Design-based implementation research: milestones and trade-offs in designing a collaborative representation tool for engineering classrooms

In response to the criticism that theory-driven researcher-developed learning tools lack scalability and sustainability in the real world, the design-based implementation research (DBIR) approach was proposed. However, few empirical studies actually describe what a DBIR study looks like and how it can inform readers about learning tool design. We engaged in a retrospective reflection to reconstruct our multi-year DBIR project experience based on team’s research and design documents and artifacts accumulated over 4 years, alongside conversations with the interdisciplinary design team members. Through constant comparison and ethnographic conversations, we describe our project in terms of the five DBIR milestones identified and four design tensions. We discuss how our project showcases evidence of scalability and sustainability of the tool, while effectiveness is addressed differently from design experiments. Implications and future directions are also provided.