Critique of OECD Innovation in the Knowledge Economy

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Design Critique Running head: Personal Critique 1 Personal Critique Jennifer Maddrell Old Dominion University IDT 895: Knowledge Management June 1, 2008 Design Critique Innovation in the Knowledge Economy The following is a critique of the 2004 publication Innovation in the knowledge economy: implications for education and learning from the Organisation for Economic Co- 2 operation and Development (OECD). The following assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the publication and concludes with a proposed outline for a similar report for instructional designers. Strengths of Report Assessment of knowledge-based communities. A key strength of the report is the detailed assessment of new forms of knowledge-based communities in sectors outside of education. The report highlights the possibility for innovation that is created when unrestricted access and a free flow of information exists within knowledge-based communities. The overriding premise is that through open access to people, technologies, and information, new and exciting avenues for knowledge generation, innovation, and sharing are possible. The report provides an effective argument that these interactions and connections are far different from knowledge sharing and collaborations of the past. Through the use of open information and communication technologies, there has been a democratization of the knowledge generation and sharing process. All users, not just “experts”, are able to participate, share, and debate issues. In addition, these same information and communication technologies offer the ability to rapidly and inexpensively codify and transmit information which further energizes innovation. No longer must participants rely on formal networks and commercial publishers to produce and disseminate information. The report also highlights an important characteristic of these new forms of knowledgebased communities which has been shown to rapidly stimulate innovation and foster a sense of community around a topic. Participation is based on what is described as “general reciprocity Design Critique obligations”. An assumed condition of membership is the sharing of knowledge. In other words, the cost of participation is participation! These assumed reciprocal obligations fuel the network and, in turn, discourage lurkers (takers, but not contributors). Coverage of drivers of innovation. The report also effectively highlights the drivers that are likely to propel innovation in education. At the forefront are advances in information and communication technologies which allow ever increasing access to information and people. Through examples in other sectors, the report effectively demonstrates how technology is helping to overcome physical, social, and cultural barriers to reach previously isolated or excluded participants. With expanded access, more individual can connect and contribute. In addition, the report effectively argues that the ability to “learn by doing” spurs innovation. No longer do users need to wait for producers to create and deliver a product. With greater access to tools, information, people, and resources, users are empowered to innovate to solve their own, but likely shared, problems. In turn, the innovations they create can be contributed back to the community to continue the cycle of “general reciprocity obligations”, described above. Coverage of barriers to innovation. The report also highlights important barriers that must be overcome. At the forefront is unequal access. While there has been a noted democratization of the knowledge generation and sharing process, only a very small percentage of the world’s population is able to participate due to limited access to the information and communication technologies highlighted in the report. In addition, the rapid innovation described in the report has occurred only in pockets. While examples of computer technology innovation abound, many sectors operate in much the same way they have for generations. Therefore, not all sectors will be as willing or able to 3 Design Critique embrace change. The field of education is described as one such sector which tends to rely on tradition and generally resists change. The report effectively argues that educational institutions 4 and practices that exist today are not significantly different than they were hundreds of years ago and that many prevailing “best practices” have been developed and passed down from one practitioner to the next. While the report may be criticized for discrediting the vast body of existing educational research (discussed below) and the experience of practitioners, the report effectively describes the struggle within the field of education between what is termed “scientific” and “humanistic” approaches. Coming to terms with this issue will be central to future education reform. This is particularly the case within the United States where No Child Left Behind proponents, who favor educational standards based on what the report terms “scientific based research”, are facing off with opponents who favor empowering practitioners to rely on time tested “best practices” based on their judgment and experience. While the report clearly advocates a “scientific” approach, it is likely that the debate between scientific and humanistic approaches will rage on for some time to come. The report also addresses the fact that effective knowledge-based networks require a high degree of open access to information and people. Copyright to protect intellectual property rights or access fees in the form of tuition, membership fees, or journal subscriptions can all be barriers to this free flow of open access to information and people. However, there is no easy solution to remove these barriers. While revenue generation can be a barrier to access, it is also an incentive for producers to innovate. Likewise, while copyright limits access, it also affords important protections to producers who have invested their time and recourses into creating the material. Design Critique Weaknesses of Report As noted, the report provides a very compelling vision for the future; one in which expanded access, free flows of information, and knowledge-based networks propel innovation. However, in tackling the very complex topic of generating and sharing knowledge and innovation in the field of education, the report leaves many unanswered questions. Why the disregard for previous educational research and practice? A clear message in the report is that the field of education lacks a sufficient body of existing scientific research to 5 propel innovation in education and learning. Is this a valid assertion? It is likely that many of the thousands of members of the American Educational Research Association and other professional research organizations would welcome the opportunity to pose an argument against this position. While there are many avenues of new research to pursue and the field of education struggles to transfer prior research into effective practices, it seems unwarranted to disregard (or at best to discredit) decades of existing educational and instructional research and practice. How will knowledge-based networks support innovation in education? The report focused heavily on the transformative power of knowledge-based networks. Yet, is unclear how the authors propose knowledge-based networks should support the field of education. Is the intent to bring learners into the networks (as a means of providing instruction and education) or is the intent to use knowledge-based networks to support the knowledge generation and sharing among “thought leaders” as a means of driving innovative practices in education? If the intent is to use knowledge-based networks to support educators within a globally connected professional development community, then many of the examples in the book are applicable, including using the open forms of connection to generate and share new innovative practices. However, if the Design Critique 6 intent is to use knowledge-based networks as means of providing and delivering education, then there are numerous barriers to consider that are not addressed in this report, as discussed below. What about other factors and barriers in the education sector? As noted, the report effectively summarizes examples of innovation in other sectors and attempts to argue that these same opportunities and practices will be drivers for education. However, the education sector faces many barriers that were either not addressed within the report or only given passing mention. Yet, these barriers make transfer of many of the innovation drivers very difficult for the field of education. Most importantly, education in many countries is compulsory. Therefore, access cannot be limited to pockets of a fortunate few. A condition of educational delivery in most countries is that access must be universal. As such, knowledge generation and sharing strategies which can only be supported by advanced forms of information and communication technologies are not feasible for the vast majority of the world’s population, including teachers and learners in many developed countries. What are the suggestions to reach this “unconnected” majority? In addition, beyond access, education must provide guidance and context around information through effective instructional practices for all learners; not just some learners or those intrinsically motivated to learn-by-doing. Are the hypothetical participants in the cited knowledge-based communities assumed to be high achieving early adopters? If so, what is the prescription to reach and engage teachers and learners of all levels of ability and motivation? In this new world of open access, who will be responsible for providing the required universal access, instructional guidance and context, assessment of performance, and credit for the experience? Formal educational institutions? Informal knowledge networks? Who will pay for this access? Individual learners? Governments? Private foundations? While the report Design Critique effectively argues that much of the innovation in other sectors has come from free and open informal knowledge networks, it is far less clear how free and open informal networks can provide the necessary universal access, context, assessment, and credit for the experience. Is the take-away message that existing formal educational institutions should become more agile and nimble like informal knowledge networks? If so, the report falls short of describing how that major miracle can happen. Does access lead to knowledge generation or transfer? The report provides numerous examples of how information and communication technology can expand access to people and 7 information. Unfortunately, the report leaves to future research any prescriptions for instructional practices and processes to facilitate learning. As such, the focus of the report becomes the transformative power of the delivery medium. Most instructional designers would argue that content and interaction are important, but not sufficient conditions for instruction. Effective presentation, practice, and guidance strategies are also needed to facilitate learning. While the writers of this report forcefully stressed the need for research into effective instructional practices, many well intentioned open access programs, such as the One Laptop per Child project and numerous open educational resource (OER) projects, are founded on an “if you build it / share it, they will come” premise. By the report’s focus on the transformative power of the delivery medium, readers may be left with the notion that free flows of information and access to communication technologies will naturally lead to learning. However, is offering learners access to an information technology and an open educational resource significantly different than offering learners a bus pass and a library card? While both options would likely benefit the learners, few would consider either to be instruction or models for the future of education. Design Critique Innovation through Effective Instruction: From Information Transfer to Knowledge Generation and Management In the section that follows, an outline is provided which proposes instructional design practices to support and foster innovation. The presented instructional design considerations go beyond basic information transfer to practices which foster effective knowledge generation and management. Move from Problems to be Corrected to Opportunity Identification Problem to be corrected. Most instructional design plans begin with an identification of instructional problems. The identified problems form the reason for undertaking instruction. Unfortunately, when viewed as problem correction, instruction becomes an intervention to correct deficiencies. Opportunity identification. In contrast, instruction conceived of as opportunity identification focuses on answering three important questions which are central to any planning activity, including: 1)”Where we are today?” 2) “Where we want to be in the future?” and 3) “What do we need to do to get there?” While there is a subtle difference between the identification of problems to be corrected and opportunity identification, the impact on the instructional objectives can be profound. The focus of the instructional objectives and, in turn, 8 the design plan shifts from making the learner or organization whole today (by filling in existing skill and knowledge gaps) to creating learning experiences tied directly to long term goals for the future. Leverage Learner Experiences and Knowledge through Co-creation of Knowledge Build upon what learners know. Learner analysis is one of the primary steps in most instructional design plans. By ensuring that the learner analysis includes the learners’ entry Design Critique 9 competencies, their level of expertise, and their background knowledge an instructional designer is able to create and facilitate instructional strategies which are authentic and build upon the existing knowledge of the learners. In turn, learners will be more engaged in the instruction and contribute to the knowledge creation and sharing process. Ground in authentic tasks. Tied to above, it is important to consider the context in which the learners will use the to-be-learned knowledge. The design plan should incorporate instructional strategies which are grounded in authentic tasks and situations that the learner faces now and will face in the future. By doing so, it is more likely that the learners will integrate the instruction and contribute to future innovation after the instructional event is over. Re-think Traditional Instructional Roles Instructors as facilitators versus transmitters. The instructor role is often conceived of as a transmitter of information. However, in order to foster knowledge generation among learner participants, it is necessary to re-think the traditional role of the instructor from transmitter of information to facilitator of knowledge co-creation. Learners as Co-creators. In order to foster knowledge generation among participants, it is important to go beyond a notion of learners as sponges who absorb information transmitted by the instructor. Instead, learners must take on active roles as co-creators of knowledge. As noted, learners have experiences to build upon which can not only add to given instructional sessions, but also to knowledge generation and sharing beyond the classroom. Re-assess Instructional Time Horizon The instructional event. When instruction or training is considered as an intervention to fix or address a specific problem or need, instructional design plans tend to be limited to the Design Critique instructional event. However, it is shortsighted for a designer to not contemplate knowledge creation and sharing opportunities after the instructional event is over. Beyond the instructional event. An overriding goal of instruction should be integration. The benefit of gaining knowledge is the ability to use it. If learners do not integrate the newly formed knowledge into their lives, there is not much benefit to be derived from conducting the 10 instruction in the first place. Therefore, instruction should contemplate what the learners will do with the instruction and attempt to extend the knowledge generation and sharing beyond the instructional event. One way to accomplish this is to effectively support the learners’ integration into formal and information networks, as discussed below. Support Knowledge Networks Formal Networks. Formal networks are formed to support a shared goal or vision. Instruction is typically undertaken to support the needs of formal networks; to train employees or educate members to be more productive within the greater formal network. Therefore, it is a traditional practice within instructional design to fully consider the needs, characteristics, and context of the formal network. Who are the players? What are the roles? How will the instruction support the knowledge generation and management needs of the formal network? Informal Networks. Beyond support of formal networks, instruction should also recognize and foster knowledge creation and sharing within informal networks. In contrast to formal networks, informal networks are formed by individuals who hold common, but not necessarily shared, needs and goals. Informal networks tend to be loosely joined, but are often very influential and powerful innovators. While informal networks are often hard to identify, it is important to consider ways to contemplate existing and potential informal networks within the design of instruction and to help the network members recognize their common needs and goals. Design Critique Open Lines of Communication 11 For any formal or informal knowledge network to function, the members must be able to communicate. An important step in the instructional design process is ensuring all members of the learning community have access to communication channels and are versed in the shared language. However, beyond access and knowledge of important terminology, it is important for learners to know the people who hold expertise in key areas and how to connect with them. Address Barriers to Knowledge Generation and Sharing Barriers to Accessing People. As discussed above, participation among individuals is central to the notion of knowledge co-creation. However, barriers among participants can impede the knowledge generation and sharing among participants. The barriers may be intentional or unintentional. Some participants may not want to engage with others, due a lack of incentive or to conceal information and knowledge, while others may simply not be aware of the existence of others with a particular expertise. Instructional designers can help learners form connections and, as noted above, establish a shared language and platform from which to communicate. Barriers to Accessing Information. Information is fuel for a knowledge network. Barriers to a free flow of information can mean that participants will not be able to leverage the information during knowledge generation. However, the free flow of information can be impeded, again either intentionally or unintentionally. Unintentional barriers are often created when someone holds information without knowing others would benefit from it or when there is too much information to sift through (the “firehouse” effect), validate, or synthesize. In contrast, intentional barriers are created when individuals or groups attempt to protect the value of the information they possess through copyright or other access fees. It is complicated balance Design Critique between protecting intellectual property and trade secrets while also ensuring that participants are benefiting from a free flow of information. Instructional designers can help learners overcome these barriers by identifying or providing vetted information sources. Barriers to Accessing Tools. Tools are the medium with which information and knowledge are codified and disseminated. Without access to and knowledge of how to use the 12 tools, a barrier exists. Again, this barrier can be intentional, such as in the form of access fees or patents, or unintentional, such as in a lack of awareness that the tool exists or knowledge of how to use the tool. Instructional designers should contemplate the tools available to learners and ensure that learners have the necessary access and skills to use the tools. Design Critique References 13 Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, & Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2004). Innovation in the knowledge economy: implications for education and learning. Knowledge management. Paris, France: OECD.