National Digital Learning Repository - Ireland If You Build It, Will They Come?: Strategies for...

National Digital Learning Repository - Ireland

If You Build It, Will They Come?: Strategies for Community Enhanced

Learning Repositories

Catherine BruenDr. Vincent P. Wade

National Digital Learning RepositoryIreland www.ndlr.ie


19/04/23

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Outline• What is the NDLR

– Brief Tour of NDLR website, content and subject areas

• Strategies for Populating a repository

• NDLR Approach - Community (of Users) Driven Repositories

• Current NDLR Communities of Practice

• Successes to Date

• The bottom line


Strategies for Populating a Repository

Strategy 1:Take existing content, Populate the repository with it, Provide

access to existing users

Strategy 2: Develop bespoke content for intended use by individual users,

Provide access to the intended users & support their intended use

Strategy 3:Support the intended communities of users in populating the

repository themselves with new (bespoke) and existing resources

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Strategy 1Take existing content, populate repository

and provide access to existing users

Benefits– Existing content…

ensures rapid population

Threats– Repository as a

dump

– Repository as an archive (for longevity)

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Strategy 2 Develop bespoke content for intended use

Benefits(i) Populate with fresh

content = “current” motivation for usage

(ii) Active engagement with real users

(iii) Quality Assured resources

Threats(i) Can end up with

content whose reuse is unproven

(ii)Sustainability issues (a) Not sustainable to continue

paying users to develop content

(iii) Higher costs

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Strategy 3Support the intended Communities of Users in populating the repository themselves with new and existing resources

Advantages(i) Directly supports sustainability of user activity/usage

(a) Sustainable Structure i.e. Community becomes less fatigued than individual user(b) Community can be an existing (or long lived) networks of users (e.g. Irish Learning

Technology Association )

(ii) New Communities(a) Explicit support for Community forming and self reliance(b) Support to help them sustain themselves (c) Resources for meetings, networks, forming)

(iii) Benefit from economies of scale and community impact


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Strategy 3Support the intended Communities of Users in populating the

repository themselves with new and existing resources

Disadvantages(i) Attempting to constantly create new communities

(a) Communities have to grow incrementally

(ii) “Lurking” Communities (a) Existing networks becoming communities for short term gains and finance, but reverts

back to original network/devolve once initial funding period is over

(iii)Careful management to ensure even balance of :(a) CoP identifying with (or ownership of) repository(b) Without any loss or drain to identity of community itself


NDLR Approach(Strategy 3)

NDLR CoP Coordinators (presented by my colleagues): • CoPs in the context of the Literature • Common principles of NDLR Communities of Practice

– When every CoP has its own unique identity & needs

• Picture on the ground…barriers & challenges facing CoPs

NDLR• Nurturing and supporting CoPs

– “while communities of practice need to be spontaneous and self-directed, guidelines can be helpful in creating the conditions for them to flourish”

A framework of seven principles, Wenger, McDermott & Snyder (2002)

– NDLR Working Model for supporting a CoP Driven Repository, within context of:• Case studies of current CoPs (e.g. Veterinary Environmental Sciences CoP) • Some existing models** • While identifying critical points for supporting CoPs to make the repository “Their Own”

** Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2003; The CAMEL (Collaborative Approaches to the Management of E-Learning) model http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/camel/camel-model/ ; The ESEN Project - http://www.esen.eu.com/


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QA, activities, decision making, training, best practice use of the RLOs, Re-Use, etc.

Current Practice

At the heart of NDLR success is core relationship

between Repository and the

Users (CoPs)

Users(CoPs)

own Repository


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Stages NDLR Support & Guidance Framework for a Working Model

Stage 1 – Pilot Stage - Emergent CoPs Forming/Storming

Identify partners, build trust, identify common goals & experiences, begin to formalise informal relationships

Depending on CoP stage of Development, NDLR typically provide:

•Funding

•Training & Information

• Access to NDLR Training events and resources for e-Learning, Teaching and Learning and Content Sharing.

•Advice, Guidance & Support

• Coordination of their CoP.

• NDLR licensing issues.

• NDLR metadata issues.

• Design, Development & Reuse of RLOs

• Using & Reusing RLOs on the Ground

• Technical, PR & Links

• Online tools for Collaboration, Websites, blogs, Wiki, etc.

• Repository accounts / CoP Categories

• Assistance with coordination of launch or community events with NDLR partner institutions

• PR materials for NDLR & CoP related events.

• Advertisement & promotion through NDLR partner contacts.

Stage 2 - Norming / Performing

Identity of the community, identify self-supporting/sustaining models, sharing resources, good practice, knowledge transfer/exchange, realise innovation

Stage 3Adjourning / Transforming

Future practices - How to move forward & innovate, continue to build upon good practice, Identify locus and context of Community (subject domain and nationally/internationally)

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Funding

Training & Information

Guidance & Support

Technical, PR & Links


Current Communities of Practice

• Applied Social Studies (ASSCoP)• Bio-Technology (BioTech CoP)• Chemical and Physical Sciences (CPSCoP)• Computer Science (CSCoP)• Education (EDUCoP)• Library Information Skills• Mathematics and Statistics Service Teaching in Higher Education

(MSHECoP)• Mechanical Engineering (MECoP)• Modern Languages (ModLangCoP)• Nursing and Midwifery (NMCoP)• Technology Enhanced Learning (TELCoP)• Veterinary and Bio-Environmental (VETBIOCoP)• Art & Conflict• Apprentice-based Learning• Student Retention 19/04/23

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NDLR to Date

• Pilot Service fully operational (hosted by HEAnet)

• Jointly administered by all partner institutions – National First!

• 1816 learning resources

• 1197 users

• Cataloguing team – ensure Q.A. of metadata

• 12 Communities of Practice (+ 3 Emergent CoPs)

• National training programme 2008

• Licence agreements (draft) in place

• NDLR Symposium 2008… an annual event in conjunction with all Partners19/04/23

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Bottom line…

Communities of Users ….

USE itBUILD it

OWN itPOPULATE it

REUSE it

……..SUSTAIN it

Thanks!19/04/23

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Role of the Repository Service Provider

NDLR (core team) responsibilities• Manage & improve services

– Repository (metadata, technical & community services)

• Promote training/awareness/visibility• Extend copyright accesses• Support communities of practice

– Including partial funding• Instigate 'inter community' events

– Conferences, workshops etc.– Support alignment of repository to HE sector

providers (universities, institutes etc.), • Ensure forum for collaboration in running Repository service

with HE sector providers AND COP coordinators etc....19/04/23

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Library Search (UK Jacs)Education Educational TechnologyDigitizing Learning Evidence (Cork IT)• https://www.ndlr.ie/intralibrary/IntraLibrary?

command=preview&learning_object_id=1175 Writing a Summary (Yvonne Cleary, UL)• https://www.ndlr.ie/intralibrary/IntraLibrary?command=preview-

item&learning_object_id=1205&learning_item_id=2256

Library Search (CoPs)Nursing & Midwifery Respiratory Distress Case Study 6 -

http://www.heanet.ie/services/multimedia/videostreaming/ndlr/nursing/RLO_6.asx

Simple Search – “Vygotsky”https://www.ndlr.ie/intralibrary/IntraLibrary?command=preview-

item&learning_object_id=1893&learning_item_id=2997

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