Transforming eLearning to virtual Community of Practice

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Transforming eLearning to virtual Community of
Practice

• Kenneth Fung

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I believe in continuous learning
Graduated with a B.Sc. Agriculture (Food
Science).

• Passionate about Food.
• Took accounting courses.
• Took courses in computers.
• Continued to take courses in business
• Applying knowledge and experience
• Taught consulted in Canada, USA and China.

• Enjoyed learning so much that I am working
• towards a PhD in information system
• as well as a program director in Continuing
  Education, University of Calgary.

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E-Learning and virtual Community of Practice

• Developed and converting my courses into
  e-Learning.
• Implemented a virtual CoP in a knowledge enabled
  company and participating in a few virtual CoP
  and CoP.
• Being part of the Knowledge Management Network in
  Calgary and my PhD study, my research interests
  are
• e-learning, virtual Community of Practice,
  knowledge management, collaborative technologies,
  Virtual Project Management

Talking about research there is an one
liner To steal ideas from one, it's plagiarism
to steal ideas from many, it's research. Today,
I am going to steal ... No, I mean borrow
some ideas and share my findings with you.
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E-learning

• is the use of internet technologies to deliver an
  array of solutions that enhance knowledge and
  performance.
• is the convergence of knowledge management,
  technology, and new approaches to developing and
  supporting performance.
• In the past few years, many dot-com e-ventures
  failed. Some people are saying e-Nough.
  E-learning is another doomed-to-fail e-thing.
• The School of Dentistry at UCLA, spent around
  750K over 5 years developing their online
  courses only to find that their intended audience
  is willing to pay higher fees for face-to-face
  lectures.

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Avoid the pitfalls when implementing e-Learning

• Believe that e-learning is automatically a
  cheaper alternative.
• Overestimate what e-learning can accomplish.
• Overlook the shortcomings of self study
• Fail to look beyond the course paradigm.
• View content as a commodity.
• Ignore or Fixate on technology.
• Assume that learned knowledge will be applied.
• Believe that just because e-learning is
  implemented it will be used.

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To avoid e-Learning Failure, we need to

• Plan. Involve users in planning and
• implementation.
• 2. Align. E-learning must be aligned with
• an organizations values and goals with
• senior management support and linked to
• performance management or succession management.
• 3. Blend and integrate. Select multiple options
  for learners based on their needs and preferences
  and environmental factors.
• 4. Motivate and support. Understand what
  motivates the learners if we expect learners to
  use e-learning.
• 5. Market and communicate. Keep learners engaged
  and motivated.
• 6. Evaluate and refine. Incorporate continuous
  improvement.

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People learn in many ways

• by accessing well-designed information,
• by using new performance-enhancing tools,
• through experience, and from each other.
• The lines between learning, communications,
  knowledge management, and performance support
  will continue to blur.
• Some future trends of e-learning
• Adopt by corporation of all sizes
• Mobile-learning
• Incorporate collaboration into the learning
  program.
• Virtual Classroom
• Blended learning

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A Community of Practice (CoP)

• is an informal group of practitioners that shares
  knowledge on common development problems while
  pursuing joint solutions.
• generates a more informed dialogue with
  decision-makers, often leading to improved
  outcomes.
• CoPs have contributed significantly to both
  knowledge sharing and learning.
• By involving members from different disciplines,
  CoPs increase knowledge flows, address knowledge
  gaps. Foster knowledge partnerships.
• By emphasizing learning in the context of a
  "practice", they improve the culture of learning.

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Knowledge sharing in knowledge economy

• CoP has emerged to complement existing
  organizational structures and radically
  galvanized knowledge sharing, learning and
  innovation.
• Knowledge sharing in key in the implementation of
  CoP
• Knowledge sharing is essential to
• economic survival.
• It is the heart and soul of knowledge sharing.
• Virtual community members also need
• physical interactions.
• Passion is the driver of
• communities of practice.
• Communities enrich organizations personal
  lives.
• Knowledge sharing should be from the inside.
• Storytelling ignites knowledge sharing.

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virtual CoP should (have)

• Support idea generation and evaluation of
  alternatives.
• Structured information and interaction.
• Unifying purpose and focus
• Dynamic information and structure
• Individual and group identity construction and
  maintenance.
• allow for an adequate level of control and
  moderation.
• A rich set of discussion tools, including support
  for dialog, negotiation, and collaborative
  problem solving.
• Mechanisms for regular stimulation toward
  increased growth and learning.
• Effective connections to live, offline community
  activities.

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A model of team-based knowledge sharing
creation in virtual CoP
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Contexts / Factors

• Environmental
• Nature of members
• Policy
• Supporting Resources
• IT
• Web
• Ease of use
• Project
• Agenda
• Warm-up time
• Distance
• Support system

• Organizational
• size
• Sharing culture
• Management support
• IT infrastructure
• Group
• Size
• Composition
• Structure
• Cohesiveness
• Leadership

• Individual
• Professional level
• Attribute affecting sharing time in CoP
• IT Literacy
• Willing to call for help
• Cooperation
• Experience in Knowledge Sharing
• Motivation of participation

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Causal Conditions / Action / Interaction

• Individual
• Actively asking for help
• Habit of cooperation
• Propensity to share
• Perception of communication media
• Group Level
• Group roles
• Knowledge creation roles
• Group norms
• Cohesiveness
• Leadership style

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Collaboration Strategies

• Task performing
• Initiating Stimulate and provide new ideas or
  thought
• Information/opinion seeking/providing
• Coordinating Integrate ideals,practicality.
  Avoid wandering
• Orienting Establishing goals and objectives
• Evaluating Accomplishment and out-come
• Recording Document resolutions, plans lesson
  learned
• Team Maintenance
• Encouraging Praising, agreeing or stimulating
• Gate-Keeping Overseeing and establish group norm
• Following instructions/Guidelines.
• Clowning Promote free and easy atmosphere via
  humor

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Key Success Factors Best Practices of
collaboration

• Develop a culture of Sharing
• Develop a common Goal for Collaboration
• Establish Process and workflow
• Develop Trust Among Virtual Team Members
• Define Rules of Interaction
• Ensure Mutual Benefit
• Secure Management Support
• Provide Recognition and Rewards
• Promote training
• Attain Critical Mass Usage

Adopted from IC Collaboration Baseline Study
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Using IT strategies

• Emotional expression Represent and manage them.
• Housekeeping Coordination of messages and team
  management
• Acknowledgement Confirmation or answer messages
• Information exchange Share information,
  resources or experiences
• Idea release Propose ideas or suggestions
• Creative revision Integrating knowledge,
  documents or experiences into new knowledge
  objects.

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Knowledge sharing and creation strategies

• Knowledge contributing domain knowledge
• Catalyst providing Ideas or information to
  stimulate new knowledge flows
• Knowledge/Catalyst integrating Integrate
  Knowledge/catalyst to generate new knowledge
  flows
• Task performing Perform task to trigger new
  knowledge flows
• Listening Ask or wait for knowledge flows from
  others

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Collaboration Strategies
Coordinating Work isolatedly Many free
riders

• Many free riders
• Monopolizing

Adopted from The reality of team-based Knowledge
Sharing and creation in Professional Cyber
Community
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Using IT

• Min. on-line
• interaction
• Idea release (few)

Adopted from The reality of team-based Knowledge
Sharing and creation in Professional Cyber
Community
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Knowledge Sharing and creation Strategies

• Knowledge Contribution
• Listening

Adopted from The reality of team-based Knowledge
Sharing and creation in Professional Cyber
Community
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Consequences / Outcomes

• Individual
• Self efficacy
• Professional social network enlargement
• Group level
• Goal attainment
• Accomplishment
• Organizational
• Fulfill the knowledge application gap

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Improving individual and organizational
performance through CoP

• IBM conducted a multi-organizational survey on
  CoP and found that organizations have been
  increasingly providing communities of workers
  with resources to enhance the exchange and flow
  of knowledge and information.
• This research look at
• the resource usage,
• time use for various work activities,
• and reported individual, community and
  organizational benefits.
• the relationships between community
  participation, time use, and individual and
  organizational outcomes.

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of community members using various resources
The frequent use of web sites and other document
collections affirm the ever growing use of
information portals for communities.
Source Improving Individual and Organizational
Performance through Communities of Practice
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of community members using various
communication media
Email was the most frequently used Media.
Increasing use of chat communication. Should use
a variety of resources to interact with each
others.
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Change in Work time for various activities
The improved social networking gained by
participating in the community reduces time spend
in unproductive task, e.g. searching for
information.
Source Improving Individual and Organizational
Performance through Communities of Practice
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Improving performance Personal Benefits
Strong agreement that community resources and
activities positively influenced job skills,
productivity and job satisfaction. Expecting
stronger agreement that the community activities
helped to promote a sense of belonging.
of members who agree/disagree that community
activities influences various personal benefits
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Improving performance Community Benefits
Increased knowledge sharing and collaboration
supported the mission of many work-based
communities. Expected higher increase in the
levels of trust within the community.
of members who agree/disagree that community
activities influences various community benefits
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Improving performance Organization Benefits
Community activities generally improved
operational efficiency and reduced costs for the
organization. There was less agreement on
improving speed to market and overall employee
retention.
of members who agree/disagree that community
activities influences various community benefits
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Comparing eLearning and virtual COP
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E-Learning Virtual CoP is mostly about People
The Key Success Factors of both e-Learning and
virtual CoP are all about

• 1) People Motivated.
• 2) Process Acquiring, learning sharing
  knowledge
• 3) Technology Enabling people in their processes

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The Hawthorne Effect at work

• Simply by making people feel valuable you
  increase their motivation and their performance!
• Take an employee and give her specialized
  training in project management skills she doesn't
  have.
• You've given the trainee the feeling that she is
  so valuable that you'll spend time and money to
  develop her.
• She feels she's on a track to the top, and that
  motivates her to work harder and better. The
  motivation is independent of any particular
  skills/knowledge she gained from the training. In
  traditional learning, employees are sent away for
  training. They feel that they are valued.
• A Corporate Training Executive What does the
  average employee get out of training? Frequent
  flyer miles. Quoted in Digital Game-Based
  Learning. For e-learning, employees often have to
  do it in their spare time!

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The Hawthorne Effect at Work in CoP?

• In our case, she took a few project management
  courses via e-Learning and enjoyed it so much
  that she started applying the techniques at work.
  And they worked.
• She shared her experiences in the project
  management CoP that you setup.
• Other members appreciate her knowledge and
  consider her techniques Best Practices.
• She feels she's on a track to the top and that
  motivates her to work harder and better.
• Instead of management making employees feel
  valuable. She is an empowered learner/employee,
  she is self motivated and increased her own
  performance!
• Note At IBM all of the CoP are virtual. But
  members try to meet at least once a year.

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Causal Model for Community Interaction and
benefits
Source Improving Individual and Organizational
Performance through Communities of Practice
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Maslows human need hierarchy Lower level needs
must be satisfied before higher level needs can
be addressed.

• Self-Actualization On going participation and
  professional development

CoP virtual CoP
Self-Esteem Have passion. Contributing. Feeling
productive.
Social Contact Sense of belonging and love
Safety Needs Meeting objectives
Learning e-learning
Physiological Needs Got a job. Team not fired.
Adequate physical working conditions.
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We need to motivate and transform

• Traditional learner to empowered learner
• Traditional learning to e-Learning
• By providing management support, resources,
  content and just-in-time delivery of information
  and knowledge.
• After acquiring the knowledge, we need to
  motivate employee by providing rewards, resources
  and management support.
• And encourage them to
• apply knowledge
• share and create new knowledge
• By joining and contributing in CoP and virtual
  Cop with trust and passion.

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References

• Tony Kypreos, Building a Business Case For
  E-Learning, eLearn, Volume 2003, Issue 2
• P. Weaver, Avoiding e-Learning Failure,
  http//www.ddiworld.com/pdf/Avoid_Failure_LDWP02.p
  df
• The Herridge Group Inc. July 2002, Corporate
  E-learning Trends, http//www.herridge.ca/pdfs/Cor
  porate20Elearning20Trends.pdf
• S. Denning, M. Pommier and L, Shneier, Are There
  Laws of Knowledge Management? http//www.education
  au.edu.au/globalsummit/papers/denning.htm_ftnref2
  
• D. R. Millen, M. A. Fontaine, Improving
  Individual and Organizational Performance through
  Communities of Practice, GROUP03, November 912,
  2003, Sanibel Island, Florida, USA.
• M. Notess J. Plaskoff, Preliminary Heuristics
  for the Design and Evaluation of Online
  Communities of Practice Systems,
  http//www.indiana.edu/istdept/R685bonk/notessPl
  askof.pdf
• S. Lin, F. Lin, T. Huang M. Yeh, The reality of
  team-based Knowledge Sharing and creation in
  Professional Cyber Community, Proceedings of the
  36th Hawaii international Conference on System
  Sciences (HICSS03), Hawaii, USA
• IC Collaboration Baseline Study,
  http//collaboration.mitre.org/prail/IC_Collaborat
  ion_Baseline_Study_Final_Report/toc.htm