Despite requirements for constant innovation in Higher Education, the application of knowledge management constitutes a recent research field in this sector while a wide range of e-learning tools - like open source learning management systems (LMS) - constitute a basic part of universities infrastructures at present. As knowledge derived from direct experiences is one of the most important sources for innovations, this paper presents two approaches for experiential knowledge production in the Higher Education teaching-learning processes: (1) the managerial production approach and (2) the open production approach. In accordance with these approaches, the paper also describes how Moodle and Sakai - two of the most widely used open source LMS - support experiential knowledge production and concludes that: (1) these LMS don’t have first class constructs to manage experiential knowledge production related concepts; (2) experiential knowledge related constructs can be represented through existing artifacts included in these LMS but this approach presents many limitations to support explicit connections between these constructs and; (3) LMS can extend current capabilities of tags or similar artifacts to represent high level meaning structures that link content from different LMS tools.

1. Linking e-learning tools with
experiential knowledge production in
Higher Education teaching-learning processes:
The case of open source LMS
MSc. Didiosky Benítez-Erice Prof. Dr. Frederik Questier
Prof. Dr. Dalgys Luján-Pérez Prof. Dr. Chang Zhu
Departamento de Tecnología Educativa Department of Educational Sciences
Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas (UCLV) Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Santa Clara, Cuba Brussels, Belgium

2. Are they connected today?
Students’
Experiences
Higher
Education
Open
Innovation
Source LMS

3. Research Questions
1. How students’ experiential knowledge is produced
in Higher Education teaching-learning process?
2. To what extent do open source learning
management systems support such production?

4. Experiential Knowledge
Refer to things perceived from concrete experiences,
things tacitly (or implicitly) learned or acquired after
a period of reflection on experiences (Eraut 1994;
Storkerson 2009).

5. The nature of students´ experiential
knowledge
Apprehension of
Learning Tasks
• Participants
• Situation
In the light of
• Used Practices Comprehension of the
new information
• Process Teaching-Learning Experience
• Practical Use of Concepts
• Self
Types of Teaching-Learning
experiences: Attention to a
₋ Course Teaching-Learning
₋ Area of study Experience
₋ Academic year
₋ Subject
₋ Topic
₋ Lesson (or equivalents)
₋ Task

6. Managerial Approach
Students accumulate Students involve in joint Students build experiential
experiential knowledge activities and knowledge claims in
by doing learning tasks share personal experiences cooperation with others
Teachers justify the value of produced
experiential knowledge claims
based on The Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995)

7. Open Approach
Students use existing
Students involve in
experiences to accomplish * Include problem claim formulation,
problem-solving tasks to close
learning tasks knowledge claim formulation and its
experiential gaps (*)
validation.
Stakeholders eliminate errors in
produced experiential knowledge claims
based on The New Knowledge Management (Firestrone & McElroy, 2003)

8. Moodle (2.2) support for
students´experiential knowledge
Problem and knowledge claims
Sharing personal knowledge Knowledge claims evaluation
formulation
• Chat (message) • Chat (message + chat reports) • Blogs (comments)
• Blogs (entry) • Forum (topic + replies) • Assignments (grade or feedback)
• Wiki (page) • Wiki (page + history) • Wiki (comments)
• Notes (note) • Blogs (entry + comments) • Forum (ratings)
• Assignments (response)
Connecting claims
• Wiki (page links)
• Tags (blog post tags)

9. Sakai (CLE 2.7) support for
students´experiential knowledge
Problem and knowledge claims
Sharing personal knowledge formulation Knowledge claims evaluation
• Blogs (entry + comments)
• Blogs (entry) • Chat Room (message + history) • Blogs (comments)
• Chat Room (message) • Forum (topic + threads + replies) • Forum (grade or comments)
• Mailtool (email) • Portfolios (content + comments) • Portfolios (comments)
• Wiki (page) • Wiki (page + history) • Wiki (comments)
• Messages (message)
• Podcasts (audio or video files)
• Portfolios (content) Connecting claims
• Wiki (page links)

10. Conclusions
1. These LMS (Moodle and Sakai) don’t have a first class construct
to manage experiential knowledge production related concepts.
2. Experiential knowledge related constructs can be represented
through existing artifacts included in these LMS but this
approach presents various limitations to support explicit
connections between these constructs.
3. Wikis provide full support to experiential knowledge production in
these LMS.
4. LMS can extent current capabilities of tags or similar artifacts to
represent high level meaning structures that link content created
with different LMS tools.

11. Merci! Thanks!
This presentation can be found at
http://www.slideshare.net/didioskybe

12. Credit of Pictures
• Santa Clara University
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Image from Horia Varlan
• Image and Logo from Moodle
• Image and Logo from Sakai