What I have learned (so far) from teaching KM

Teaching is all about knowledge transfer.  Understanding the challenges of knowledge transfer from an organizational learning perspective is very helpful in creating parallels for teaching (and the other side of the coin, learning).  Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning could borrow a little more from learning theories and instructional design.  The Learning and Development (L&D) departments of most organizations could also learn from Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning.

In the fall of 2018, I focused my professional activities on teaching, but since i was teaching Knowledge Management, a lot of merging happened.  That merging of ideas is something akin to Nonaka and Takeuchi's Combination stage of knowledge creation perhaps.  Now I can't help cite some of my classes mandatory readings they're so present in my mind.

I taught two sessions of a Knowledge Management class for undergraduate students completely online and a semester long graduate level class on Knowledge Management Strategy face-to-face in a Friday evening/Saturday all-day format that accommodates working students. The two courses are taught completely differently.  There is some overlap in terms of the content, and the target audiences are very different.

In both courses, I've enjoyed the part that actually involves TEACHING through my interactions with the students.  With the graduate level class I have a lot more control over the methods and content and much more flexibility to adjust anything I need the next time I teach it (assuming I am asked to come back to teach it next year).  With the undergraduate level class, I am adjusting to a rather rigid format and content I have limited control over.

Regardless of the format and challenges presented by each class, I found myself often wondering how much learning was actually going on.  Obviously I was teaching but that's just one side of the equation.  It's like a conversation.  I could be talking while no one is truly listening. 

In both classes, there were disappointments and challenges.  There were things I wasn't fully prepared for, such as the 4.0 student who isn't quite happy with anything other than 100% on every assignment, the general reluctance to read, the overzealous reliance on Google to find answers to everything and the nagging feeling that there is some cheating going on (in the online class).  I was troubled by all of this but I was also inspired and in awe of some of the learning that I witnessed.  There were a few times, both online and face-to-face when I reviewed an assignment and I genuinely thought I could not have done it better if I had tried. 

The online learning environment can be particularly challenging because it requires much more self-discipline on the part of students.  I have seen good students (those who were really good before stepping into my virtual classroom) take advantage of what was being offered and learn a lot.  I have also seen weaker students make strong efforts to take advantage of my advice and support throughout the session and improve tremendously.  Somewhere in the middle, 50% of the class just wants to get to the finish line and will do the minimum required.

The face-to-face environment is challenging in a different way.  The students are working adults.  On Friday evenings, they are not in the best state to absorb four hours of teaching or engage in deep learning.  They want to get through the evening.  When they come on a Saturday they've had another class the night before.  Again, these are not ideal learning conditions.  Most of the work they have to do in-between classes involves a group consulting project which is also quite stressful (if they take it seriously).  Those who take it seriously learn the most, but there is a toll to pay.

While I have learned a great deal this Fall semester in terms of my own teaching and there are lots of little things I can change to improve the classes and their delivery, the most important things I have learned probably relate to my increased understanding of the students themselves, their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, attitudes, and how to react (and not overreact) when things don't go exactly as planned.

I look forward to more teaching and developing new classes.

Evidence of Learning

As I have taken on more teaching assignments this fall, I find myself asking new questions.  How do I know that the students are learning?  Am I transmitting something?  Am I transmitting something of value?

Since I am talking about traditional post-secondary education rather than continuous professional development, the obvious method for determining whether the students are learning comes in the form of assessments (papers, quizzes, participation in class discussions, etc...).

Since I am relatively new to this, I recognize that my insights are those of a newbie.

In a class of 25 students, it is easy to see with the initial assignments that they come into the class with a wide range of existing capabilities and prior knowledge.  I didn't teach much of anything to the student who writes the perfect answer in the first week of class.  However, I can "see" the learning when they start the class struggling with the concepts being presented, but by week 4 of an 8 week class they are getting more comfortable and by week 8 their final paper demonstrates a significant change in the way they are thinking about the topic. 

In a class of 25 students, at least a third is there to check the box and graduate as soon as possible. They will do the minimum possible and since that has probably been their strategy for a while, they are cruising without learning much of anything. This manifests itself with answers to discussion prompts that repeat something from the assigned readings and does not make any effort to connect to their own experience. Do I give up on that third of the class?  No.  I make them work for it. I try to ask them simple questions that would help them connect the concepts being discussed to their daily realities. I've also learned that it's dangerous to make quick judgments and assumptions about any student's particular approach to learning, their motivation for being in the class, etc...  The reality is that I know very little about them, especially in online classes. 

I have really enjoyed teaching (grading not so much!) and I am most proud of the students who have told me I made them think very hard.  So, that's it.  If I made them think, they built up their thinking muscles and they learned. In online classes, I have to follow strict rubrics for grading.  Those are useful at the beginning, to establish clear standards for the students to follow, but these rubrics are also hampering real conversations and learning from each other.  I'm happy when I see some independent thinking, regardless of whether the readings are cited properly or not.

The students are learning and I'm learning.  What else could I possibly want?

Teaching Knowledge Management

I've immersed myself in teaching with two classes. Both are focused on Knowledge Management, but they are as different as one could imagine. I am just finishing my first session online at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and I am preparing for George Mason University's face-to-face class in the fall of 2018. Very different classes with (for now), the same foundational textbook which has just been updated. Next I'd really like to provide some KM training within an organization.  That would provide a third, completely different way of teaching the same subject.

Component	University of Maryland University College	George Mason University Schar School of Public Policy
Format	100% Online 100% Asynchronous (though some chats are possible) 8 weeks long	Face-to-face over four-months. Some Fridays 5-10pm and some Saturdays 9am-5pm Total of 7 face-to-face sessions Small online component.
Level & Discipline	Required class for Undergraduate Business Management major, elective for other majors.	Specialized Masters Degree in Organizational Development/Knowledge Management
Curriculum Design	Instructor follows a set syllabus and pre-selected readings and assignments. Multiple instructors teach the class and the common syllabus helps maintain consistency. Greatest degree of freedom is in designing the Learning Activities for weekly discussions.	Instructor is fully responsible for curriculum design with some coordination with other classes to create synergies and avoid overlap.
Student Audience	Working adults, many in military, including many first generation higher education seekers. Students have never met each other, will probably never meet.	Working adults. Student cohort goes through the program as one group.  They know each other well.
Learning Objectives	An introduction to KM as it applies to business. Why is it important? How does it manifest itself in organizations?	A thorough understanding of KM concepts and approaches and building the skills needed to implement KM initiatives in organizations.
Making It Stick	Apply key KM concepts to yourself, your work, your studies; Make the learning activities very scenario-based to encourage critical thinking.	Highly experiential, practice KM skills in the classroom and work with real organizations. Lots of small group work.
Readings & Other Materials	Core textbook (Dalkir), supplemented by less abstract materials, including videos.	Core textbook (Dalkir), Milton/Lambe's Knowledge Manager's Handbook, and lots of case studies, including an in-depth presentation and discussion of KM at NASA.
Bonus	Some technology enhancements for added "engagement": Animated presentation using PowToon for instructor introduction, class overview and/or difficult concepts.	Possible guest speaker(s) to leverage the wealth of expertise in the DC area.

Teaching Knowledge Management

I'm super excited to get access today to the Learning Management System that will allow me to teach Knowledge Management to undergraduate business students at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). 

This is going to be a new experience.  While I've taught online before, this is different because as of earlier this morning, I had no idea of the actual content of the course other than a short paragraph description.  Now I have 28 days to get ready!  The content is there (readings and major assignments).  I'll need to absorb it quickly and create corresponding learning activities that will engage the learners.  There's a creative aspect to it that's much less overwhelming than having to create content for an entire class AND an opportunity to share my own KM practice experience.  That's really what the College wants out of online faculty like myself.... our practical experience in the subject matter we are teaching.

The fun starts today.... and again when the learners start interacting online!
I'll post some lessons in March (or sooner).

Personal Learning Plan - January to March 2016 - Learning by Doing

A few days ago, I set as my primary goal for 2016 to have more mindful, meaningful conversations. Now it's time to think through exactly how I am going to operationalize that goal and integrate it into my personal learning plan (PLP), especially in light of all the other things I am planning to do.

I don't create personal learning plans on a regular basis but when I do I find the exercise quite useful as long as I keep the timeframe relatively short.  My interests will inevitably shift.  Three months is a good timeframe for me to focus on a few specific themes.  The themes for January to March 2016 will be:  Conversations, Online Learning and Teaching, and Personal Branding and Social Media Engagement.

Click on the map to enlarge and view in a new window.

Two things to note on the map: 1) The biggest effort will be put into producing my first Skillshare class, which is the best example of how I plan on learning by doing.  I'm very much in a mood to "just do it!"; 2) As is often the case, the mapping process allowed me to identify connections across all three themes, which makes this plan very coherent (at least in my own head) and ensures that no element will be isolated and ignored.

Looking up an old Personal Learning Plan from 2009, I realized how my thinking has evolved and how my mapping has evolved as well.