Continuous product innovation : learning behaviours and knowledge management

The research reported in this paper considers Product Innovation from a broader perspective than that of the isolated NPD (New Product Development) project commonly discussed in the literature. In this perspective, Product Innovation is a continuous and cross-functional process involving the sharing and transfer of knowledge within the many steps of the innovation process, and the integration of a growing number of different competencies inside and outside the organisational boundaries. This paper examines two in-depth case studies that were carried out to establish if and how learning occurred within companies developing new products. Based on a model developed as part of a joint Euro-Australian research project, the way in which the selected companies share and transfer knowledge and learning experiences during their product innovation processes have been examined and analysed. This model uses a number of interrelated variables including performance, behaviours and levers to stimulate improvement, contingencies, and learning/innovation capabilities to describe the learning and knowledge transfer in product innovation processes within the case studies. This paper discusses some of the skills the research has identified that managers need to enable their companies to gain a competitive advantage through improved product innovation. The ongoing research has developed, tested and disseminated a computer-based methodology to assess organisational knowledge capture and transfer in the new product development process. The research is part of the Euro-Australian co-operation project known as CIMA (Continuous Improvement and Product Innovation Management).

Developing eco-agency through education : capacitating agency through learning

The paper is prompted by startling results from large scale international studies that show the dissonance between young people’s sustainability knowledge and the resistance of young people to put into practice. The studies suggest that while students are aware of what they should be doing, as a result of their education about sustainability, they are reluctant to change their behavior and action in their everyday life. These results raise important issues about current models of education and how sustainability is captured within education. The results suggest that no matter how powerful the ideas and how well intentioned the methods of education for sustainable development, translating those ideas into action, beyond classroom and beyond curriculum strategies remain elusive. In order to re-think some aspects of educational practice, the paper examines the notion of agency as a critical component in the understanding of how behavior and actions are organized and integrated by students. By developing a more refined understanding of agency, and incorporating this into educational practice around sustainability, it may be possible to better develop resonant sustainable actions, or eco-agency, supporting the maintenance our environment.

Nonnegative shared subspace learning and its application to social media retrieval

Although tagging has become increasingly popular in online image and video sharing systems, tags are known to be noisy, ambiguous, incomplete and subjective. These factors can seriously affect the precision of a social tag-based web retrieval system. Therefore improving the precision performance of these social tag-based web retrieval systems has become an increasingly important research topic. To this end, we propose a shared subspace learning framework to leverage a secondary source to improve retrieval performance from a primary dataset. This is achieved by learning a shared subspace between the two sources under a joint Nonnegative Matrix Factorization in which the level of subspace sharing can be explicitly controlled. We derive an efficient algorithm for learning the factorization, analyze its complexity, and provide proof of convergence. We validate the framework on image and video retrieval tasks in which tags from the LabelMe dataset are used to improve image retrieval performance from a Flickr dataset and video retrieval performance from a YouTube dataset. This has implications for how to exploit and transfer knowledge from readily available auxiliary tagging resources to improve another social web retrieval system. Our shared subspace learning framework is applicable to a range of problems where one needs to exploit the strengths existing among multiple and heterogeneous datasets.

The social network virtual design studio : integrated design learning using blended learning environments

Online communications, multimedia, mobile computing and face-to-face learning create blended learning environments to which some Virtual Design Studios (VDS) have reacted to. Social Networks (SN), as instruments for communication, have provided a potentially fruitful operative base for VDS. These technologies transfer communication, leadership, democratic interaction, teamwork, social engagement and responsibility away from the design tutors to the participants. The implementation of Social Network VDS (SNVDS) moved the VDS beyond its conventional realm and enabled students to develop architectural design that is embedded into a community of learners and expertise both online and offline. Problem-based learning (PBL) becomes an iterative and reflexive process facilitating deep learning. The paper discusses details of the SNVDS, its pedagogical implications to PBL, and presents how the SNVDS is successful in enabling architectural students to collaborate and communicate design proposals that integrate a variety of skills, deep learning, knowledge and construction with a rich learning experience.

A bayesian nonparametric joint factor model for learning shared and individual subspaces from multiple data sources

Joint analysis of multiple data sources is becoming increasingly popular in transfer learning, multi-task learning and cross-domain data mining. One promising approach to model the data jointly is through learning the shared and individual factor subspaces. However, performance of this approach depends on the subspace dimensionalities and the level of sharing needs to be specified a priori. To this end, we propose a nonparametric joint factor analysis framework for modeling multiple related data sources. Our model utilizes the hierarchical beta process as a nonparametric prior to automatically infer the number of shared and individual factors. For posterior inference, we provide a Gibbs sampling scheme using auxiliary variables. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is validated through its application on two real world problems - transfer learning in text and image retrieval.

A slice sampler for restricted hierarchical beta process with applications to shared subspace learning

Hierarchical beta process has found interesting applications in recent years. In this paper we present a modified hierarchical beta process prior with applications to hierarchical modeling of multiple data sources. The novel use of the prior over a hierarchical factor model allows factors to be shared across different sources. We derive a slice sampler for this model, enabling tractable inference even when the likelihood and the prior over parameters are non-conjugate. This allows the application of the model in much wider contexts without restrictions. We present two different data generative models – a linear Gaussian-Gaussian model for real valued data and a linear Poisson-gamma model for count data. Encouraging transfer learning results are shown for two real world applications – text modeling and content based image retrieval.

Improving renal patient care without compromising safety: interactive simulated e-learning

The nephrology educators network [NEN] recognised in 2007 that inequities existed in the access and delivery of evidence based renal education programs particularly to nurses in regional and remote areas. To address this, a web-based approach to learning, through the development of peer reviewed, interactive nephrology e-learning programs was adopted. These programs aligned with the tenets of e-learning instructional design and afforded more effective and consistent clinical support and induction for nurses in the renal specialty. The e-learning programs promote a standardised evidence-based approach to nephrology education and were developed by content experts from across Australia and New Zealand. The design methodology avoided the duplication of resources while also encouraging knowledge transfer between participating health organisations.

This paper will discuss the development and successful implementation of these e-learning programs across renal healthcare units in Australasia. Implemented packages include: Introduction to Buttonhole Cannulation – featuring an interactive ultrasound and cannulation application; Introduction to Haemodialysis; Introduction to Peritoneal Dialysis [PD], featuring simulated PD machines, allowing for the teaching of troubleshooting without compromising patient safety. E-learning programs are further supported through interactive case scenarios that present unfolding real world simulations and enable learners to meet different patients and manage their care while learning about key messages relating to renal health. Modules currently in development include; Acute Kidney Injury; Fluid Assessment, Water Quality and Vascular Access. The implementation of these programs assist the facilitation of positive change in teaching and learning practices in nephrology nursing aimed at improving patient outcomes.

The influence of organisational commitment, job involvement and utility perceptions on trainees’ motivation to improve work through learning

Workplace training is a key strategy often used by organisations to optimise performance. Further, trainee motivation is a key determinant of the degree to which the material learned in a training programme will be transferred to the workplace, enhancing the performance of the trainee. This study investigates the relationship between several components of the Revised Human Resource Development (HRD) Evaluation and Research Model. This model provides a framework for diagnosing and understanding the causal influences of HRD intervention outcomes on training effectiveness. Data were obtained from an online questionnaire completed by 105 employees of various organisations. Findings revealed that affective organisational commitment, job involvement and utility perceptions are predictors of motivation to learn and transfer learning. An interaction effect was found, with increased affective organisational commitment predicting greater motivation to learn when training was of lower perceived utility. These findings suggest that the design and delivery of training should emphasise the relevance and utility of the programme in order to encourage greater trainee motivation and maximise return on investment. Additionally, implementing strategies aimed at promoting organisational commitment would appear beneficial.

Lifelong learning pathways : addressing participation and diversity in higher education, Final report 2013

Building effective pathways for students to transfer from and between education sectors and qualifications has been the subject of extensive research, policy development and practice over the last 20 years, both in Australia and internationally. Different researchers and policy-makers have examined this topic from various angles, but all from the perspective that improved pathways constitute an essential feature in a more flexible and integrated tertiary education system.

An ontology-driven topic mapping approach to multi-level management of e-learning resources

An appropriate use of various pedagogical strategies is fundamental for the effective transfer of knowledge in a flourishing e-learning environment. The resultant information superfluity, however, needs to be tackled for developing sustainable e-learning. This necessitates an effective representation and intelligent access to learning resources. Topic maps address these problems of representation and retrieval of information in a distributed environment. The former aspect is particularly relevant where the subject domain is complex and the later aspect is important where the amount of resources is abundant but not easily accessible. Conversely, effective presentation of learning resources based on various pedagogical strategies along with global capturing and authentication of learning resources are an intrinsic part of effective management of learning resources. Towards fulfilling this objective, this paper proposes a multi-level ontology-driven topic mapping approach to facilitate an effective visualization, classification and global authoring of learning resources in e-learning.

Evaluating the intertwined critical success factors for sustainable e-learning

Successfully leveraging knowledge transfer in distributed e-learning requires effective combination of pedagogies, technologies, and efficient management of learning resources. As a result, identifying and evaluating the critical success factors within each of these facets is vital for the success of e-learning. This paper explores the critical success factors intertwined within the learning ecosystem namely pedagogy, technology and management of learning resources in a higher education e-learning environment. Adopting a hybrid approach consisting of a systematic literature review and interviews with experts in e-learning, this paper shows that there is a discrepancy between theory and practice in e-learning in regard to the application of pedagogies, use of technology, and management of reusable learning objects. This implies that there is a need for tackling various issues regarding the adoption of appropriate e-learning strategies, knowledge sharing, quality, granularity and reusability of learning object for sustainable e-learning.

Developing creative citizens through experiential learning environments in applied drama

The Seoul Agenda (2010, p.8) recognizes the value of arts education in enhancing creative and innovative capacity in young people. It goes so far as to suggest that applying arts will “cultivate a new generation of creative citizens”. This paper documents a specific area of arts education in university level drama degrees. In a case study approach, it discusses the outcomes of a work-based learning approach for students of applied drama. It explores the drama student‟s experience and considers how engaging in the study of applied drama and applied performance and having the support and opportunity to transfer these skills in real contexts acts to develop creative capacity and to contribute to consolidating the students‟ identities as citizens

Engineers' professional learning: a practice-theory perspective

With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and interdisciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice-theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities and challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities, that is, social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices – site walks and design review meetings – in which learning takes place.

The impact of an authentic, simulated learning activity on student preparedness for work-integrated learning

Student preparation for work-integrated learning using simulated learning experiences is an under researched field in occupational therapy. In 2013 the Deakin University occupational therapy degree introduced a simulated learning experience for students aimed at preparing them for work-integrated learning experiences. The session gave students an opportunity to practice fundamental skills of the discipline. A Likert scale survey was written and critically reviewed by the authors. Students rated the extent to which they felt that they could communicate effectively, build rapport, safely transfer clients, apply occupational health and safety principles and write case notes, prior to and after participation in the simulated learning experience. A statistically significant improvement was found for all outcomes measured. Students also reported improved confidence and valued opportunities to practice and receive feedback on skills. The results demonstrate that participation in a simulated learning activity improves confidence and skills in a range of areas that are relevant to work-integrated learning placement.

A Socioeconomic Approach to the Development of E-Learning

A multitude of products, systems, approaches, views and notions characterize the field of e-learning. This article attempts to disentangle the field by using economic and sociological theories, theories of marketing management and strategy as well as practical experience gained by the author while working with leading edge suppliers of e-learning. On this basis, a distinction between knowledge creation e-learning and knowledge transfer e-learning is made. The various views are divided into four different ideal-typical paradigms, each with its own characteristics and limitations. Selecting the right paradigm to use in the development of an e-learning strategy may prove crucial to success. Implications for the development of an e-learning strategy in businesses and educational institutions are outlined.