K3 – an e-Learning Forum with Elaborated Discourse Functions for Collaborative Knowledge Management

The e-learning platform K3 realizes a constructivist learning model augmented with collaborative properties. K3 courses, mainly offered since 2004 at the University of Konstanz, follow the blended learning model. K3 collaborative discourse work is organized in virtual groups. All group members have to choose a role (moderator, summarizer, etc.) for a certain period and their role performance is part of their evaluation. Discourse takes place in an electronic (asynchronous) forum. Each contribution/comment must be specified according to its discourse function. These specifications structure discourse and allow selective retrieval of discourse objects. Students are encouraged to augment their contributions informationally by reference objects. A graphic interface facilitates navigation through complex discourse structures and makes them transparent. The technical basis of K3 is an open source, objectoriented client-server system for the management of the different types of K3 data. 1 Background of e-Learning in Higher Education in Europe In Europe, with some delay compared to earlier developments in the USA, Canada and in other countries, the importance of e-learning for quality and efficiency in higher education is no longer disputed. The political background in Europe for a greater awareness of the value of e-learning for higher education in general is the so called Bologna process which has had an intensive influence on the public, media and scientific debate in more than 40 countries in Europe. From a didactic point of view the Bologna process is also important because it demands a stronger user-/learner-centred approach rather than the traditional teacher-/ex-cathedra-oriented approach. This fits into the constructivist learning model augmented with virtual collaborative (social) properties which we apply in the K3 system. In Germany, the Ministry for Research and Education (BMBF), set up a multi-million Euro programme “New Media in Higher Education” over the last four years in order to encourage the development of e-learning content and platforms, and, recently, to secure the sustainability of e-learning developments (which often disappear from the scene after the end of funding. K3 is one of the many projects to have been funded by the programme (from 9/02-8/05) and is intended to be the major e-learning platform for a future network of German information science departments. [1] The Bologna process is originally based on a declaration by 29 European countries, who agreed on common principles for the development of higher education. [2] K3 (in German: Kommunikation, Kollaboration, Kompetenz) – which could be called in English C3 (communication, collaboration, competence). Dieses Dokument wird unter folgender Creative-Commons-Lizenz veröffentlicht: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/de/