Collaborative learning in a virtual company Darco Jansen

Collaborative learning

in a virtual company

Darco Jansen

Professional Training

Becoming a psychologist (regular university)

first year at the university:everything but psychology!

4 years study period 6 month practical work:

the real thing!

When did learning and growth of expertise have its peaks?

Learning and working

“you learn while you perform”

“work should feel like learning and learning should feel like working”

Changes in pedagogical concepts

Open University of the Netherlands

experimenting towards constructivist, “competency-based” learning

• learning while doing: authenticity• no learning without error: quality control• just-in-time resources:

coaching and knowledge-management

Characteristics Virtual Company

Students have roles as starting professionals they work in (distributed) project teams for real customers perform duties / are responsible for

development of the virtual company assesment according to professional

practice and its performance standards a supporting infrastructure of ICT, allowing

distributed teamwork

Visiting a Virtual Company

Tour around the company (VC has no buildings!) Organizational structure People Products Working- (and learning-) processes Annual report Audits

Electronic working and

learning environment

Gate

Virtual work roomCompany web

Virtual work room

Dynamic project databases concept documents for knowledge base project archives short term communication: newsletter,

announcements mailboxes discussion individual portfolio ………..

Company web

Static – formal company rules resources for training intake forms assessment forms information on personnel assessment results …………..

Typical key elementsCommunicate &

coördinate

Corporate knowl.identity / rules

Just-in-time learning& coaching

Competenceanalysis,

monitoring &assessment

Co-work tools& objects

Communicate &coördinate

Co-work tools& objects

Corporate knowl.identity / rules

Just-in-time learning& coaching

Competenceanalysis,

monitoring &assessment

Learning aspects

Collaborativelearning

Assessment driven learning

Knowledge based learning

“Tour” around a Virtual Company

1997: Gipphouse (KUN)1998: Virtual Environmental Consultancy Agency

(OUNL, UM, Fontys, UT) in Studienet and eRoom1999: Centrumveld (Pink) in Lotus environment2001: OTO (OUNL) in Studienet (intra- en extranet)

and eRoom2002: IT4Society (Rotterdam) in N@tschool

2003: ViaFina (Holding HO-niveau) in web + groupware2003: BASICVB (Fontys) in N@tschool and web2004: VC “Accountancy” (HvU) in Quickplace and web

Organizational structure

student teams

academic institutions

coachin

g

'new'

company knowledge

transfer 'old'

orders

customers

results

input

VMAB(intra- en extranet)

Belgium

Germany

Den Haag

Fontys

Twente

OUNL

Maastricht

students:

customers

People

VMAB, OTO

Products of a Virtual Company

Knowledge (-based) engineering

Making advisory rapports financial (VBA), economic (ViaFina), Law environmental (VMAB), physics (BASIC) ICT (OTO, IT4S, Centrumveld)

intake learn-workagreement

Key processes

function / role

tasks

competence aims

project leader

knowledge manager

analyse pollution data

reporting

research

Virtual Company: working processes (project)

Needs of customer

3aActies

eerste fase

Resutsrelated to team

performance

feedback+evaluation

Final-results

7Lessonslearned

Reviewaimed at

improvement

Project plan

specification

verbeter-acties

Activities project actvitities

VMAB

VC-processes (personal development)

Learning needs

3a Acties

eerste fase

Resultsrelated to role performance

Final-results

Reflection

feedback+evaluatie

Reflection aimed at

improvement

2 PDP

specification

Follow-up actions

Activities

VMAB

Learningneeds

PDP

Needs of customer

Projectplan

Activities

Results

Reflectionimprovement

Reviewimprovement

VC-processes (company-performance)

Needs

Results (company performance)

Activities

Business plan

Feedback

Specification

of stakeholders

Roles / duties

Auditfuture

Evaluation

improvement

Analysing (setting goals) Designing and Developing

ImplementingEvaluating

1998

2000

2002

2003

better understandingbetter insight

new perceptions

plan

ning

adju

st p

lann

ing

adju

st p

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Darco Jansen

Thank you