Peer Review

Knowledge Technologies in Context

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Reviewed:: Nov 22, 2016 by Information Technology

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Ratings

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Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

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Overview:: This course explores knowledge technologies. It will address the importance of knowledge, its representation, interpretation and management. Concepts such as community of practice, managing explicit knowledge along with examples will be presented.
Type of Material:: Online Course, in a MOOC format
Recommended Uses:: Ideal for self-paced learning. Could be used as an adjunct for an entry-level information technology course.
Technical Requirements:: "OpenLearn is optimized to be enjoyed by users on the current full versions of Firefox, Safari and Chrome on Windows 7 and Mac Snow Leopard, Lion and Mountain Lion, and Internet Explorer 10 and 11 on Windows 7 and 8. Older browsers will display most of the content normally, but some features won’t work. In particular, Windows users who use Internet Explorer 8 are strongly advised to upgrade their browser, or use an alternative, to get the full value of OpenLearn content" You may need flash for some videos in the links section. The ebook text for the course requires a PDF reader and is also available in audio format, so the student might want to have speakers or a headset.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: After studying this course, you should be able to: •demonstrate an understanding of the importance of representation, interpretation and formalisation in relation to ICT and managing knowledge, giving appropriate examples •demonstrate an understanding of the concept of a ‘community of practice’ in relation to ICT, giving appropriate examples •demonstrate an understanding of the main functions that ICT can play in helping to manage knowledge, giving appropriate examples •demonstrate an understanding of the potential, and problems, of ICT for managing explicit knowledge, giving appropriate examples •demonstrate an understanding of the potential, and problems, in the relationship between ICT and ‘the tacit dimension’, giving appropriate examples.
Target Student Population:: University students, adult learners or practitioners in the field
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: you need to register with the open university, any browser can be used but they state that there is no guarantee that the Site will be compatible with all hardware and software. However, he Open University is a long time, high quality provider of college level distance coursework; the student should need very little incoming knowledge other than how to access the course.

Content Quality

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Strengths:: As with all Open University courses, the curriculum is thorough, detailed, and well constructed. The ICT concepts are current, vocabulary pertinent to information technology is covered in non-technical terms, learning activities are well suited to assess the student's understanding.
Concerns:: they could include some practical exercises as well

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

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Strengths:: The course emphasizes the technologies covered in context with how they are used; this gives a practical twist to the material by giving the student some perspective on ICT concepts. They also provide a good reference list that would be a great starting point for anyone interested in learning about KM along with some videos and website links.
Concerns:: There are no case studies. It is mostly chapters with some discussions

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

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Strengths:: As noted, The Open University has been offering distance education for decades and are well versed in making it easy for students to access and use the materials for each course. For this course, most materials, such as the textbook, are offered in several formats to suit the student's needs. The course content is well laid, and you can easily move between sections as you proceed with the modules or sections. They have alternative formats free to download. The most frequently used are Word (for accessibility), PDF (for print) and ePub and Kindle to download to eReaders*.
Concerns:: no animations or any interactivity with the presentation of the content

Other Issues and Comments:: Originally published: Wednesday, 23rd March 2016 Last updated on: Wednesday, 23rd March 2016 this free course is under a Creative Commons licence. The Open University visits all of its courses on a regular schedule, updating and correcting as needed.
Creative Commons: