Call for papers: Virtual Learning and Knowledge Sharing

http://www.inderscience.com/browse/callpaper.php?callID=559

Call for papers: Virtual Learning and Knowledge Sharing

A special issue of the International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations (IJNVO)

Important Dates

Three-page extended abstract by : 15 February 2007

Notification of full paper submission sent to the lead author by : 15 March 2007

Manuscripts must be sent no later than : 1 June 2007

Guest Editors:
Judith Molka-Danielsen, Molde University College, Norway
Rajeev K Bali, Coventry University, UK
Nilmini Wickramasinghe, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA

Virtual learning is an emerging strategy for many universities and learning organisations. Universities receive pressure from competitive business environments to ensure their graduates have the right skills to prepare them for work in the modern workplace. Depending on the students background, many skills can be difficult to acquire through traditional classroom experiences. Recent research suggests that the mind learns through storing actual experiences and constructing patterns and connections among them. As such, virtual technologies and environments can externalise some of the functions of the mind, and through their use, allow educators to study and produce learning. Further, virtual learning environments can support learning in social contexts as they can support social networks and transfer of knowledge.

Knowledge sharing in organisations and communities has become a critical factor to group success. In particular, among the “right skills” demanded of workers are social and interactive skills. These are based on the ever-increasing challenges on individual cognitive skills and the fact that the work often necessitates team based collaborations to achieve goals. Conditions on workers can be additive as they are faced with increasing time pressure to acquire new skills and to learn about new technologies. Yet another confounding factor may be that knowledge sharing must be implemented among members who are mobile or geographically dispersed.

Given these complex factors, modern organisations are challenged with the task of tracking how knowledge is created, who knows what, and how to capture personal tacit knowledge of the individual and to transfer it more effectively to their communities or organisations.

Virtual learning and knowledge sharing are in essence a related strategy. Virtual learning will open new opportunities for knowledge creation and sharing. Through information technologies, virtual learning can be integrated into organisational and community learning strategies. Given the growing virtual and dispersed nature of our work, we dedicate this special issue of IJNVO to virtual learning and knowledge sharing.

Suitable topics include but are not limited to :

* Virtual learning technologies applied in business and communities of practice;
* New teaching methodologies including the use of virtual learning in education and academic development;
* Knowledge sharing strategies and organisational structures supported through IT for network building;
* Case studies of learning organisations methods and technologies in use;
* Case studies of cross sector knowledge sharing;
* Scaffolding learning through virtual environments;
* Assessment of virtual learning in education, business and communities of practice;
* Personalised strategies for knowledge tracking and transfer in organisations.

For more information, please see the Journal Call for Papers website.