Virtual Communities Of Practice: Enabling Peer-based Distance Learning

Virtual Communities of Practice: Enabling g Peer--based Peer Distance Learning g Kristina Schneider Centre for Instructional gy Technology John Molson School of Business Concordia University CADE/ACÉD May 2005

Presentation Objectives j ƒ To g get educational p practionners: ƒ to recognize the advantages of supporting peerbased learning activities through distance learning with a virtual community of practice ƒ to prepare a list of considerations when doing a needs analysis for a virtual community of practice ƒ to outline a list of requirements when designing, d developing, l i iimplementing l ti and d evaluating l ti a virtual it l community of practice

Presentation Outline ƒ Distance learning g with a virtual community y of practice ƒ Virtual communities initiated by JMSB ƒ Needs analysis for a virtual community of practice ƒ Virtual community of practice design ƒ Drafting a virtual community of practice blueprint

Distance Learning with a Virtual Community of P ti Practice Recognizing the advantages of supporting peer-based learning activities

Defining g a Community y of Practice ƒ Communities of practice are “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic topic, and who deepen their g and expertise p knowledge in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis”.

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

More then a Community y of Learners ƒ “More than a ‘community of learners’, a community of practice is also a ‘ ‘community it th thatt llearns’. ’ Not merely peers exchanging ideas around the water cooler, sharing and benefiting from each other's expertise, but colleagues committed to jointly develop better practices.” Source: George Pór, Community Intelligence Labs

Distinctive Traits P Purpose

M b Members

B Boundaries d i

I Incentive i

D Duration i

Community of practice

ƒ Create, expand & exchange knowledge ƒ Develop individual capabilities

ƒ Self-selected based on expertise or passion

ƒ Fuzzy

ƒ Passion for the domain ƒ Identification with group & expertise

ƒ Evolve & end organically

Formal departments

ƒ Deliver a product or service

ƒ Those who report to the manager

ƒ Clear

ƒ Job requirement & common goals

ƒ Intended to be permanentt

Operational Teams

ƒ Ongoing process

ƒ Those assigned by management

ƒ Clear

ƒ Shared responsibility

ƒ Indented to be ongoing

Project Teams

ƒ Task oriented

ƒ Those who have a direct role

ƒ Clear

ƒ Project goals & milestones

ƒ Predetermine d ending

Communities of Interest

ƒ Inform

ƒ Those interested

ƒ Fuzzy

ƒ Access to information

ƒ Evolve & end organically

Informal Networks

ƒ Distribute information

ƒ Friends & business acquaintances

ƒ Undefined

ƒ Mutual need & relationships

ƒ Need based

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Defining g a Virtual Community y of Practice ƒ Environments in which individuals with similar interests interact with one another at a distance. ƒ Most often used with global or distributed communities of practice ƒ Main advantages: ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ

Not limited to their local peers/expertise H th Has the potential t ti l tto be b more iinclusive l i Gain a global perspective G i a cross departmental/organisational Gain d t t l/ i ti l perspective ti

Challenges g of Virtual Communities ƒ Connecting g across borders and time zones ƒ Requiring local chapters because of potentially g membership larger ƒ Managing the goals and priorities which are likely to differ significantly ƒ Overcoming the obstacles with knowledge sharing and intellectual property ƒ Recognizing that cultural differences can lead to communication difficulties ƒ Employing the proper technology to support such a community

Vi t l Virtual Communities Initiated by JMSB Networking the International Aviation Industry

John Molson School of Business ((JMSB)) ƒ Is the business facultyy of Concordia University y ƒ Is the largest English speaking business school in Canada ƒ Has an enrolment of 6,000 students ƒ Has H a strong t di disciplinary i li research h ƒ Has a strong links to industry ƒ Has dedicated educational technologists that g & development p of distance education design environments

JMSB Distance Education Model ƒ Objective j ƒ Enabling industry professionals and managers to remain on the job while earning their degree or professional training

ƒ Solution ƒ Researching distance education literature and models ƒ Taking g advantage g of state-of-the-art communications and educational technology ƒ Establishing communities of practice to permit industry professionals to make meaningful links between theory and practice.

VCoP: Context of Application pp ƒ Graduate level classes ƒ Professional training programs ƒ Alumni communities

Regardless of level of experience experience, most learners have gathered a certain amount of knowledge about their field of study and practice practice.

VCoP: Method of Application pp ƒ Professors act as facilitators for students’ learning: ƒ Enabling g them to make links between research and practice ƒ Encouraging g g learners to teach one another ƒ Not only do they benefit from each other's expertise, but they can also develop improved practices and processes together

VCoP: Considerations for Application pp ƒ Virtual communities of p practice as p part of an instructional plan: ƒ Pedagogically g g y must be structured to be aligned g with learning objectives ƒ Formal structures must be p put into p place to allow for this kind of learning ƒ Communication tools must be distributed and mastered by learners and facilitators in order to ensure that interaction occurs ƒ The Th chosen h ttechnology h l mustt b be able bl tto capture t conversations and exchanges

Managing g g Learning g and a Career “What I like about the I t International ti l Aviation A i ti MBA Program is its applicability to real-life situations. I was able to implement whatever I learned in the IAMBA Global Executive Program g to my y daily y work effectively and with impressive results.” Haile Belai Class of 2004 Chief, Universal Safety Oversight Audit Section, ICAO

Global Aviation MBA Program g ƒ Format adopted: 4 semesters (2 years) ƒ Initial offering: October 2000 ƒ Since then 3 classes h have graduated d t d and d 1 iis in progress ƒ GAMBA Alumni are in the process of developing a community of practice

Distance Education

2 Week Session

2 Week Session

2 Week Session

2 Week Session

GAMBA Students - Countries of Origin g Iceland I l d Canada

Sweden Latvia

Russia

Ireland Estonia Romania Germany England France Switzerland

USA

Japan

Italy Bosnia

China U.A.E

Trinidad Ecuador

Hong Kong

Gambia

India

Ghana

Singapore

South Africa

Mauritius New Zealand

Recent Distance Education Projects j ƒ Development of Aviation Security Management program in partnership with ith ICAO

ƒ Development of Airport Executive Leadership Program in partnership with ith ACI

VCoP in the mandate

These programs are further enriched by the formation of a community of practice that continues well beyond the initial course delivery.

Professional Link to Aviation Industry y ƒ A competitive advantage in a growing industry ƒ Unique learning environment, international and professional ƒ More M th than 70 client li t organizations from around the world ƒ Integrated industry focus through formal and ongoing consultations and partnerships with…

N d A Needs Analysis l i For a Virtual Community of Practice Preparing a list of considerations

Is a VCoP the Correct Strategy? gy Considerations

Fit with VCoP

Learners work in industry and/or have prior knowledge about subject matter Learners are dispersed geographically or h have schedules h d l th thatt d do nott permit it th them tto meet face to face

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An instructional objective is to promote life long learning An program objective is to promote virtual team work

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Attributes of A VCoP ƒ Size ƒ Life span ƒ Physical y boundaries, such as: ƒ Collocated or distributed ƒ Homogenous or heterogeneous ƒ Inside and across boundaries, such as: ƒ Within business ƒ Across business units ƒ Across organizational boundaries

ƒ Formality ƒ Spontaneous or intentional ƒ Unrecognized to institutionalized Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Structural Elements of a VCoP ƒ Domain, which: ƒ Legitimizes the community ƒ Defines boundaries

ƒ Community, which: ƒ Provides an environment for people to interact, share and learn ƒ Enables relationship building

ƒ Practice, which: ƒ Encompasses the shared knowledge assets of the community community, such as: ƒ Framework ƒ Ideas ƒ Tools ƒ Information ƒ Styles ƒ Language ƒ Stories ƒ Documents Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Virtual Community of Practice Design

Outlining a list of requirements

Stages g of Community y Development p The jagged line represents the level of energy and visibility yp yg generates over time. that the communityy typically Stewardship

Levels of Energy and Visibility

Coalescing

Planning and Launching Communities of Practice

Maturing Transformation Potential

Developmental Tensions

Discover/ Imagine

Incubate/Deliver Immediate Value

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Focus/ Expand

Ownership/ Openness

Let Go/ Live On

Time

Potential ƒ At this stage: ƒ Informal network of learners with differing experiences but with similar issues and needs ƒ Learners need to discover common ground d and d discover each others’ strengths

Structural Elements

Key Issues

Domain

To define the scope of domain of interest to the members as well as being aligned t the to th organisation.

Community

To discover extant social net network ork that engages in that topic.

Practice

To identify the common knowledge needs.

Coalescing g ƒ At this stage: ƒ Learners start to find value in engaging in learning activities and design a community

Structural Elements

Key Issues

Domain

To establish the value of sharing domain knowledge.

C Community it

To develop T d l sufficient trust to discuss practice problems.

Practice

To discover what knowledge should b shared be h d and d how.

Metaphor p for Design g ƒ Wenger, McDermott and Snyder offer an analogy of growing a plant, which i a useful is f l one iin conveying the organic process in cultivating communities of practice

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Designing g g with Goals in Mind ƒ Explicit design principles: ƒ shows the relationships between elements ƒ makes it possible to be more flexible and improvisational

C Conceptual t l

P ti l Practical

ƒ Networking and knowledge sharing ƒ Team building and distributed virtual work teams processes ƒ Theoretical Th ti l fframework k ffor efficient problem-solving for company/industry problems and opportunities

Steps p for Designing g g a VCoP 1. Design g for evolution 2. Open a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives 3. Invite different levels of participation 4 Develop 4. D l b both th public bli and d private i t community it spaces 5. Focus on value 6. Combine familiarityy and excitement 7. Create a rhythm for the community Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design g for Evolution Characteristics ƒ Organic ƒ Evolve naturally ƒ Dynamic by nature ƒ Build on existing connections p may y shift ƒ New membership focus ƒ Reflect on and redesign elements of themselves throughout their existence

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design Requirements ƒ Steering rather the (re)creating ƒ Should be catalysts for a community's community s natural evolution ƒ Resembling life-long learning strategies ƒ Fewer elements at the beginning and focus on recruiting gp potential members ƒ Should introduce new practices and elements gradually

Open p a Dialogue g for Multiple p Perspectives p Characteristics ƒ Insider I id appreciate: i ƒ The issues at the heart of the domain ƒ The shared knowledge ƒ The challenges their field faces ƒ The potential in emerging ideas and techniques

ƒ Insiders can identify the real players l are and d th their i relationships ƒ Insiders can understand of community issues ƒ Outsiders can help members see the possibilities Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design requirements ƒ An A iinsider's id ' perspective i to llead d the discovery of what the community is about ƒ Built on the collective experience of community members ƒ Channels to bring information from outside the community into the dialogue about what the community could achieve ƒ Tools to educates community members about the role of communities

Invite Different Levels of Participation p Characteristics ƒ It is unrealistic encourage all community members to participate p p equally q y ƒ Three main levels of community participation: ƒ Th The heart h t off the th community it ƒ The active group ƒ The peripheral group

ƒ Outsiders who have an interest in the community Community members move through these levels because the boundaries of a community are fluid.

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design Requirements ƒ Many levels of participation ƒ A "coordinator" ƒ A healthy degree of movement between levels ƒ Participants at all levels to feel like full members ƒ Create opportunities for active members to take limited leadership roles ƒ Draw members into more active ti participation ti i ti

Develop p Public and Private Spaces p Characteristics ƒ Rich with connections that happen both in: ƒ The public places ƒ The private spaces, which helps strengthen relationships amongst members members.

ƒ The public and private dimensions of a community are i t interrelated l t d ƒ Participants often have multiple p agendas: g ƒ Completing a group task ƒ Finding help Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design Requirements ƒ Public events: ƒ Members experience being part of the community p y ƒ See who participates ƒ Gain a better appreciation overall

ƒ Private spaces: ƒ Assess the needs of community members

ƒ Good communities orchestrate activities in both p public and private spaces

Focus on Value Characteristics ƒ Value V l iis kkey to community i lif life ƒ Full value is often not apparent at first ƒ Source of value often changes over the life of the community ƒ Early value often comes from focusing on the current problems and needs Many of the most valuable community activities are the small, everyday interactions.

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design Requirements ƒ Should Sh ld d develop l a systematic i and fully accessible body of knowledge ƒ Should promote events, activities, and relationships that help their value emerge and d enable bl members b tto discover ways to harvest it ƒ Should trace the impact of a shared idea which takes time and attention ƒ Should encourage g community y members to be explicit about the value of the community throughout its lifetime

Combine Familiarity y and Excitement Characteristics ƒ Successful communities offer: ƒ Familiarity, which creates a comfort level, which in turn invites candid discussions ƒ Excitement, which enables divergent thinking and activity which in turn activity, complements familiarity

Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design Requirements ƒ Should combine both familiar and exciting events: ƒ Routine activities provide the stability for relationshipbuilding connections ƒ Exciting events provide a sense off common adventure.

Create a Rhythm y for the Community y Characteristics ƒ The rhythm is the strongest indicator of its aliveness ƒ too fast: feels breathless ƒ too slow: feels sluggish

ƒ The tempo is influenced by the rhythm ƒ There are many rhythms in a community: ƒ The syncopation of familiar and exciting events ƒ The frequency of private interactions ƒ The ebb and flow from the sidelines into active participation ƒ The pace of the community's overall evolution Source: Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002), “Cultivating Communities of Practice”

Design Requirements

ƒ Should combine whole wholecommunity and small-group gatherings ƒ To create a balance between the thrill of exposure to many different ideas ƒ To permit the comfort of more intimate relationships

ƒ Should have a mix of ideasharing forums and toolbuilding projects ƒ To foster casual connections ƒ To promote directed community action

Considerations for VCoPs ƒ Because VCoPs most often serve distributed communities, additional efforts in 4 development q activities are required: ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ

Achieving stakeholder alignment Creating a local/global structure Building a strong rhythm to maintain visibility Develop the private spaces more systematically

VCoP Local/Global Structure Large local group Local coordinator

Small local group

Regional group

Designing a di t ib t d distributed community with a fractal approach

Global coordinator

Small local group

Source: McDermott and Jackson (2000), “Designing Global Communities”

Drafting a Virtual Community of Practice Bl Blueprint i t An Exercise

Thank you y

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