In justice we trust: Exploring knowledge-sharing continuance intentions in virtual communities of practice

Knowledge has become the key to success in the global knowledge economy, not only for organizations, but also in virtual communities of practice (VCoPs). The major challenge in sustaining a VCoP is acquiring knowledge spontaneously from members. This challenge leads to our research question: what encourages VCoP members to voluntarily and continuously help one another through continuous knowledge-sharing? In this study, we integrate three research streams—justice, trust, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB)—into one model in order to analyze the antecedents of knowledge-sharing continuance intentions in VCoPs. Our model theorizes that the four dimensions of justice (i.e., distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice) affect two different referents of trust (i.e., trust in members and trust in management). We further link these trust constructs to altruism (i.e., OCB directed to the individual) or conscientiousness (i.e., OCB directed to the organization), which in turn effect the knowledge-sharing continuance intentions in VCoPs. This hypothetical model is empirically validated using data collected from 142 members of an IT-oriented VCoP in Taiwan. Our integrated model has been helpful in VCoP research as it broadens our theoretical understanding of knowledge-sharing continuance intentions.     

Communities of practice in a large distributed agile software development organization – Case Ericsson

ContextCommunities of practice—groups of experts who share a common interest or topic and collectively want to deepen their knowledge—can be an important part of a successful lean and agile adoption in particular in large organizations.ObjectiveIn this paper, we present a study on how a large organization within Ericsson with 400 persons in 40 Scrum teams at three sites adopted the use of Communities of Practice (CoP) as part of their transformation from a traditional plan-driven organization to lean and agile.MethodsWe collected data by 52 semi-structured interviews on two sites, and longitudinal non-participant observation of the transformation during over 20 site visits over a period of two years.ResultsThe organization had over 20 CoPs, gathering weekly, bi-weekly or on a need basis. CoPs had several purposes including knowledge sharing and learning, coordination, technical work, and organizational development. Examples of CoPs include Feature Coordination CoPs to coordinate between teams working on the same feature, a Coaching CoP to discuss agile implementation challenges and successes and to help lead the organizational continuous improvement, an end-to-end CoP to remove bottlenecks from the flow, and Developers CoPs to share good development practices. Success factors of well-functioning CoPs include having a good topic, passionate leader, proper agenda, decision making authority, open community, supporting tools, suitable rhythm, and cross-site participation when needed. Organizational support include creating a supportive atmosphere and providing a suitable infrastructure for CoPs.ConclusionsIn the case organization, CoPs were initially used to support the agile transformation, and as part of the distributed Scrum implementation. As the transformation progressed, the CoPs also took on the role of supporting continuous organizational improvements. CoPs became a central mechanism behind the success of the large-scale agile implementation in the case organization that helped mitigate some of the most pressing problems of the agile transformation.     

ORGANIZATIONAL BENEFITS OF COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: A TWO-STAGE INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL

The concept of Communities of Practice (CoPs) has been recognized as a means to foster knowledge sharing and learning in organizations. In this article, we first address the challenge of measuring the value of CoPs. Second, we develop and test a two-stage information processing model including information generation through CoP participation and information processing into the organization. An enhanced network position of CoP-members in relation to the primary organization is identified as a critical means to facilitate information processing. We analyze data from 222 community members from different communities of a multinational company, using partial least square structural equations modeling.     

Extracting multilayered Communities of Interest from semantic user profiles: Application to group modeling and hybrid recommendations

A Community of Interest is a specific type of Community of Practice. It is formed by a group of individuals who share a common interest or passion. These people exchange ideas and thoughts about the given passion. However, they are often not aware of their membership to the community, and they may know or care little about each other outside of this clique. This paper describes a proposal to automatically identify Communities of Interest from the tastes and preferences expressed by users in personal ontology-based profiles. The proposed strategy clusters those semantic profile components shared by the users, and according to the clusters found, several layers of interest networks are built. The social relations of these networks might then be used for different purposes. Specifically, we outline here how they can be used to model group profiles and make semantic content-based collaborative recommendations.     

The right view from the wrong location: depth perception in stereoscopic multi-user virtual environments

Stereoscopic depth cues improve depth perception and increase immersion within virtual environments (VEs). However, improper display of these cues can distort perceived distances and directions. Consider a multi-user VE, where all users view identical stereoscopic images regardless of physical location. In this scenario, cues are typically customized for one "leader" equipped with a head-tracking device. This user stands at the center of projection (CoP) and all other users ("followers") view the scene from other locations and receive improper depth cues. This paper examines perceived depth distortion when viewing stereoscopic VEs from follower perspectives and the impact of these distortions on collaborative spatial judgments. Pairs of participants made collaborative depth judgments of virtual shapes viewed from the CoP or after displacement forward or backward. Forward and backward displacement caused perceived depth compression and expansion, respectively, with greater compression than expansion. Furthermore, distortion was less than predicted by a ray-intersection model of stereo geometry. Collaboration times were significantly longer when participants stood at different locations compared to the same location, and increased with greater perceived depth discrepancy between the two viewing locations. These findings advance our understanding of spatial distortions in multi-user VEs, and suggest a strategy for reducing distortion.     

Networked identities: understanding relationships between strong and weak ties in networked environments

Abstract   In this paper we take up a critique of the concept of Communities of Practice (CoP) voiced by several authors, who suggest that networks may provide a better metaphor to understand social forms of organization and learning. Through a discussion of the notion of networked learning and the critique of CoPs we shall argue that the metaphor or theory of networked learning is itself confronted with some central tensions and challenges that need to be addressed. We then explore these theoretical and analytic challenges to the network metaphor, through an analysis of a Danish social networking site. We argue that understanding meaning making and 'networked identities' may be relevant analytic entry points in navigating the challenges.     

Student perceptions of collaborative learning,social presence and satisfaction in a blended learning environment: Relationships and critical factors

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of the students’ perceived levels of collaborative learning, social presence and overall satisfaction in a blended learning environment. This research studied the relationship of these three variables and identified critical factors related to them. The participants were 48 graduate students who took a blended-format course in health education and worked on a collaborative group project related to the development of a comprehensive HIV-AIDS prevention plan. Data was collected from the Student Perception Questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. The analysis of quantitative data indicated that student perceptions of collaborative learning have statistically positive relationships with perceptions of social presence and satisfaction. This means that students who perceived high levels of collaborative learning tended to be more satisfied with their distance course than those who perceived low levels of collaborative learning. Similarly, students with high perceptions of collaborative learning perceived high levels of social presence as well. Surprisingly, the relationship between social presence and overall satisfaction was positive but not statistically significant. Interview data revealed that (a) course structure, (b) emotional support, and (c) communication medium were critical factors associated with student perceptions of collaborative learning, social presence, and satisfaction. Explanations about findings and implications for instructional design are discussed in the conclusion.     

Collaborative Online Examinations: Impacts on Interaction, Learning, and Student Satisfaction

This paper presents the results of a field experiment on online examinations facilitated by collaboration support systems. In particular, it examines collaborative learning and virtual teams through online examinations as an assessment procedure, compared to traditional examinations. Assessment is increasingly regarded as an important part of the learning process. Applying constructivism and collaborative-learning theories, the collaborative examination process features students' active participation in various phases of the exam process through small group activities online. A 1 times 3 field experiment evaluated the collaborative online exam compared with the traditional in-class exam, and the participatory exam, where students participated in the online exam processes without groups. Data analysis using results from 485 students indicates that collaborative examinations significantly enhance interactions and the sense of an online learning community and result in significantly higher levels of perceived learning     

Characteristics of pedagogical change in integrating digital collaborative learning and their sustainability in a school culture: e-CSAMR framework

Collaborative learning is perceived as an important component of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) integration in schools. The purpose of this study was to examine an initiative of the Ministry of Education that promoted intra-school and inter-school digital collaborative learning projects. The participants were 159 district ICT leaders, who designed 37 digital collaborative projects containing 73 learning activities to promote inter-school student interactions. The study was conducted within the qualitative research paradigm through analysis of digital collaborative learning activities. Additionally, the participants were required to share their experiences regarding digital collaboration through an open-ended online questionnaire. The thematic analysis revealed all four levels of the SAMR model, rating pedagogical changes during technological integration; the most common were the model's two middle levels: Augmentation and Modification. Moreover, we explored the degree of teamwork (information sharing, cooperation, or collaboration), complexity of collaboration (intra-school vs. inter-school) and sustainability of collaborative learning within the school culture. Most of the activities reflected the cooperation level of teamwork, while in the highest level—collaboration was less common. Surprisingly, complexity of collaboration and its sustainability in school culture were negatively interconnected. Regarding the extent of collaboration, some activities were categorized as “Islands of innovation,” the majority were comprehensive and conducted on the organizational level, while only few involved the wider community-parents or other stakeholders. Based on the bottom-up analysis of pedagogical changes in digital collaboration activities, we suggested a comprehensive e-CSAMR framework. The implications for educational theory and practice are discussed.     

Evaluation of the efficacy of collaborative learning in face-to-face and computer-supported university contexts

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of collaborative learning in face-to-face and online groups. Fifty psychology majors learnt the same professional skill (a community evaluation methodology) in two seminars taught over a two month period by the same teacher online and face-to-face. Participants in both seminars achieved similar growth in level of professional competence, academic self-efficacy, social self-efficacy and self efficacy for problem solving among members. Post-course evaluation of collaborative experience showed no significant differences between online and face-to-face seminar participants in perceived social presence, cooperation and satisfaction with the learning experience. Our results support the claim of advocates of third generation distance education methodologies that computers can be an effective enabler, not only of independent learning, but also of collaborative learning. Furthermore, computer-supported collaborative learning environments are as efficient as collaborative learning in face-to-face seminars in developing social presence and increasing professional competencies and self-efficacy.     

A study of social participation and knowledge sharing in the teachers' online professional community of practice

To facilitate professional development of teachers in the online context, the online community of practice (CoPs) has become an important platform in which individuals with similar interests or common goals get together to share their resources, develop working strategies, solve problems, and improve individual as well as organizational performance. In this study, we have collected self-reported knowledge-sharing behaviors from 321 members of the largest online professional CoP of teachers in Taiwan. The results show that closer connections among online CoP members can lead to greater recognition of and altruism towards others. Moreover, performance expectation and self-efficacy belief play essential roles in knowledge-sharing participation. Thus, the development of social relationships among online teacher members helps them obtain potential resources and reliable support through their social network. Also, teachers' membership in the online professional CoP fosters a prosocial attitude that heightens their willingness to share useful resources and solve other members' problems, both emotionally and instrumentally. Consequently, knowledge-sharing behaviors, in terms of knowledge giving and knowing receiving, are significantly predicted by prosocial commitment and performance expectation respectively. The implications to both research and practice are provided in this paper.     

基于SNS的Web协作学习系统设计

随着Web2.0的快速发展,具有社会特征的SNS软件不断涌现,基于SNS平台的Web协作学习逐渐成为一种新型学习模式。提出了一种基于SNS的Web协作学习模式,并结合国内主流的SNS平台进行二次开发,设计了一个面向SNS的Web协作学习系统,主要实现了个人社区、协作学习社区、文件共享和问答系统等模块。实践证明该系统能够实现高效的Web协作和资源共享,能够帮助学习者更好地交流学习心得和分享学习成果,从而增强学习者的学习兴趣和解决问题的能力。     

Exploring the relationship between presence and enjoyment in a virtual museum

The Augmented Representation of Cultural Objects (ARCO) system, developed as a part of an EU ICT project, provides museum curators with software and interface tools to develop web-based virtual museum exhibitions by integrating augmented reality (AR) and 3D computer graphics. ARCO technologies could also be deployed in order to implement educational kiosks placed in real-world museums. The main purpose of the system is to offer an entertaining, informative and enjoyable experience to virtual museum visitors. This paper presents a formal usability study that has been undertaken in order to explore participants’ perceived ‘sense of being there’ and enjoyment while exposed to a virtual museum exhibition in relation to real-world visits. The virtual museum implemented was based on an existing gallery in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. It is of interest to determine whether a high level of presence results in enhanced enjoyment. After exposure to the system, participants completed standardized presence questionnaires related to the perceived realism of cultural artifacts referred to as AR objects’ presence, as well as to participants’ generic perceived presence in the virtual museum referred to as VR presence. The studies conducted indicate that previous experience with ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) did not correlate with perceived AR objects’ presence or VR presence while exposed to a virtual heritage environment. Enjoyment and both AR objects’ presence and VR presence were found to be positively correlated. Therefore, a high level of perceived presence could be closely associated with satisfaction and gratification which contribute towards an appealing experience while interacting with a museum simulation system.     

Collaborative learning and mobile devices: An educational experience in Primary Education

In this paper we review the relevance of the models of Collaborative Learning (CL) in Primary Education, also exploring the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in these processes. Through the case study method, the main objective of this article is to describe the design, implementation and evaluation of a collaborative experience with ICT involving students in the 5th year of Primary Education in a Spanish school. Information has been collected from all those involved: teachers, tutors, teacher ICT support and students from two classes participating in the investigation. The results confirm the fact that ICT provide tools and channels that have multiplied the possibilities to carry out collaborative projects, providing quality assurance to share and communicate. The experience presented provides evidence to confirm this, and at the same time, confronts the dominant methodology based more on individual learning where the teacher continues to exercise the role of sole transmitter of knowledge.     

Collaborative learning in multi-user virtual environments

Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have captured the attention and interest of educators as remote collaborative learning environments due to their immersion, interaction and communication capabilities. However, productive learning interactions cannot be considered a given and careful consideration of the design of learning activities and organizational support must be provided to foster collaboration. In this paper, a model to support collaborative learning in MUVEs is presented. This model enables the scaffolding of learning workflows and organizes collaborative learning activities by regulating interactions. Software architecture is developed to support the model, and to deploy and enact collaborative learning modules. A user-centered design has been followed to identify successful strategies for modeling collaborative learning activities in a case study. The results show how interactions with elements of 3D virtual worlds can enforce collaboration in MUVEs.     

Understanding and analysing activity and learning in virtual communities

Abstract  The purpose of this study is to provide a preliminary framework to observe, analyse and evaluate both activity and learning in virtual communities. So various types of virtual communities will be studied by examining their relationship to socialisation and learning. After a presentation of the main ideas of Wenger's social learning theory, the principal components of the social context of the emergence and evolution of virtual communities will be described. It will show how taking this context into account enables the definition of four principal types of virtual communities: community of interest, goal-oriented community of interest, learners' community and community of practice and describe how the activity of these communities develops according to the goals they set for themselves and to the strategies they adopt to reach them. For each type of virtual community, an attempt will be made to determine the process of negotiation of meaning at the base of learning, and to describe the learning performed in terms of participation and reification processes.     

An empirical knowledge management framework for professional virtual community in knowledge-intensive service industries

With continued growth of the service-oriented knowledge economy, knowledge-intensive service industries (KISI) have become a trend nowadays for industrial development. Enterprise activities in knowledge-intensive service industries are highly creative. When performing and achieving each activity, the domain professional knowledge and experiences, which involve various ideas, such as service innovation or service value-added, are employed.Therefore, effective knowledge management must be achieved to rapidly accumulate knowledge assets of enterprise and increase the efficiency of knowledge-intensive service industries.A professional virtual community is an interactive platform that allows enterprise experts to create and share empirical knowledge in knowledge-intensive service industries. A high volume of useless information and empirical knowledge is typically generated during expert discussions. Therefore, managing and sharing useful contents of knowledge discussion have become important issues for empirical knowledge management in a professional virtual community.This work presents a systematic approach to develop a framework for managing empirical knowledge to support a professional virtual community in knowledge-intensive service industries. The approach presented in this study comprises three phases: (i) proposing an empirical knowledge management model for a professional virtual community, (ii) designing an empirical knowledge management system framework for a professional virtual community, and (iii) implementing an empirical knowledge management system prototype for a professional virtual community.Study results facilitate efforts within the professional virtual community to extract, verify, store, and share empirical knowledge to assist knowledge-intensive service industries in enhancing service innovation abilities and creating the best services for customers.     

Collaborative Processes and Knowledge Creation in Communities‐of‐Practice

This paper challenges the view of employees’ reluctance to share what they know, thus, attributing the ‘stickiness’ of knowledge to motivational factors. The study investigated informal mechanisms for knowledge sharing, taking a community‐of‐practice (CoP) perspective as a point of departure. A large‐sized organisation in the utilities sector provided the context of the research. Existing CoP theory is advanced by surfacing the motivations for participation in CoPs, by eliciting the contributions informal, self‐organising communities achieve in a commercial context and by documenting the process by which informal community activities become absorbed into the formal organisation.     

THE GRID-E-CARD: ARCHITECTURE TO SHARE COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE ON THE GRID

Using the Grid for electronic learning can be considered a major innovation that increases the potential of the Internet for collaborative learning and transforms it into a gigantic high speed network of knowledge and services. Furthermore, with the refinement of peer-to-peer communication, the emerging network models will allow thousands of learners to access these solutions, regardless of their different computer systems. These solutions can be compared to storage devices that share learning resources according to the user' s needs. With the substantial increase of information nodes and the multiplicity of computers making use of this complex network, cognitive overload or transactional distance inherent to the technology can quickly become an obstacle to the learning process. Therefore, the Grid requires the development of appropriate learning tools and services. This paper presents an approach to reduce cognitive overload and transactional distance for a virtual learning community (VLC) on the Grid. This paper proposes a computer-Grid communication device called “Grid-e-Card.” Its goal is to bring users together according to their signature to share collective intelligence in a social context: the knowledge they have acquired, the objectives they wish to meet, or the learning services that correspond to their needs. This methodology is based on a set of P2P-agents who handle users' electronic portfolios (e-Portfolios) as knowledge prosthesis and exploit e-Learning qualification (e-Qualification) processes as aggregation methods to dynamically organize people in relevant virtual learning communities.     

Knowledge construction in an outsider community: Extending the communities of practice concept

We present an empirical analysis of a web forum in which followers of a health-related community exchange information and opinions in order to pass on and develop relevant knowledge. We analyzed how knowledge construction takes place in such a community that represents an outsider position which is not accepted by majority society. For this purpose we applied the Community of Practice (CoP) concept as a guideline for our analysis and found that many well-known activities of CoPs were true of the Urkost community. The social network analysis findings also supported interpreting this community as a CoP. But we found as well that this community had a variety of structural characteristics that the CoP literature deals with insufficiently. We identified the structure of goals, roles, and communication as relevant features that are typical of this outsider CoP. For example, the attitude of the core members towards people of a ‘different faith’ was characterized by strong hostility and rejection. These features provided an effective basis for the development and maintenance of a shared identity in the community. Our findings are discussed against the background of the necessity for further development of the CoP concept.