Engaging knowledge management learners through web-based ICT: An empirical study

• Main Authors: MENKHOFF, Thomas, THANG, Tze Yian, CHAY, Yue Wah, WONG, Yue Kee
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2011
• Subjects: E-learning; Knowledge management; Virtual learning environments; Web site design; Instructional Media Design; Organizational Behavior and Theory; Technology and Innovation
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/3091; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/4090/viewcontent/Engaging_knowledge_management_learners_through_web_afv.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

The purpose of this paper is to examine how to successfully blend an e-learning module into a knowledge management (KM) course aimed at getting KM students interested in the respective subject matter (=KM) in a web-based learning environment. Based on data obtained from 138 undergraduate business management students at a university in Singapore, practical aspects of effectively implementing an e-learning system with a focus on KM are analyzed and the importance determined of three conceptual variables in the context of successful blended learning approaches: online faculty to student interaction, social presence and personal e-learning experiences. The study shows some positive correlations between online faculty to student interaction, the degree of presence in a web-based learning environment, as well as personal e-learning experiences as potential drivers of students' desire to learn more about the subject matter KM. There has been reliance on self-reported data in both the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats study and the student survey. The causal effects of students' perceptions on actual learning need to be explored in a future study with a larger sample size. To increase students' acceptance of a web-based KM course, instructors must ensure quality interaction between them and their students, strong social presence via intrinsically rewarding group interactions and enriching, personal e-learning experiences on the basis of real-life KM problems. Games, systematic performance monitoring and graded knowledge tests are critical, too. This study highlights several good design features of an effective student interface vis-à-vis the development of an effective online learning environment from the perspective of KM student learners. Implications for e-learning designers and instructors, as well as issues for further research, are outlined.