Personal profiling to stimulate participation in Learning Networks Francis Brouns, Open Universiteit NederlandePortfolio, 19 October, 2007, Maastricht

Overview

• Learning Networks

• Ad hoc transient communities

• Peer support incentives to promote participation and contribution

Background

• Open Universiteit Nederland– Distance education– Lifelong learning

• Educational Technology Expertise Centre– Research Educational Technology– Learning Networks for Lifelong Learning

Team

• Learning Networks, Rob Koper

• Peter van Rosmalen, Liesbeth Kester, Peter Sloep, Francis Brouns, Marlies Bitter, Adriana Berlanga, Kees Pannekeet, Marcel de Croock, Fred de Vries, Sibren Fetter

Lifelong learning

• Learning Networks

• Ad hoc transient community

Learning Network

• Collection of people and resources

• Shared goal of learning in particular domain

• Supported by technology and ICT

Ad hoc transient community

• Ad hoc: solve a particular, delimited problem

• Transient: disappears once solved

• Community: group of people supported by ICT

Essence of the approach

¿ this way ¿

? this way ?

What makes a community tick?

• Social space

• People’s characteristics

• Community characteristics

Personal context and trust

ThesisForum

• Online thesis forum • Graduate social, art and law students• Define their topic - research outline• Barrier for peer interaction, sharing initial

thesis plans was not knowing each other well enough.

• Peer students asked for personal context information to get to know each other aside of functional triggers.

Personal EXPertise Inventory

• Format for integrated personal and functional introduction of the person, his expertises and expectations as well as his preferences

• Designed for Virtual Business project • Got used over the years across various projects:

European Virtual Seminar, Academic Informatics Competences project, etc

• Is used outside the project as well for a quick intro to a student’s own profile

PeXpi

• Instrument to show to others:– Who am I– What do I know– What do I want to achieve– What are my interests– My agenda preferences– My communication preferences– How I want to share expertise with you

PeXpi in European Virtual Seminar (EVS)

• Virtual team project based learning on sustainability issues (60-70 students)

• International: 13 countries, 20 institutes• Multidisciplinairy teams (4-6p)• Working together 4 month.Faciltation social interaction via:- Profiling- Dialogue enhancers

Summary

• Lifelong learning in learning networks

• Ad hoc transient community combined with personal profiles

Further information

• TENCompetence: http://www.tencompetence.org

• Learning Networks: http://www.learningnetworks.org

• Francis Brouns, francis.brouns@ou.nl

• Marlies Bitter, marlies.bitter@ou.nl