Download Using Web Pages to Create A Learning Community

Using Web Pages to Create
A Learning Community
Prof. Phillip R. Rosenkrantz
Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Department
California State Polytechnic University,
Pomona
The Learning Organization
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Based on Dr. Peter Senge's book THE
FIFTH DISCIPLINE (1990)
Vision
Create significant initial interest in
the subject and then carry the
learning experience well beyond
the last lecture.
 Students become involved with
creating web pages that share their
findings with others.
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Examples
Classes
 Senior Projects
 Proposed strategies and
enhancements
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The Disciplines of the "Learning
Organization"
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Building shared vision
Mental models
Personal mastery
Team learning
Systems thinking
Characteristics of the Learning
Organization (Garvin):
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Systematic problem solving
Experimentation with new approaches
Learning from experiences
Learning from best practices of others,
and
Transferring knowledge across the
organization quickly
Three Examples From
Engineering Curriculum
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Direct involvement of the instructor in
creating the web pages ranged from
none to almost 100%
Example 1
IME 499 Engineering Colloquium
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Weekly topic related to a theme
Guest speakers
Student/faculty prepared web pages
Theme: "What a young engineer should
know about…"
Six Topics Were Covered
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Qualifying For and Getting a Good Job
Graduate School
Career Strategy
Becoming a Consultant
Corporate Culture and Company
Politics
High Performance Work Habits
A Web Site Was Created to Share
the Results:
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http://www.csupomona.edu/~rosenkrantz/ime499/ime49998.htm
Results
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The results were very good
Students looked forward to the finished
web page each week
Students were proud to see their names
on the top of the page
Other benefits
Lessons Learned
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This level of customization is too time
consuming for the instructor
Students build the web pages or use a
standard format
Students could volunteer to learn how to
author web pages
Example 2
Topic Papers
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Students prepared two-page topic
papers on a wide variety of subjects
Pages available for viewing and printing
Students can return to the site any time
for updating and continuing education
Exposure motivates students to do a
better job
http://www.csupomona.edu/~rosenkrantz/ime415/topicpapers
Example 3
Senior Project
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A team of students is preparing a web site as
a resource
Information about ISO-9000, QS-9000,
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and
similar standards
Information about the standards and what it
takes for successful implementation
Companies interviewed and the results
presented.
Resource for current, past, and future
Other Ideas
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Threaded discussions on related topics
Surveys about practices with results posted
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
Lists of contacts and resources
Annotated Bibliography or Webliography
Links page
Downloadable PowerPoint Presentations for
use by members of the learning community
Chat rooms to discuss topics or issues
Summary
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Web pages can be used to create a network
among students and alumni to foster lifelong
learning, networking, and updating of
knowledge and beliefs. This is a very valuable
activity as we enter the knowledge based
twenty-first century. (Drucker, 1999) Faculty
can generate student interest and
involvement using web pages as a medium
for publicly sharing the results of their work.