Virtual Science of Learning Organizations: Designing the Future Dr. Susan Winter University of Maryland, College Park.

Virtual Science ofLearning

Organizations: Designing the Future

Dr. Susan WinterUniversity of Maryland, College Park

National Science Foundation

“…promote the progress of science… advance the national health, prosperity and welfare… secure the national defense…”

– National Science Foundation Act of 1950

Science of Learning (SoL) SolicitationExtend the frontiers of the SoL Broaden SoL’s impact on society Centers expected to contribute to learning in

all educational settings.

US Research & Education: Inherently State & Local

Fragmented Research and Education Apparatus

Difficult to influence, much less control

Extending the Frontiers & Contributing to Learning

Complex intellectual challenges

Multi-disciplinary collaboration among diverse scientific teams sharing common resources

Distributed Geographically

Virtual Organizations!

Organization of Scientific Work

Old Science Lab, Researcher + Assistants Division of Labor Narrow Focus of Work

New Science Complex Problems Shared Resources Interdisciplinary Teams Global Operations, Distributed,

Asynchronous

Science

Infrastructure DevelopmentEnabling Technologies

Organization of WorkExploitation of Capability

Principles for Designing Virtual Science-of-Learning

Organizations Informed and Reflective Choices

General PrinciplesUnderstand Specific Contexts

Mix of Virtual and Face-to-Face Elements

Organizations Likelihood of Success for Kinds of

Alliances Knowledge-based Alliances Least Likely Leadership and Processes are Important

Silos are Hard Interactions Incentives Insights

• Building Cultures• Building Spanning Roles

Knowledge Management/ Group and Team Science

Trust is KeyAbsorptive Capacity

Tacit vs. Explicit Knowledge

Sociotechnical Systems

“If You Build it, They Will Come” Myth

Crowdsourcing/Social ParticipationCitizen SciencePrizes/Contests/CompetitionsGamification

Incentives NOT well understood

3 Aspects of Virtual Scientific Work

AssetsWhat do you have to work with?

Knowledge FlowsWho tells who about what and when?

GovernanceWho can make what decisions?What are the incentives?

3 Aspects of Scientific Work

Dimension Assets

Knowledge Flows

Governance

Collaboration Success Knowledge-based

Alliances vs. Sharing Equipment or Data

Silos Impede Knowledge Flows

Mandating Use vs. Incentives

Types of Collaborations

Lifecycle and EnduranceTemporary, Recurring, Permanent

BoundednessProblem-focused vs. Group-enabling

Scale and Scope2 vs. 2,000 Scientists

Determinants of Enablers Degree of Shared Context

Discipline, Department, Organization, Country, Language, Culture

Task and Actor InterdependenceDivisible, Serial Dependence, Co-

creation

Determinants of Enablers Regulatory Environments

Degrees of Freedom? Technical and Human Infrastructure for

Asset Management, Governance, Knowledge FlowsTools

• Custom, Commercial-Off-the-Shelf, End-User Developed

• Heterogeneous Environments (Platforms, Networks)• Poor Fit to Tasks• Technical Difficulties are the Norm!

Human• Large Gaps in Expertise on Distributed, International

Teams

Mix Modalities to Enable Knowledge Flows

OralFace-to-Face, videoconference,

phone Written

Manuals/Wikis, Contracts, Journal Articles Pictures/Graphics (drawing boards), Meta-data, MOUs, email, Text Messages, Blogs, Tweets

Is this easy? No! Hitting a Moving Target

Will Eventually Sort it OutGoal = Accelerate Process so Get Sorted Faster

Hard and Persistent Problems even with the Help of the Organizational Sciences

Resources are Sparsely Distributed and Poorly Connected (Who do you call for help?)Hard to Disseminate Lessons Learned

Problems Are Tractable If

Committed & Not Easily Discouraged

In It for the Long Run Issues Play out Over Time Iterative Process of Doing & Learning Synthesis Across Instances for Patterns

Know why you are invested in thisComplementary Assets

Engage Really Good People to Work on Them

Designing Virtual Science-of-Learning Organizations: Smart

Learning by Doing Bring Assets to Bear on the Problem

Research Evidence Industry Lessons LearnedAssessment for Continuous Improvement

Support VSLO Leaders and Members for Knowledge Transfer/DeploymentWorkshops, Manuals, Online ResourcesMore Research/Translation to Practice

Questions?

Understanding Innovation Communities

Building Innovation Communities

Realizing the Potential

Translational science

Research Evidence: Creation/Synthesis/Agenda

Tailored suite of materials: - Practices, tools, processes…- Scale, Disciplinarity, Pedagogy

Funding Good PracticesHuman Capital