Social Computing Solutions for Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Building Activities in Extended Organization

摘要

The research presented aims to support Learning and Knowledge Building (LKB) activities of adult learners that act under specific contexts within Extended Organizations. Under Extended Organization is understood a community that emerges as a temporal integration of two or more different business, educational communities and organizational cultures (industrial, research and educational) and leverages ICT technologies to support LKB activities. The objective of the research is to explore supportive social computing based technologies for (cross-)organizational collaborative LKB activities. The technological developments are embedded in a pedagogical framework that puts a special focus on the harmonization of individual and organizational objectives. The proposed extended organizational concept and SW services developed to support such concept were investigated within two different cross-organizations: one including a large industrial company and a research institute and a university and the second one including a small industrial company and a department of a university. The results of testing and evaluation are presented and key lessons learned are discussed.