The purpose of this Project was to develop an Information Brokerage and partnership support network for the national and regional nodes of the Nordic countries within the framework of the Telematics for Flexible and Distance Learning Programme. The brokerage activities within the NORDIC project had as its prime focus three main target areas: (1) to increase the awareness about and involvement of Nordic actors within the area of telematics for education and training through development and application of findings, outcomes and results from the different initiatives and projects implemented under the project; (2) to enable the European actors within the Telematics for Flexible and Distance Learning Programme to obtain a better awareness about the actors and developments made in the area of telematics for education and training within the Nordic countries; and (3) to initiate linkages, interactions and potential partnerships between these two actor categories by supporting potential joint actions, collaborative initiatives and partnerships.
Partners have organised a number of workshops and seminars. In addition an electronic information system for exchange of information and brokerage support materials between the project partners was established. This on-line system based on client-server technology using FirstClass software is linked to numerous other servers across Europe and beyond.
The project, had as a deliberate strategy, to make the regional, sectoral and national brokers involved in a number of events in which they could both inform about the NORDIC project and what it could offer to actors in the area of telematics for education and training, as well as to promote the awareness about and collaboration initiatives between actors from the Nordic countries and participants in the programme. In order to avoid the initiatives taken becoming overly "supplier-driven" a unique stakeholder sponsoring system was established in which the support funding was distributed to different stakeholder categories, which in turn could sponsor initiatives proposed by different parties.
For further information contact: Mr. Hans Ahrens, NUTEK, Liljeholmsvaegen
32, S _ 117 86, Stockholm, Sweden.
Tel: +46 86 819 408
Fax: +46 86 819 118
Email: hans.ahrens@nutek.se
based on ideas developed by Kennet Lindquist and modified by the editor
The development of telematic-based learning services is offering new opportunities to have access to learning in a variety of ways which have not been available in the past. This is increasing the choices which are becoming available to the user and are moving outside the traditional models of education and training which has tended to be of a more formalised nature. Phrases like "flexible learning", "learning-on-demand" "just-in-time learning" "Performance Learning Support Systems" provide a flavour to the new emerging ways of learning.
In order to try to broaden thinking - rather than just in terms of the traditional forms of education and training - the concept of "competency development" has been adopted. All learning involves some form of competency development - skill acquisition, knowledge acquisition and experiential learning. But the methods by which it is now becoming possible to develop these competencies are increasing. Thus there is the need for a Knowledge Brokerage Service to match the needs of the user with the increased variety of service providers. The Knowledge Broker is the go-between the user and the supplier.
The Knowledge Broker can operate at a number of different levels according to the type of user.
Counsellor - can guide an individual learner to make a decisions about the most appropriate course and method of learning through carrying out a needs analysis. The counsellor may be attached to one organisation and only suggest what that organisation can offer or could be independently based in a local or company study centre where the counsellor would be able to discuss a variety of options from a number of different suppliers.
Tutor Facilitator - once the individual student has opted for a particular area of competence development or subject, the tutor facilitator can guide the student through a variety of learning experiences depending on the student's best method of learning.
Course Director - the person responsible for designing the learning experience in a particular area of competence development will need to make decisions as to what are the most cost-effective solutions for their particular context. This may involve an internal knowledge brokerage activity with their learning centre manager and could also be assisted by an external knowledge broker.
Learning Centre Manager - at management level, decisions have to be made as to what courses will be offered to groups of students and what methods of learning experiences are most cost effective in their particular concept. This manager will have to operate an internal knowledge brokerage system in order to match learners' needs with resources available for delivering the learning experiences. As the variety of methods of learning increases particularly with the use of telematic systems, they may call upon the assistance of external knowledge brokers to help them make decisions.
All these roles are already in existence, but their job starts to become more complex as a wider variety of options become available to them. This is where the independent knowledge broker becomes more important. This person or organisation could operate at all these levels offering a wide variety of advice. However, a critical issue is that it is demand led by the user at whatever level they operate, rather than supply driven. But of course the knowledge broker as the go-between also does have the role of making potential users aware of what can now be supplied.
Users could also "buy in" services from several different suppliers moving away from the traditional model of one supplier serving many users. This then creates a more market-driven operation for providing learning services. With the development of telematic-based learning services the supplier in turn would "buy in" component parts from other suppliers in order to create the appropriate learning service on offer. The suppliers of the component parts would include expertise for the content, developers and designers for portraying the content, telecom operators for delivering the content and tutor/facilitator support as well as hardware and software suppliers.
In this context the role of the knowledge broker becomes increasingly important. One of the key issues which was addressed within the NORDIC Project, was to embed this concept of a market-driven knowledge brokerage into the traditional world of education and training.
For further information contact: Kennet Lindquist, Noesis CMI AB, Magasinsgaten
4, Nyköping, 611 30, Sweden.
Tel +46 155 28 88 44
Fax +46 155 28 78 72
Email: Kenli@udv.Liu.se