Web-based Learning Solutions for Communities of Practice

A Process-Oriented and Technology-Based Model of Virtual Communities of Practices
• Is it possible to define an integrated Web
Learning and KM platform enhancing learning
opportunities both in daily researcher’s
work practices and in student’s learning
experience?
For answering to these questions, we propose
an integrative conceptualization of VCoPs
model, supported by the organizational learning
processes, as an innovative way to apply KM to
Higher Education. The model named “Virtual
eBMS” is the result of an empirical study of a
Higher Education community, the e-Business
Management Section (eBMS) of Scuola Superiore
ISUFI – University of Salento (Italy).
The eBMS is a cross-disciplinary Business
School for international young talents, aimed at
creating human capital and knowledge assets,
by integrating advanced education, research and
technology transfer focusing on digital innovation
and business transformation. Currently, the
eBMS leads a capacity building program to bridge
the “Digital Divide” in Southern Mediterranean
Countries and it’s strongly involved into joint
research and education programs with top level,
national and international, academic and industrial
organizations. Through the advanced education
programs, the School aims to create business leaders
capable to identify and exploit the distinctive
potential of the new Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) for reconfiguring
traditional business contexts, which we refer as
the ICT-driven Business Innovation Leadership
(Romano et al., 2001), the eBMS brand consolidated
over those seven years of experiences. Some
Education activities (Executive programs and the
International Master in e-Business Management)
are organized in mobility between Italy and the
Southern Mediterranean Countries and are devoted
to people graduated in Business, Engineering
or computer science coming form Italy, Morocco,
Tunisia, Jordan and other Southern Mediterranean
Countries. The close relationship between Italy
and other countries has been recognized as the
critical success factors in order to assure students
a deep understanding of the business reality of
their origin countries and for developing a CoPs
interacting on virtual basis.
Research Method
For the study, we applied a participative observation
(Yin, 1994), because we observed the community,
while taking part in it, from November
1999 till September 2006. According to the
methodology chosen, researchers actively participated
in the eBMS meetings of the group of
facilitators that initiated the community research,
in the activities and learning processes.
In the first phase of the research the focus of
our data collection was on the expectations of
the members for developing a community model,
and in a later phase on aspects that were learned
from belonging to the community, as well as on
the value created by the community. Individuals
who were either involved or familiar with the
initiative were identified and interviewed using
a semi-structured questionnaire. The rationale
for conducting these types of interviews was to
draw rich, contextual details which could not have
been elicited via closed ended survey instruments.
These interviewees included management staff,
core groups members, who represented the leadership
of the community, community members and
teaching staff who where not directly part of the
community but were the intended recipients of
outputs generated by the community. In particular,
8 researchers, 5 executive staff, 30 students, eBMS
Director and 6 Laboratory’s Coordinators and 10
teaching staff were involved. The involvement of
such a wide variety of stakeholders allowed data to
be obtained from multiple levels and perspectives.
In addition, archival data, memos, e-mail, concept
papers and web site was collected to triangulate
the responses given by the interviewees.
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