Sociotechnical Systems Approach: An Internal Assessment of a Blended Doctoral Program

An internal assessment was conducted utilizing a sociotechnical systems approach and cultural lens as a means of exploring the dynamics of a blended doctoral program. Blended learning environments were conceived of as sociotechnical systems, and blended programs were defined as programs that utilize multimodal means for the mediation of educational content. In this article, the notion of sociotechnical systems as distilled from informatics, computer science, and information and communications technology was applied to highlight the nexus of interactions between people and technology in a blended doctoral program in order to examine what boundaries, barriers, and opportunities are created in such a learning environment. Findings and recommendations suggest that the interdependencies of social and technical systems are complex, and privileging one system at the expense of the other will not provide for an optimum learning environment as both systems are requisite for the existence and success of a blended program.