Using ICT tools to manage knowledge: a student perspective in determining the quality of education

Using ICT tools to manage knowledge: a student perspective in determining the quality of education

Within the e-learning context of a university, technology has the potential to facilitate the
knowledge interaction between the source (instructor) and the recipient (students). From a
literature review, it can be concluded that prior studies have not explored the types of
channels that encourage knowledge transfer in this environment. For example, how explicit
knowledge travels through the e-learning environment and goes through interaction processes
and is received and acquired is largely unknown.
According to Alavi & Leidner (2001), Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
can help speed up the processes of transferring knowledge from those who have knowledge
to those seeking knowledge. Within the university context, technologies such as email,
Internet, IRC chat, bulletin boards and tools such as WebCT and BlackBoard have the
potential to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and act as a link between source and recipient.
Effective knowledge transfer has to consider effective knowledge acquisition, which are
therefore inexplicably linked. Nonaka's spiral model addresses knowledge acquisition
through spiraling processes in which an individual would be able to convert tacit knowledge
to explicit knowledge and vice versa. According to Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995) there are four
types of interaction, which give way to the conversion of one form of knowledge into
another, namely tacit-to-tacit, tacit-to-explicit, explicit-to-tacit and explicit-to-explicit. In an
academic environment, this can be studied as the source, either transferring tacit or explicit
knowledge, and similarly as the recipient, receiving knowledge either in tacit or explicit form.
Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995) also refer to this as the SECI model, where SECI stands for
Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation.
This 'Research in Progress' reports the outcomes of a study undertaken to understand how
and to what extent knowledge spiraling processes and accompanying characteristics of SECI
can be ICT-enabled to contribute towards the studying and learning processes for university
education. A survey instrument was developed for this purpose and it is currently undergoing
peer-review and other customary validity and reliability tests. Once the instrument is
validated, it will be administered on about 50 tertiary students. It is hoped that the results
obtained from this survey will be reported in the QIK 2005 conference.

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