Design-based research as a methodology for investigating learning in the engineering education

Design-based research has been found to be a particularly useful methodology for investigating complex systems, by enabling manageable parts to be examined, and by providing both theoretical insights and practicable interventions. This paper describes the author's experience of applying design-based research to an investigation of one element of team-based learning, namely "co-creating learning intent". It presents a model for the application of the methodology that helps to focus research by defining key decision points in an iterative process, and arrives at theoretical insights that can be applied in much wider contexts. It is important to note that this is a work in progress and represents only the first steps in the process: further refinement, including input from other researchers into team-based learning, is anticipated before the full research implications of the methodology and its implementation can be presented.