Capturing Individual and Institutional Change: Exploring Horizontal versus Vertical Transitions in Technology-Rich Environments

Popular approaches in the learning sciences understand the concept of learning as permanent or semi-permanent changes in how individuals think and act. These changes can be traced very differently, depending on whether the context is stable or dynamic. The purpose of this poster is to introduce a distinction between horizontal and vertical transitions that can be used to describe individual and institutional change in technology-rich environments. We argue that these two types of transitions trace different phenomena: Vertical transitions occur when individuals, technologies, or domains develop in stable and fixed conditions within set boundaries. In contrast, horizontal transitions occur when individuals, technologies, or domains mature in the synergy with other fields. We develop our argument by working through relevant studies in medicine, and close by outlining implications for future research on professional technology enhanced learning.