Presentation at the PROLEARN/EATEL Summer School at Ohrid, June 16, 2008

1. Andreas Schmidt & Pablo Franzolini
Knowledge Maturing –
a different perspective
on learning
http://mature-ip.eu
andreas.schmidt@fzi.de EATEL Summer School 2008
http://andreas.schmidt.name Ohrid
June 2008

2. Outline
 Widening your perspective on learning
 Characterizing knowledge maturing
 What can we do with it?
• Analyzing and overcoming disruptions
• Introducing a dynamic perspective
 Conclusions
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 2

3. Widening your perspective
on learning
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 3

4. The other 80%
 Formal learning contexts
• Universities, schools
• Formal trainings and certification in companies
 ... and the other 80%
Cross 2003
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 4

5. Structuring the Learning Landscape
Document Learning Courses/
Communication Collaboration
collections Objects Curricula
Emergence Distribution Ad-Hoc-
Formali- Standardi-
of ideas in Training
zation zation
Communities
shared reports
new ideas vocabulary best practices standard text book
case studies
communities lessons Learnt
Schmidt, A. (2005): Knowledge Maturing and the Continuity of Context
as a Unifying Concept for E-Learning & Knowledge Management, I-KNOW 2005
5

6. Emergence of ideas
 Main Goal
• Develop new ideas and exploit your creativity
 Forms of Learning
• Brainstorming, creativity techniques
 Hot topics
• Personal knowledge management
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7. Distribution in Communities
 Main Goal
• Exchange experiences with others and
develop new ideas collaboratively
• Develop a shared understanding
 Forms of Learning
• Cooperative learning
• Collaborative working
 Hot topics
• Finding experts/communities
• Social networks, awareness
• Design of/intervention into collaboration processeses
• Integration into working processes
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 7

8. Formalization
 Main Goal
• Existing documents as helpers for problem
solving and passsing on of experiential
knowledge
 Forms of Learning
• Information seeking
• „Reading documents“
 Hot topics
• Locating documents
• Creation of documents as an active learning process
• Integrate pedagogical into documents for everyday use
8

9. Ad-Hoc Training/Deployment
 Main Goal
• Teach advanced learners/practitioners in
focused areas about updated/more
specialized topics
 Forms of Learning
• Short trainigs, learnign objects, tutorials
 Hot topics
• Embedding into the context of the learner
• Detecting learning needs and generate recommendations
• rapid authoring
9

10. Standardization
 Main Goal
 Teach novices a larger field
 Forms of learning
 Lecture, training
 Text book, e-learning course
 Aspects
 Course design, adaptivity
 Assessment, certification, competencies
10

11. Document Learning Courses/
Communication Collaboration collections Objects Curricula
Emergence Distribution in Formali- Ad-Hoc- Standardi-
of ideas Communities zation Training zation
shared reports
vocabulary best practices standard
new ideas text book
Case studies
communities Lessons Learnt
Informal Learning Formal learning
Expert in the knowledge area Novice

12. Knowledge Maturing Process
HR Development
Knowledge management
E-Learning
Document Learning Courses/
Communication Collaboration
collections Objects Curricula
Emergence Distribution Ad-Hoc-
Formali- Standardi-
of ideas in Training
zation zation
Communities
shared reports
new ideas vocabulary Best Practices standard text book
Case stude
communities Lessons Learnt
Schmidt, A. (2005): Knowledge Maturing and the Continuity of Context
as a Unifying Concept for E-Learning & Knowledge Management, I-KNOW 2005
12

13. Chacterizing
knowledge
maturing
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 13

14. Levels of knowledge maturing
 Knowledge level
• Maturity is the property of internal constructs
• Increase in maturity is the result of learning
 Artefact level
• Knowledge maturity becomes observable in artefacts that are
exchanged within collaborative learning processes
 Individual vs. Collective
• Knowledge maturity is primarily individual
• Collective dimension is an abstraction/aggregation like the
notion of „collective knowledge“ as such
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15. Criteria
 Teachability
 Implicit contextualization -> explicit linkage
 Hardness
 Legitimation & Commitment by the organization
• From individual, via community, to organization scope
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16. ... and maturing is complicated
 NOT a strictly linear as the picture might suggest
 And there is not a single maturing process, but myriad
of them
 Complex phenomena
• Combination of different strands of development
• Branching and forking
• Modifications/improvements to „mature“ knowledge start at
lower levels of maturity and are then combined
• Complex interactions between parallel strands
• ...
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17. What can we
do with it?
Analyzing &
Overcoming
Disruptions
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18. Analyzing Disruptions in the Process
common formal ad hoc incorporation entering into
new ideas terminology structure into training common curricula
Emergence Distribution in Formali- Ad-Hoc- Standardi-
of ideas Communities zation Training zation
Information artefacts communication text books
artefacts project reports learning objects courses
personal notes patents certificates
FAQ entries case studies redesign of the
forum contributions lessons learnt best practices organisation
University of Innsbruck & FZI Research for Information Technologies 18

19. Formalization vs. Ad-hoc Training
 Classical barrier between E-Learning and KM
 Technical Level
• document management systems (formalization)
• learning management systems (ad hoc training)
 Organizational Level
• operating departments (formalization)
• HR development or training department (ad hoc)
 Differences with respect to criteria
• legitimation: project teams/manager vs. training experts
• forms of learning: self-directed „information seeking“ vs.
ad hoc training
 Solutions: e.g. SAP Knowledge Ramp Up Knowledge
Transfer
University of Innsbruck & FZI Research for Information Technologies 19

20. Distribution in Communities vs.
Formalization
 main issues are here human and social issues
• detachment from the originator
• from social incentives (reputation, social esteem) to
organizational
 In terms of legitimations:
• requires a transition from personal/informal communities to
formal organizational legitimation
 Possible solutions:
• increased visibility of the individual and her impact
• weblogs (with trackbacks)
• wikis
o visible contributions of the individual
o easy transition by adding legitimation (tagging it with a category)
University of Innsbruck & FZI Research for Information Technologies 20

21. Introducing
a dynamic
perspective MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 21

22. Overcoming top-down approaches
 Many approaches are based on a top-down philosophy
• Teaching at universities
• Installing a Learning Management System
• Implementing a human resource development strategy
 But this has often led to
• Lack of motivation on the user side
• Slow and cumbersome processes
• Unused potential of learner/employee creativity
 The „maturing perspective“ enables bottom-up
participation
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23. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
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24. Knowledge Maturing Process Model (2)
process
maturing
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25. Example: Competence Maturing
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26. Design processes as learning processes
 Design processes have to be understood as learning
processes
• Interwoven modelling & application processes
(often work-integrated)
• Deepening the understanding along the modeling process
• Increasing level of formalization
• Should be subject to continuous improvement processes
 Specializations
• task-embedded ontology engineering („ontology maturing“)
• distributed software engineering in complex domains
• reusability of software components
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27. Conclusions
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28. Conclusions
 The Knowledge Maturing Process is a macroscopical
description of interconnected individual learning
processes.
• a model for structuring real-world phenomena and analyzing
problems
• not explaining how learning takes places on a micro level, but
rather stating that it takes place differently depending on the
level of maturity.
 MATURE IP
• Empirical foundations for knowledge maturing
• Knowledge maturing and distributed cognition theories
• Moving beyond an analytical framework
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29. http://mature-ip.eu
Contact:
Scientific Coordinator
Andreas Schmidt
andreas.schmidt@fzi.de
http://andreas.schmidt.name
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks