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

摘要

Within the e-learning context of a university, technology has the potential to facilitate theknowledge interaction between the source (instructor) and the recipient (students). From aliterature review, it can be concluded that prior studies have not explored the types ofchannels that encourage knowledge transfer in this environment. For example, how explicitknowledge travels through the e-learning environment and goes through interaction processesand 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 knowledgeto those seeking knowledge. Within the university context, technologies such as email,Internet, IRC chat, bulletin boards and tools such as WebCT and BlackBoard have thepotential 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 aretherefore inexplicably linked. Nonaka's spiral model addresses knowledge acquisitionthrough spiraling processes in which an individual would be able to convert tacit knowledgeto explicit knowledge and vice versa. According to Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995) there are fourtypes of interaction, which give way to the conversion of one form of knowledge intoanother, namely tacit-to-tacit, tacit-to-explicit, explicit-to-tacit and explicit-to-explicit. In anacademic environment, this can be studied as the source, either transferring tacit or explicitknowledge, 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 forSocialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation.This 'Research in Progress' reports the outcomes of a study undertaken to understand howand to what extent knowledge spiraling processes and accompanying characteristics of SECIcan be ICT-enabled to contribute towards the studying and learning processes for universityeducation. A survey instrument was developed for this purpose and it is currently undergoingpeer-review and other customary validity and reliability tests. Once the instrument isvalidated, it will be administered on about 50 tertiary students. It is hoped that the resultsobtained from this survey will be reported in the QIK 2005 conference.