge Forum 2.0, a Knowledge Building environment for collaborative knowledge creation.

How was Knowledge Forum 2.0 evaluated in the study?

Seventy students from six health science programs participated online in a five-day initiative focusing on pain assessment and management, and the platforms were assessed on measures of participation, learning, and satisfaction.

What distinctive affordances of Knowledge Forum are discussed for health sciences education?

The paper describes affordances for knowledge-building discourse, integration of sociocognitive functions, and resources for multidimensional social and cognitive assessment beyond common participation indicators and instructor-designed quizzes.

Oct 15, 2026

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