ALT-C 2009, Manchester, 08 Sept 2009 the use of next generation technologies to build sustainable communities of practice

a user-centred learning technology R&D support community network http:// reports.jiscemerge.org.uk /

Developing projects in a context where there is awareness of the wider activity in a field and an understanding of the alignments and gaps in that field will lead to better projects being developed. By using community development processes and social networking in the field the general quality of educational (learning) technology development projects may be improved, bringing benefits not just to the JISC but more widely to all agencies and stakeholders. Working hypotheses

Developing projects in a context where there is awareness of the wider activity in a field and an understanding of the alignments and gaps in that field will lead to better projects being developed.

By using community development processes and social networking in the field the general quality of educational (learning) technology development projects may be improved, bringing benefits not just to the JISC but more widely to all agencies and stakeholders.

The Emerge Project used Web2.0 technologies with a user-centred, research-led approach based on Appreciative Inquiry, which was explicitly intended to be productive of positive change. Based on real individuals, not abstractions or learner profiles or models but actual individual people, who kick back, re-interpret, resist, subvert, play and work in many ways, often unexpected It is important to recognise that the community itself is multi-modal, and not conflate “community” with any one mode, e.g. the “platform”

user-centred, Freirian approach to community formation activities authentic to the participants’ cultural context … participants in the proto-projects, projects and the community of practice are themselves a user group working in a user centred environment, modelling the user engagement development cycle and applying asset-based community development processes It is an actor network, not a software platform or an institution

user-centred, Freirian approach to community formation

activities authentic to the participants’ cultural context

… participants in the proto-projects, projects and the community of practice are themselves a user group working in a user centred environment, modelling the user engagement development cycle and applying asset-based community development processes

It is an actor network, not a software platform or an institution

Members join closed community Groups form around shared interests User engagement Aggregation of communication Benefits realisation Synthesis and capacity building Passing on, sustaining

Appreciative Inquiry

Platform pro-active IT Service Management (ITSM) methodology for the design, development and deployment of services using Web2.0 technologies to create online social spaces

pro-active IT Service Management (ITSM) methodology for the design, development and deployment of services using Web2.0 technologies to create online social spaces

Service portfolio

Benefits realisation Benefits Realisation (BR) activities sought to ensure that the outputs and outcomes of the Users and Innovations (U&I) projects went beyond those originally funded and reached the wider community.

Benefits Realisation (BR) activities sought to ensure that the outputs and outcomes of the Users and Innovations (U&I) projects went beyond those originally funded and reached the wider community.

For individuals and projects professional development/capacity building E xtrapolated to the institution/department Stimulated & f acilitated collaboration Improved project planning and management Awareness of the relevance of projects in a wider context An effective support system

For individuals and projects

professional development/capacity building

E xtrapolated to the institution/department

Stimulated & f acilitated collaboration

Improved project planning and management

Awareness of the relevance of projects in a wider context

Visibility, connectivity and discovery? Or … obscurity, isolation and at times wandering lost. The form and patterns of interaction, which develop across a community over time, cannot be predetermined The use of participatory social media is multi-modal The articulation between people and software is not just a question of interface design (though that is crucial) The effective use of Web2.0 depends essentially on human networks. … unevenly distributed

Visibility, connectivity and discovery?

Or … obscurity, isolation and at times wandering lost.

The form and patterns of interaction, which develop across a community over time, cannot be predetermined

The use of participatory social media is multi-modal

The articulation between people and software is not just a question of interface design (though that is crucial)

The effective use of Web2.0 depends essentially on human networks.

Symposium

Shifting centres of control greater individual user autonomy and self-direction reduced institutional control and direction, of learning, of research and of community engagement

greater individual user autonomy and self-direction

reduced institutional control and direction, of learning, of research and of community engagement

R&D outcomes? Abstract, institutional, funding-body, project or developer-centred Rather than learner-centred, concrete, practice-based and personal reports that are filed, models and demonstrators that are rarely adopted, standards, specifications and reference models which may well express best intentions but do not achieve currency

Abstract, institutional, funding-body, project or developer-centred

Rather than learner-centred, concrete, practice-based and personal

reports that are filed, models and demonstrators that are rarely adopted, standards, specifications and reference models which may well express best intentions but do not achieve currency

Educational R&D Outputs or outcomes? Producing artefacts or building capacity? Quantitative or qualitative measures? Easy answers or the deep complexity of institutional change? Through the U&I Programme a real effort has been made to transform practice based on the needs of individual users working in institutions

Outputs or outcomes?

Producing artefacts or building capacity?

Quantitative or qualitative measures?

Easy answers or the deep complexity of institutional change?

Through the U&I Programme a real effort has been made to transform practice based on the needs of individual users working in institutions

Real change starts with underlying models Finance Implementation Systems Profiles Disciplines Sectors Roles Standards Locations Institutions Open?

Sustainable community practice For institutions to what extent are they comfortable with ceding certain amounts of control to individuals? to what extent are they, as established communities, willing to cede control to new communities? For individuals to what extent do they subordinate their autonomy and self-direction to any community? And, then, how much do they subordinate and to which?

For institutions

to what extent are they comfortable with ceding certain amounts of control to individuals?

to what extent are they, as established communities, willing to cede control to new communities?

For individuals

to what extent do they subordinate their autonomy and self-direction to any community?

And, then, how much do they subordinate and to which?

Self-selected (autonomous, self-directed) individuals build networks to meet broader social objectives beyond the ‘daily-me’ ... Networked individuals can move across, undermine, and transgress boundaries of existing institutions. This provides the basis for pro-social networks: neither personal nor institutional. These self-selected, internet enabled, networked individuals often break from existing organisational or institutional networks that are themselves being transformed in Internet space... The ability that the Internet affords individuals to network beyond institutional arenas reinforces communicative power . (Dutton 2008, 5 th Estate, 5-6 my paraphrase ) A Connected Commons Acting in British constitutional history

There is a clear need to support emergent semi-formal and pre-formal networks to reach maturity, while recognising that clusters of individuals, as often as not, will start to cohere and then for any number of reasons abandon the effort. Only a few semi-formal networks will attain the pre-formal stage Few of these will cohere and formally constitute themselves The process of emergence is valuable and at each stage may produce useful outputs.

There is a clear need to support emergent semi-formal and pre-formal networks to reach maturity,

while recognising that clusters of individuals, as often as not, will start to cohere and then for any number of reasons abandon the effort.

Only a few semi-formal networks will attain the pre-formal stage

Few of these will cohere and formally constitute themselves

The process of emergence is valuable and at each stage may produce useful outputs.

Emergent innovation themes Portals personal, public and in-between Frameworks for accreditation aligned with portals Skills Digilit + Knowledge new epistemologies Physical/Digital Permeated space Semantics standards, tax/folksonomies Participation access, openness, progression, colonialism or democratisation

Portals

personal, public and in-between

Frameworks

for accreditation aligned with portals

Skills

Digilit +

Knowledge

new epistemologies

Physical/Digital

Permeated space

Semantics

standards, tax/folksonomies

Participation

access, openness, progression, colonialism or democratisation

Institutional strategy and policy areas Economic recovery and public funding Quality, standards and reputation Research and development governance International responsiveness Social mobility, equality, democracy

Economic recovery and public funding

Quality, standards and reputation

Research and development governance

International responsiveness

Social mobility, equality, democracy

Outcomes Institutions need to provide Efficiency, effectiveness and quality Sustainable technological solutions Enhanced community networks Strategic leadership Access to strategic advice, demonstrators and detailed guidance

Institutions need to provide

Efficiency, effectiveness and quality

Sustainable technological solutions

Enhanced community networks

Strategic leadership

Access to strategic advice, demonstrators and detailed guidance

Conditions for success Bounded openness Enough difference Semi-stability Adaptable model Shared repertoire Structured freedom Multimodal identity Serious fun Multiple Contextualised Relative There had to be affective advantage to affiliation. Of course there were also those who though that if it wasn't hurting, it wasn't working.

Bounded openness

Enough difference

Semi-stability

Adaptable model

Shared repertoire

Structured freedom

Multimodal identity

Serious fun

Multiple

Contextualised

Relative

Thank you Thank you George Roberts Project Director [email_address] http://jiscemerge.org.uk Josie Fraser Steve Warburton Paul Bailey Emma Anderson Marion Samler Rhona Sharpe Joe Rosa Chris Fowler Isobel Falconer Nik Bessis Mitul Shukla Graham Attwell Brian Kelly Glenaffric and all the jiscemerge people, projects, partners, steering groups and teams

Thank you