An online community of practice: a concept for the ACE sector to explore

1. An online community of practice: a concept for the ACE sector to explore

2. About this project and its objectives Could an Internet-based solution bolster collaboration, support and resource-sharing within the ACE sector? If ‘yes’, what kind of solution would best meet the needs of the ACE sector? E-mentoring versus online community website?

3. Overview of research done Revero Web Consultants was commissioned to:- survey the sector- research examples of online community & mentoring websites- report on findings and make recommendations.

4. Who responded to the survey? 115 of 400 recipients responded – 30% of sectorMajority were women (96%) aged 40-60 years who work in schools (60%).Statistics reflect sector: 50% work in schools.

5. Who responded to the survey? 70% of respondents were European1/4 were of Maori or Pacifica descent

6. Who responded to the survey? Most respondents use broadband Internet 2-10 hours per week

7. What the survey revealed – key findings Three quarters currently receive ad hoc mentoring and support from others in sectorSector open to collaboration and a community-approach to problem-solving and information-sharingEmail is most common way for sector to give and receive adviceRelatively active online and offline network already

8. What the survey revealed – key findings ACE practitioners face common issues around the country, such as:- funding and financial management- resourcing, time management and learner participation- governance and programme development- tutoring and learning- promotions and advertising.

9. What the survey revealed – key findings 70% of respondents would use Internet technologies to communicate and collaborate with sectorThat is 20% of the entire sectorArguably amounts to sufficient numbers to explore and sustain concept of online community of practiceRespondents who said ‘no’ to getting advice online, are in part the same people who said they don’t actually need advice

10. What the survey revealed – key findings

11. What the survey revealed – key findings 80 respondents would like to receive mentoring and support from others online56 respondents already provide mentoring and support32 would willingly mentor others online for 1-2 hours per weekDemand for mentoring and support is greater than supplySame people who need advice also give advice

12. What the survey revealed – summary Networking and collaboration are established practicesACE practitioners typically rely on trial and error, and ad hoc peer-to-peer advice Information-sharing is ad hoc – info not centralised and not reusable by others Many ACE practitioners may not realise they are experiencing problems common to others

13. What the survey revealed – summary Enough confidence with technology to warrant exploring an online community of practiceComfortable with email and willing to use other Internet technologies to work together Online community would expand existing communities of practice and increase their reach

14. Local and international case studies

15. What the case studies revealed – both e-mentoring & online community sites Success more likely if proper governance, a charter and quality assuranceFunding is often an issue - sponsorship, user-pays fees and/or governmentWeb technologies are becoming more sophisticated - many open source (free) options nowStart with clear set of business requirements and keep it simplePromote site within the target industry

16. What the case studies revealed – for e-mentoring sites only E-mentoring sites designed to redress gap in experience between experts and novices in an industry Matching mentees with suitable mentors is important1-2 hours per week Better if mentors receive formal training and structured curriculum Common challenge can be low participation by mentees

17. What the case studies revealed – for online community sites Success more likely if online community augments and supports activities of existing real-world communityTrained community facilitators are importantFacilitators are not just administrative/technical staff

18. What the case studies revealed – for online community sites Official content by authorised authors and unofficial content provided by community membersTraining people in the use of technology must be part of strategyPossible to mitigate against alternative solutions sprouting up within the same sector

19. Proposed concept for the ACE sector Strong clues from the survey results: Sector relies on peer-to-peer ad hoc support, especially via emailSector also wants access to quality, authoritative resources and document exchange toolsStrong message from the case studies:Start with a clear set of simple requirements and grow from thereProposed objective:Focus on tools that enable existing activity to be centralised, nationalised and formalised online

20. Current communication lines Knowledge shared via email or in conversation Sector as a wholedoes not benefit Informationnot reusable or retrievable.

21. Online community Follow and join other people’s forum conversationsChat with other members View up-and-coming eventsDownload and upload documents, and much more

22. Benefits of this approach Proposed technology is relatively straightforward and economical to implementOnline activity will be centralised and will grow into a valuable searchable resourcePool of people available to answer questions will come from national networkQuality of answers likely to be better and the speed of finding answers will be quicker

23. Benefits of this approach More valuable connections will be made in the sector People who do not necessarily view themselves as experts may step into the role of advisorLead ACE professional development organisation will gain overview of common issues in sectorInformation will be centralised and structured in logical ways, and will be searchable, retrievable and available for trend analysis

24. Recommended features Online community tools, such as secure member profiles, discussion forums, live chat, noticeboards, web conferencing, document exchange and repositories, search engine, etcOnline facilitators who get members started, help them use the tools, oversee content, encourage regular participation and promote the site

25. Recommended features Good quality content (podcasts, blogs, newsletters, announcements, online meetings and events, HTML / PDF resources, online help and tutorials on how to use the community) Both authoritative content published by experts and resources developed by other membersSimple processes for joining and administering the site

26. Sustaining this project over time Leadership and vision of motivated individualsTrained facilitators keep online communities on track Regular and meaningful contentFormal governance structures Realistic funding model for at least 5 years Reliable technology partnerFeedback loops and monitoring

27. E-mentoring technology possible option for the future More formal, one-on-one mentoring between an expert and a new ACE practitioner - not considered necessary right nowCase studies show it can have real merits where appropriateRequires data-matching technology, a mentoring curriculum, good criteria for selecting mentors and mentees, and training for mentorsNeeds sufficient funds and human resources

28. Four technology options to consider for the first release • Off-the-shelf productB. Software as a service C. Licensing a sub-community on existing community website D. Custom-buildOR: A combination of the aboveMust investigate how these options may or may not work/ integrate with existing web assets

29. Indicative pricing for each option

30. The next steps Determine whether satisfied with levels of sector supportExplore opportunities for collaboration and partnership amongst organisations in the ACE sector, including with Ako Aotearoa Seek independent advice to assess whether existing web solutions in sector may be expanded to include online ACE community- including Ako Aotearoa’s under developmentConfirm project sponsor and governance structure

31. The next steps Identify vision for project and synergies with other sector strategiesIdentify incentives to engage with internet-based sharingSeek independent advice to consider a preferred approach for the technical solution Consider synergies with TKI.org.nz Define the precise functional and technical requirementsPrepare a RFP tender document and invite qualified vendors to submit proposals

32. Thank you for your attention.