Knowledge Management & E-learning - useful links and lessons learnt
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This slide presentation is the basis of a FREE live webinar scheduled for September 30, 2009, where these ideas are discussed in depth and questions are answered. This 60-minute virtual live lecture starts at 6 PM Central European Time (9 AM Pacific, 12 noon Eastern, 5 PM GMT) and is FREE to attend, but in case you missed it, its recording will be available for purchase for 50 EUR.
![During this live webinar... ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],On Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 6 PM CET (9 AM Pacific, 12 noon Eastern, 5 PM GMT)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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Knowledge Management & E-learning - useful links and lessons learnt
- 1. Linking Knowledge Management and E-learning to Build Better World - Lessons Learnt in Action Created and presented by Maja Vujovic To see the date and time of this FREE webinar where I talk about these ideas and answer your questions, click here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145074196950
- 8. A vision can be shortsighted too... KM - band-aid for risks
- 9. If only Google Docs were available...
- 11. Key Lesson I: Learners want the knowledge fast. ‘ Simple, now! ’ is better than ‘ rich, later’ .
- 12. Knowledge sharing - task or tool?
- 13. Insular world
- 14. Better world
- 21. Questions? Dilemmas? Answers to questions, updated materials & recordings are available during our current courses: • The Human Side of Knowledge Management (1 day) • Better World : Online Course About Projects (12 weeks) [email_address] T/F: +381 11 39 75 266 M: +381 63 229 652 S: maja_vujovic
Hinweis der Redaktion
- In this case study, links between Knowledge Management and e-learning are examined , as perceived by the author in an institutional development exercise and later adapted and applied to an original educational project, delivered online . Though at first glance the two cases differ considerably (the model was unfolding offline, within a public institution and had targeted public servants, while the result is unfolding online and is aimed at individuals and smaller civil-sector or commercial organizations) several important solutions were nevertheless developed for the latter by analyzing the challenges of the former .
- This original educational project, delivered entirely online , is entitled The Better World, as it aims to teach individuals and organizations across Serbia and beyond (within the Serbian language domain online) how to prepare, submit, finance, organize, staff, administrate and successfully implement effective projects , be they civil sector endevours or one-time commercial ventures. Practical advice and lessons learnt in 16 different aspects of project management INSERT LIST OF TOPICS! ten trainers , who are very experienced, successful project initiators and managers. All of them have extensive professional backgrounds across sectors, countries and languages . Some of them are university professors, others are professional educators and some are very experienced, versatile professionals in their respective fields.
- The project uses an array of electronic learning tools as a set ; each tool in this learning format serves as a distinct conduit for one physical aspect of the knowledge being transferred (audio, video, text), but also carries additional value, as a distinct platform for independently marketable knowledge products . These distinct tools are: - online seminars (or webinars) consisting of live audio, live video, live slides and live text, - combined with images, text, slides, audio and video published online (on the very popular and reliable Facebook ) and, comprehensive e-book, to be compiled from all the knowledge articulated during this 16-week-long online course.
- Between January 2007 and March 2009, the author was engaged by UNDP Serbia as the Communication, Education and Knowledge Management Consultant for the Serbian Ministry of Finance, in the final phase of a seven-year-long capacity development project . During its three distinct chapters, between 2001 and 2009, this massive intervention financed by the Royal Government of the Netherlands had assigned - as external consultants to the Ministry - hundreds of local and international experts , who over time served under five different Finance Ministers . The intervention is widely credited as having supported the key reform-oriented Ministry in Serbia through such vital undertakings as the reforms of regulations pertaining to the banking, tax, financial, pension and insurance systems, the massive privatization process and other key economic reforms. A parallel effort was invested by the intervention to develop the Ministry as an institution ; this was done through: - a strategic modernization of its human resources department, - thousands of training hours for resident civil servants, - various twinning and coaching arrangements, - individual and organization-wide learning plans and, - during the final phase, relentless knowledge management.
- A parallel effort was invested by the intervention to develop the Ministry as an institution ; this was done through: - a strategic modernization of its human resources department, - thousands of training hours for resident civil servants, - various twinning and coaching arrangements, - individual and organization-wide learning plans and, - during the final phase, relentless knowledge management. The knowledge management system (devised and applied during the final two years of this institutional development effort primarily as a risk-reducing solution in a volatile political environment) in the end was praised by several independent project evaluations and even, in one case, recommended as a new model for UNDP projects worldwide . This fact additionally illuminates the lessons learnt in the process, many of which have later directly influenced the Better World project.
- It should be noted that, despite massive investments in improving the ICT infrastructure of the Ministry, the technical tools at hand for the knowledge management function were limited to regular office computers, with only standard proprietary software, such as Microsoft Office. Scarce ICT funds available were used to outsource for the Ministry a complex data base of projects, which was deemed a high priority. No organization-wide server existed at the time and local network accessibility was fractional at best. In contrast with such stark infrastructure, an ideal tool for managing accrued knowledge would have combined e-mail, messenger, project management tools, a data base and social media . However, two-three years ago, it would have required months of programming work and vast funds . With the intense development of social networks and cloud computing gaining momentum since, such solutions are now available to anyone, for free .
- The less-than-optimal infrastructure at the Ministry thus required maximum resourcefulness with those modest ICT tools available at the time. For example, without real-time central filing, personal electronic mail accounts were used for sharing files – essentially as the conduit for relayed lateral storing. The traffic log feature, as well as basic classifying, sorting & search abilities of MS Outlook substituted for an advanced digital repository .
- This requirement to make do with what basic tools were available later directly influenced a decision by Compass Communications to bypass a long and potentially winding path of producing a tailor-made website for the Better World project and to opt for a simple Fan Page on Facebook instead. This decision proved correct, as Better World instantly ensured a very vibrant Web presence, with close to one hundred supporters (called Fans) subscribing in less than ten days and many keenly interacting with the Page. The difference in time (one month vs. one day needed for the production) and in funds (thousands of euros vs. zero euros required for financing it) credibly illustrates the first lesson of effective e-learning: simple, but immediate access to knowledge is what e-learners seem to appreciate. The 90-minute webinars held weekly are both recorded and transcribed, for subsequent (re)use. The web page on Facebook not only contains essential information about the course, its trainers, sessions, technology and promotions, but it allows instant interactions with “subscribers” who opt to follow its content. This e-publishing tool is being used to daily post brief phrases , or notes, containing various advice on management, leadership, crises management, staff issues etc., written on the spur of the moment by all ten trainers, as one unidentified “voice”. The web page also is a forum where both the fans of the project and the trainers can launch discussions about relevant topics and exchange views and information in a classic online forum format. The e-book , planned as the crown of the project – as a comprehensive manual for beginners about initiating and implementing successful projects – is being compiled from all these knowledge formats, namely: - webinar transcripts, - notes, - discussions, - glossary of relevant terms, relevant excerpts of e-correspondence between trainers and participants, etc.
- The Third phase of the capacity development project at the Ministry had a strict exit strategy : any improved work processes and all programmable, as well as all unique knowledge developed along the way, were supposed to be codified , then used to ensure a steady transfer of knowledge to resident civil servants . In addition, the strategy required designating specifically who among the Ministry staff would take over the tasks of external experts, once they leave the Ministry, so that the accumulated know-how has custodians after the project expires . The last requirement was for the collection of knowledge products created and gathered to also be shared not only with the Ministry, but with the UNDP Serbia office as well, on monthly basis. The implicit expectation was that this compiled knowledge would then be shared throughout the UNDP system . According to these written requirements, relevant knowledge products were indeed codified and regularly shared with both parties.
- On several occasions during the final phase of the Project, requests and questions received from other UNDP country offices proved that those materials submitted regularly were for a long time not distributed widely, although similar challenges and issues occurring in Serbia were generally similar across many developing countries. Ready-made solutions to problems and lessons learnt can genuinely make a difference in effectiveness of people and their actions in field missions. The breakdown in this knowledge transfer process can be attributed to distinct kinds of assignments of UNDP office staff and the organization’s field workers. Knowledge needed in the field may not look attractive or useful to office staff , hence not receive much attention and thus not get shared.
- On several occasions during the final phase of the Project, requests and questions received from other UNDP country offices proved that those materials submitted regularly were for a long time not distributed widely, although similar challenges and issues occurring in Serbia were generally similar across many developing countries. Ready-made solutions to problems and lessons learnt can genuinely make a difference in effectiveness of people and their actions in field missions. The breakdown in this knowledge transfer process can be attributed to distinct kinds of assignments of UNDP office staff and the organization’s field workers. Knowledge needed in the field may not look attractive or useful to office staff , hence not receive much attention and thus not get shared.
- The magnetism of needed knowledge is the strongest at the receiving end and it increasingly weakens the more disinterested intermediaries there are along its path. This important lesson in the distribution of knowledge was used by Compass Communications to design the way that knowledge is disseminated by Better World : organizations are given the right to train a number of their staff for the price of one (as this is technically not preventable anyway) provided that they register them all individually . This provision enables Better World to communicate with individual learners and to distribute knowledge products straight to them, not though any gatekeepers in their organizations.
- Two distinct knowledge types accrued during the work of external experts at the Ministry of Finance. 1. previous expert knowledge, which they brought with them and adapted to the needs of the host institution, as basic input for capacity building. 2. new, original knowledge, which occurred as a result of their work at the Ministry and of specific challenges in their assignments. Key difference: identifiable recipients (the Ministry staff, as stipulated in various plans) and it was indeed gradually transferred to civil servants. The other, more introspective kind of knowledge – the one concerning how the process of institutional development unfolds in a given case – was rarely codified and even less often shared, primarily as it had no a priori designated recipients . This intriguing lesson translates into a commitment for Better World to readily and regularly share with its e-learners and fans a ny valid insights acquired throughout its course . teaches project management not only through theory, but transparently, through its own experience. This can be a useful guideline to all developers of e-learning content.
- In capacity building, knowledge products such as written Meeting Minutes, Lessons Learnt, Strategic Advisory Notes, Action Reflection Notes, Back To Office Reports etc., help build capacity not only through their content, but – equally effectively – through their sheer existence. In institutions which previously had no set procedures, such documents are a powerful and compelling demonstration of how a proper institution works . Similarly, in designing e-courses, it is useful to remember that their language, their interface programming and their technical reliability intrinsically coexist and teach, together with their content. One could argue that this has always been the case with printed learning materials – books, periodicals, articles -- but these platforms had always been meticulously primed to reduce or ideally eliminate imperfections altogether. Much of e-learning content is captured without such painstaking care and often includes spontaneities, improvisations or errors. Unlike the fleeting nature of face-to-face learning, the flaws in both the content and the form of e-learning products persists through the convenience of reuse. The e-learners thus tend to be more exposed to imperfections than learners offline , which is the single biggest disadvantage of this otherwise laudable educational invention.
- This is why Compass Communications has devised an elaborate set of precautionary measures for Better World, to minimize risks associated with potentially broadcasting live educational content to e-learners worldwide. These measures include: - the use of moderators to ensure dynamism of individual webinars, as well as the consistency of the entire online course; - semi-structured questionnaires prepared for each session, as scripts for both the moderator and the trainer; - all content uploaded to the server beforehand to ensure its availability in each session; and three main interlocutors during all sessions, located at three different physical sites. These three hosts are the trainer , the moderator and the producer , who (having both the hosting and the training professional background) can serve as a stand-in for either the moderator or the trainer in the event of a line breakage at either of their locations. Given that the quality of educational content is ensured through the careful selection of trainers (as well as the moderators, who are broadcasting professionals) all these measures combined minimize most, if not all foreseeable risks to the overall quality and reliability of live webinars. The e-book, which will be prepared over a period of more than four months, as a group effort with over ten authors, will be subject to stringent quality-control protocols , developed on several complex publishing projects by Compass Communications. In this way, all of the e-learning tools offered by Better World will demonstrate to e-learners a standard of professional quality which the outputs of their projects also should possess.
- The business perspective intrinsic to the Better World project is also a result of a key lesson from the knowledge management exercise at the Serbian Ministry of Finance. Over time, the codification effort and the resulting collection of various knowledge products ｷ recordings of trainings held, ｷ various strategies and action plans, comparisons between acquis communautaire and local regulations, ｷ exhaustive economic data on Serbian municipalities, ｷ meeting minutes etc. encompassed over 1.5 GB of data, in more than 1200 documents, filed in over 300 folders. In printed form, that collection of knowledge products covers 5.000 pages, held in 11 large binders and several printed books. Unfortunately, as it was only designed to reduce risks associated with potentially losing expert knowledge (through attrition or any political upheaval), the collection did not have a support system in place for its gradual absorption into the intellectual capital of the Ministry. Eventual cessation of the capacity development project, in March of 2009, meant that this vibrant, regularly updated asset as of then started aging through neglect and quickly and inevitably became obsolete . Save for the team-building effect which the codification effort generated along the way, ultimately the funds and the time invested into knowledge management were thus spent unwisely. This happened inconspicuously in an institution charged with collecting and redistributing the country’s financial resources on a mass scale. This key lesson was lost then, but it need not remain lost.
- knowledge equals capital Like financial capital, it needs to be valued. It must not stand still, but should flow, be invested, be auspiciously converted, prudently used and rarely, if ever, wasted. E-knowledge gets an even greater liquidity through technology and thrives in new opportunities and forms, yielding more worth, hitherto unimaginable. Just as financial capital is subject to various economic laws, so e-capital must obey electronic laws, enforced by - search engine optimization, - a paradigm shift in intellectual property rights and - yet unexplored potential of cloud computing and social media.
- Key lessons derived from this comparison are argued and offered for further research and implementation of e-learning: - The author shows that e-learners prefer the immediate access to knowledge over its delayed abundance. - The importance of direct access to e-learners without intermediaries is emphasized through evident shortfalls of an elaborate knowledge sharing scheme. - The author asserts that transparency of production processes of the observed e-learning project can be a teaching tool and draws on proven methodologies of institutional development to argue this assertion. The author stresses that the main disadvantage of e-learning – imperfections stemming from technological advances and resultant trends – can and should be precluded through zealous preparation.