Web-based Learning Solutions for Communities of Practice

A Process-Oriented and Technology-Based Model of Virtual Communities of Practices
An Integrated Process and
Technology Oriented Description
of the “Virtual eBMS” Community
Following the “Virtual eBMS” community requirements,
we designed and developed the technological
system, the “Virtual eBMS” system, as
an integrated and completely web-based platform
providing Web Learning and Knowledge Management
(KM) services and developed ad-hoc to
support the “Virtual eBMS” learning community,
both from the organizational and the technological
point of view. The system allows the definition
of a dynamic Virtual Learning Environment in
which to build rich and effective learning experiences
(Romano et al., 2001) for all the members
of the community, supporting the constructivist
approach to learning.
The system has been designed and developed at
eBMS in partnership with IBM Italy eKnowledge
Factory, under a two years project founded by
the Italian Ministry of University and Research.
In 2006 the project got the “2006 Brandon Hall
Excellence in Learning Award”, since it was
recognized as one of the three worldwide best
projects in learning technology. Such complex
system was created by integrating different market
products and some components developed ad
hoc: at the base of the KM and the Web Learning
system integration process there is the use of open
source technology.
From the technological point of view, the
Knowledge Management component of the
platform is made up of the following systems:
a cross-functional component providing a set of
user management and personalisation services,
a document management system, a workflow
management system, a web content management
system, a project management system, a set of
community services (chat, mail, forum, agenda,
bookmark, questionnaire, blackboard, newsletter,
e-Library), a recommendation system (that suggests
to the final user, according to his/her profile,
both documents, experts and other members of
the community with the same interests), a search
engine (for basic search, taxonomy navigation,
graphical search and advanced search), and a
Web Mining System. The Web Learning component
of “Virtual eBMS” system is composed
by a Learning Management System (LMS), a
Learning Content Management System (LCMS),
a Content Delivery System (CDS), a set of audio/
video collaboration tools and by an “ad hoc” developed
layer that implements the Problem Based
Learning approach.
More in details, the Web Learning component
is used for the development and the delivery of
curricula related to Technology Management,
Business Management and Internet Business
Management domains, for Master and PhD Students
as well as for Enterprises Executives and
Managers. Indeed, from the final users perspective,
in addition to the traditional and structured
offering of learning content, the Web Learning
component of the “Virtual eBMS” allows learners
both to freely access to a structured knowledge
base and therefore to self-organize their learning
patterns, and to follow recommended learning
paths suggested by the system according to their
interests or competences.
The taxonomy-based organization of the
learning materials, on the base of a dynamic and
extensible “ad-hoc” competence taxonomy, allows
the learners to quickly search and get small pieces
of self-consistent learning objects. Such learning
objects can be easily organized into customized
learning patterns and delivered on demand to the
user, according to her/his profile and knowledge
needs, giving flexible access to the learning materials
(Damiani et al., 2002).
In the following table (Table 3) an integrated
process and technology oriented view of the
Virtual eBMS systems is offered. For each
community process and actions (Knowledge
organisation, knowledge creation, knowledge
apply and knowledge sharing) are given the correspondent
main functionalities of the “Virtual
eBMS” system, grouped in content management
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