Institut Arbeit und Technik SIMPEL - Improving eLearning in SMEs Final Conference Anke Petschenka, Steffi Engert (University Duisburg-Essen) Ileana Hamburg (IAT Gelsenkirchen)

Institut Arbeit und Technik Table of Contents 1.Definition and Specifications of CoPs 2.eLearning and VCoP 3.Idea of CoP for SIMPEL 4.Conclusions

Institut Arbeit und Technik The term Community of Practice was first used in 1991 by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger 1. Communities of Practice – an approach to learning Jean LaveEtienne Wenger 1991

Institut Arbeit und Technik 1.1 Communities of Practice (CoP) We all belong to communities of practice. … At home, at work, at school, in our hobbies, we belong to several communities of practice at any given time. Etienne Wenger 2001 Emphasis: learning situations in daily life, at work, at home and throughout society.

Institut Arbeit und Technik Communities of Practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavour. Etienne Wenger Communities of Practice (CoP) Emphasis: learning peer-to-peer interacting/collaborating in a social network focussed on practice and exchange of experience.

Institut Arbeit und Technik 1.3 Communities of Practice (CoP) nach E. Wenger

Institut Arbeit und Technik its members share a domain of interest and they are committed to this domain voluntarily they collect and share information resources shared or complementary competences among members common ideas and/or joint activities absence or near absence of hierarchies orientation towards exchanging experiences on developing best practice/agreement on standards for best practice Web 2.0 applications and concepts regarding social networking 1.3 Specifications for CoPs

Institut Arbeit und Technik Informal learning can be characterized as follows: it does not take place in special educational establishements apart from normal life and professional practice it has no curriculum and is not professionally organized it is not planned in a pedagogically conscious, systematic manner according to subjects, test and qualification CoP allow informal learning and facilitate knowledge management 1.4 Informal Learning !!! Jay Cross (2006) pointed out that formal trainings and workshops account only for 10-20% of what people learn at work!!!

Institut Arbeit und Technik new media technologies enable time and place independent exchange fast transfer of knowledge efficient organisation of workflows reduction of workload documentation: collecting and accessing information repositories eCommunication, eCooperation Communication channels (synchronous/asynchronous) 2 eLearning - VCoP

Institut Arbeit und Technik CoPs often start in face-to-face- settings benefit from information technologies for collecting and accessing information repositories many CoPs grow into a VCoP or work in a blended mode, combining the best of both worlds 2.1 face-to-face meetings and VCoP

Institut Arbeit und Technik members can access the community and share their work largely independent of time and location it is easy to bring together people of different backgrounds and levels of expertise it is cost-effective people may be less inhibited to take part in the discussion than in face- to-face situations 2.2 Working in a VCoP has a number of advantages

Institut Arbeit und Technik to keep up motivation may be harder than in a CoP meeting face-to-face missing face-to-face meetings may give rise to feelings of social isolation a certain level of technical equipment and technical expertise (e-competence) is required from the community members. 2.3 Working in a VCoP has to be balanced against possible disadvantages

Institut Arbeit und Technik CoP took place on a model of a blended CoP combining workshops, seminars and virtual collaboration (LMS MOODLE) especially the elaboration of the Guidelines on eLearning in SMEs cumulated eLearning experiences by SIMPEL partners cumulated eLearning experiences of wider expert network 3 The idea of CoP for SIMPEL

Institut Arbeit und Technik Learning Management System Moodle to house the SIMPEL CoP Philosopy: Social constructivist pedagogical concept and not primarily developed out of software-development considerations The community was used for Distributing information materials on CoPs and other issues Presentation of successful models of e-learning Elaboration of the Guidelines by using the Moodle WIKI Documentations of events (workshops, conferences) Toolbox: links to tools for e-learning; manuals for Moodle 3.2 Learning Management System: Moodle

Institut Arbeit und Technik combining face-to-face meetings with ongoing work on a virtual platform CoP can easily be started to build a community of knowledge exchange, know-how and problem-solving ideas it is important that the members of the CoP are networkers conversant with training conceptions, blended-learning methods and eLearning Networking in an individual SME or department between several SMEs on a branch or a regional level from different levels might network into a kind of meta-CoP. CoPs can fulfill an important function as part of the training strategy 4. Conclusions

Institut Arbeit und Technik Thank you for your attention! University of Duisburg-Essen Institute for Work and Technology