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 Company web Virtual work room

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 elements Communicate & coördinate Co-work tools & objects Just-in-time learning & coaching Corporate knowl. identity / rules Competence analysis, monitoring & assessment

Learning aspects Communicate & coördinate Co-work tools & objects Collaborative learning Corporate knowl. identity / rules Knowledge based learning Just-in-time learning & coaching Assessment driven learning Competence analysis, monitoring & assessment

“Tour” around a Virtual Company 1997: Gipphouse (KUN) 1998: Virtual Environmental Consultancy Agency (OUNL, UM, Fontys, UT) in Studienet and e. Room 1999: Centrumveld (Pink) in Lotus environment 2001: OTO (OUNL) in Studienet (intra en extranet) and e. Room 2002: IT 4 Society (Rotterdam) in N@tschool 2003: Via. Fina (Holding HO niveau) in web + groupware 2003: BASICVB (Fontys) in N@tschool and web 2004: VC “Accountancy” (Hv. U) in Quickplace and web

Organizational structure VMAB (intra en extranet) customers orders coaching student teams results company knowledge input 'new' transfer 'old' academic institutions

People students: Maastricht OUNL Twente Fontys customers Den Haag VMAB, OTO Germany Belgium

Products of a Virtual Company Knowledge ( based) engineering Making advisory rapports financial (VBA), economic (Via. Fina), Law environmental (VMAB), physics (BASIC) ICT (OTO, IT 4 S, Centrumveld)

Key processes knowledge manager function / role intake learn-work agreement project leader tasks analyse pollution data competence aims reporting research

Virtual Company: working processes (project) VMAB 3 a Activities Acties project actvitities eerste fase Project plan Resuts verbeter-acties related to team performance Finalresults feedback+evaluation Review aimed at specification Needs of customer improvement 7 Lessons learned

VC processes (personal development) 3 a Acties Activities VMAB eerste fase 2 PDP Results Follow-up actions related to role performance Finalresults feedback+evaluatie Reflection specification Learning needs aimed at improvement Reflection

Needs Project plan of customer Activities PDP Results Reflection Learningneeds improvement Review improvement

VC processes (company performance) Needs of stakeholders Audit future Feedback Evaluation Specification Business plan Results (company performance) improvement Activities Roles / duties

Thank you Darco Jansen