The Role of Leadership in Communities of Learning

This article is a systematic literature review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the implementation of the Kāhui Ako | Communities of Learning policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. This policy seeks to improve student outcomes through collaborative networks of schools emphasising the importance of network leadership in initiating and co-ordinating systemic change. This review examines the available evidence on the ways in which these school networks operate and how network leadership responds to local needs and environments. Review data included a total of 16 studies from the empirical literature resulting in four main organisational processes and patterns of interaction: (1) relationships building focusing on trust; (2) press for system-wide coherence; (3) knowledge exchange; and (4) collaborative work. Our findings suggest that achieving high levels of alignment and coherence within the Kāhui Ako policy is a key factor for meaningful implementation, challenging to achieve, and requires ongoing attention

Formative e-assessment: Practitioner cases

This paper reports on one aspect of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)-funded project 'Scoping a vision of formative e-assessment', namely on cases of formative e-assessment developed iteratively with the UK education practitioner community. The project, which took place from June 2008 – January 2009, aimed to identify current theories and practices relating to formative assessment of learning where technologies play a key role. The project aimed to scope the 'domain' of formative e-assessment, by developing cases of practice and identifying key formative processes within them, which are affected by the use of technologies. From this analysis, patterns were extracted to inform future software design. A discussion of the key issues emerging from the review of the literature on formative e-assessment, a full account of the project methodology – the design pattern methodology – as well as a critical discussion of the findings – namely the patterns and the role of technology – are the focus of a separate paper (see Daly et al (forthcoming). This paper documents how cases of formative e-assessment were developed during the project by a collaborative methodology involving practitioners from a range of post-16 education contexts. The cases were analysed with reference to key theoretical perspectives on formative assessment, particularly the work of Black and Wiliam (2009). In addition, Laurillard's Conversational Framework (2002, 2007) was used to locate practices of formative assessment within a wider concept of learning and teaching involving technologies, although a detailed discussion of the latter is not within the scope of this paper1

Collaborative research: Accomplishments & potential

Although a substantial part of scientific research is collaborative and increasing globalization will probably lead to its increase, very few studies actually investigate the advantages, disadvantages, experiences and lessons learned from collaboration. In environmental epidemiology interdisciplinary collaboration is essential and the contrasting geographical patterns in exposure and disease make multi-location projects essential. This paper is based on a presentation given at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Paris 2006, and is attempting to initiate a discussion on a framework for studying collaborative research. A review of the relevant literature showed that indeed collaborative research is rising, in some countries with impressive rates. However, there are substantial differences between countries in their outlook, need and respect for collaboration. In many situations collaborative publications receive more citations than those based on national authorship. The European Union is the most important host of collaborative research, mainly driven by the European Commission through the Framework Programmes. A critical assessment of the tools and trends of collaborative networks under FP6, showed that there was a need for a critical revision, which led to changes in FP7. In conclusion, it is useful to study the characteristics of collaborative research and set targets for the future. The added value for science and for the researchers involved may be assessed. The motivation for collaboration could be increased in the more developed countries. Particular ways to increase the efficiency and interaction in interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration may be developed. We can work towards "the principles of collaborative research" in Environmental Epidemiology

Effects of mobile gaming patterns on learning outcomes: a literature review

Schmitz, B., Klemke, R., & Specht, M. (2012). Effects of mobile gaming patterns on learning outcomes: A literature review. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 4(5-6), 345-358. doi:10.1504/IJTEL.2012.051817Within the past decade, a growing number of educational scientists have started to recognize the multifaceted potential that mobile learning games have as a tool for learning and teaching. This paper presents a review of current research on the topic to better understand game mechanisms with regard to learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we introduce a framework of analysis which is based on previous work on game design patterns for mobile games and on learning outcomes. The framework focuses on two aspects, motivation and knowledge gain. Second, we present a set of patterns which we identified in the literature and that positively influence these two aspects. Our results support the general assumption that mobile learning games have potential to enhance motivation. It reveals that game mechanisms such as Collaborative Actions or Augmented Reality provide incentive to get engaged with learning and/or a certain topic. With regard to knowledge gain, results are less comprehensive

Trust formation processes in innovative collaborations: networking as knowledge building practices

Purpose - This study examines the practices and processes of trust building and use in collaborative networking for product innovation and compares face to face with virtual networking. Design/Methodology/Approach – Guided by a literature review and preliminary participant observation, 16 open ended interviews collected data about the processes in 11 small biotech firms. These data were inductively analysed by the constant comparative method to develop explanatory themes. Findings – Trust was seen as requirement for successful collaborative innovation, but we identified how different dimensions of trust are located in the trust building processes. Trust works by creating a platform of confidence that fosters flows of information and the exchange of tacit knowledge. Two types of trust relationships, the technical and the social, work in different ways to produce different, but complementary, types of trust. Virtual environments suit technical trust building but are less suited to developing deeper, more enduring forms of trust. Originality/Value – The paper contributes conceptually by theorising the trust building process and its role in collaborative innovation. It addresses a gap in the literature in identifying how trust is produced, developed and employed in furthering innovation, in particular the behavioural patterns of using virtual networks in furthering innovation

Inter-organizational knowledge integration on construction projects : a social network approach

This research compares knowledge integration in competitive and collaborative construction projects in the UK. It begins with the assumption that the most valuable commodity transferred along project supply chains is knowledge. It has been suggested that collaborative working methods (such as partnering) may represent a significant improvement in the way project knowledge can be captured and integrated. However, most academic work on knowledge management has concentrated on its integration within rather than between organizations: the topic is more difficult to address in multi-firm, project-based, and economically fragmented industries (such as construction). The present study focuses upon collaborative working as a vehicle for knowledge integration along the project supply chain. A review of the literature examines how recent approaches to construction organisation have sought to improve performance: these approaches all draw attention to such critical attributes as trust, commitment and relationships, all of which are difficult to measure. In this research, a social network analysis approach has been adopted to do this. This is the first time the technique has been put fully to this use in the context of construction projects. Software has been used to help visualize and compare knowledge networks in five projects (representing competitive and collaborative working) and this has provided data for comparison of different working patterns under different procurement systems. The working patterns and knowledge transactions in the two different procurement systems were shown to be different, and there were clear associations between the degree of collaborative working and the nature of social networks encountered. The technique has overcome previous difficulties in measuring certain attributes of collaborative working; has provided a way of benchmarking the differences in the way that competitive and collaborative working facilitate project knowledge integration; and represents a useful and novel way of analysing organizational behaviour in projects. It has explained why and how partnering and collaborative working can bring certain advantages

A New Lens: The Lived Experiences of Interpreters with Disabilities

This study examines the experiences of ASL/English interpreters who self-identify as having a disability. Little is known about this group of professionals so the literature review begins by investigating various theories from the field of disability studies and their possible applications to the conceptualization of interpreting. Using grounded theory research methodology, quantitative demographic data was collected and combined with interviews from interpreters with disabilities to better understand their experiences from their own perspective. Patterns uncovered in the study include experiencing ableism and internalized ableism as common, the role of extralinguistic knowledge, and the challenges of performative neutrality when in the role of ASL/English interpreter. It is my hope that this work will usher in a future where we create a new, collaborative interpreting model and an interdependent, fully representative field of professional interpreters

Towards the Use of Clustering Algorithms in Recommender Systems

Recommender Systems have been intensively used in Information Systems in the last decades, facilitating the choice of items individually for each user based on your historical. Clustering techniques have been frequently used in commercial and scientific domains in data mining tasks and visualization tools. However, there is a lack of secondary studies in the literature that analyze the use of clustering algorithms in Recommender Systems and their behavior in different aspects. In this work, we present a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), which discusses the different types of information systems with the use of the clustering algorithm in Recommender Systems, which typically involves three main recommendation approaches found in literature: collaborative filtering, content-based filtering, and hybrid recommendation. In the end, we did a quantitative analysis using K-means clustering for finding patterns between clustering algorithms, recommendation approaches, and some datasets used in their publications

The role of leadership in communities of learning | Kāhui Ako: a systematic literature review

This article is a systematic literature review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the implementation of the Kāhui Ako | Communities of Learning policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. This policy seeks to improve student outcomes through collaborative networks of schools emphasising the importance of network leadership in initiating and co-ordinating systemic change. This review examines the available evidence on the ways in which these school networks operate and how network leadership responds to local needs and environments. Review data included a total of 16 studies from the empirical literature resulting in four main organisational processes and patterns of interaction: (1) relationships building focusing on trust; (2) press for system-wide coherence; (3) knowledge exchange; and (4) collaborative work. Our findings suggest that achieving high levels of alignment and coherence within the Kāhui Ako policy is a key factor for meaningful implementation, challenging to achieve, and requires ongoing attention