Blended Professionals, Technology and Online Learning: Identifying a Socio-Technical Third Space in Higher Education

The idea of a 'third space' located between academic and professional domains has proven useful in exploring changing academic and professional roles in higher education, including in online learning. However, the role of technology in accounts of third space activity remains under-explored. Drawing on research into the introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at three UK higher education institutions, it is argued that both social and technical factors must be considered to understand, plan for and manage the third space roles and structures which emerge in such initiatives. This study focuses on learning designers, confirming that they act as third space 'blended professionals' in the somewhat distinctive case of MOOC development. However, it also proposes the concept of a socio-technical third space in which blended professionals act as hubs in a metaphorical network of activity, using social and technical means to shape their own roles and those of others.