Adapting business process redesign concepts to learning processes

This paper investigates the use of process redesign tools and techniques in education. We argue that process thinking is an important strategy for improving education. An adaptation of business process redesign to learning is presented by integrating together concepts from educational theory, computer mediated communication, and business process redesign. Three conventional educational processes ‐ questioning, discussion, and document exchange ‐ are analyzed and redesigned with electronic mail, bulletin board, and World Wide Web technologies. The characteristics of each technology and its potential for process redesign are outlined. The results of an exploratory case study show that learning process redesign is viable and can impact ON educational outcomes. We conclude with suggestions for future research.