Learning Communities and Social Capital Duncan Timms, Philip Crompton, Sara Ferlander, Liz Timms Project SCHEMA University of Stirling, UK

Project SCHEMA n Social Cohesion through Higher Education in Marginal Areas n Funded under EU 4th framework funding n Development of continuing professional development courses for online delivery to health and welfare workers n Social constructivist approach emphasising interaction, collaboration and learning communities

SCHEMA Modules n Community Portraits n Quality Management in care service provision n A person-centred approach to the care of dementia n Approaches to the control of drug and alcohol abuse n A virtual tour of housing areas in Glasgow n Developing care services in marginal communities n The social implications of the Internet n Applied social research methods

Community Portraits Module n The community as a context for health and welfare practice n Collaboration as a method for working and learning n The Internet as an enabler of collaborative learning

Delivery (trial run Spring 1999) n Course required students (professional workers) to work collaboratively n Participants from Scotland, Germany & Finland n Organised in three groups of three n Course objective: the development of community portraits

Programme n Weeks 1-5: Introductory Phase n Week 1: Introductions n Weeks 2-3: Develop protocol for collaborative working n Week 4: Consider notion of community n Week 5: Introduce communities n Weeks 6-16: Project Work n Weeks 6 - 8: Groups work independently of each other monitored by tutor n Week 9: Groups review their progress n Weeks : work on portraits n Week 13: Group presentations n Weeks : Group assessments of portraits n Week 16: Reflection on collaboration online

Organisation n Group 1: Scotland - male Germany - female Northern Finland - female n Group 2: Scotland - male Germany - male Mid Finland - female n Group 3: Scotland - male Northern Finland - female Mid Finland - female

TELSIpro - the system

TELSIpro - online evaluation

Evaluation n Three levels n Level 1: Technology n Level 2: Pedagogy n Level 3: Learning Culture n Tools n System statistics n Questionnaires n Emoticons n Interviews

Questionnaire - TELSIpro

Collaboration n Technological issues: n Chat button failed to work n Use of group ing and individual mailing confusing n Polite behaviour n Behaviour governed by rules of social engagement n Determined culturally and applied generally n Failure to recognise interpersonal differences n Significance of trivia n Legitimising irrelevant exchanges vs. task and time online

Conclusion n Social constructivist approach - challenging n Much to be learned about processes and dynamics of collaboration n Visibility of collaborative relationships online n Online collaboration may reflect its face-to-face counterpart - but in slow motion n Process benefits from being guided

Where Next? n Bringing in members of the community n Local nets and learning communities n Lone parents and seniors in Stockholm and Glasgow n Future extensions n Learning communities, local communities and social capital

Contact n Duncan Timms n Philip Crompton n Sara Ferlander n Liz Timms n SCHEMA