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Collaborative Knowledge Modelling with a Graphical Knowledge Representation Tool MOT: A Strategy to Support the Transfer of Expertise in Organizations

Josianne Basque, Gilbert Paquette, Beatrice Pudelko and Michel Leonard

Tele-universite, LICEF Research Center

Abstract: This chapter presents a strategy for collaborative knowledge modelling between experts and novices in order to support the transfer of expertise within organisations. The use of an object-typed knowledge modelling software tool called MOT is advocated, to elaborate knowledge models in small groups composed of experienced and less experienced employees within organisations. A knowledge model is similar to a concept map, except that it is based on a typology of links and knowledge objects. This technique is used to help experts externalise their knowledge pertaining to concepts, principles, procedures and facts related to their work and to support the sharing of knowledge with novice employees. This chapter presents the rationale behind this strategy, the tool used, the applications of this method and the manner in which it can be integrated into a global knowledge management strategy within organisations.

Biography: Josianne Basque is professor in educational technology at Tele-universite, Mont-real, a French Canadian distance university. She designed online courses in the fields of learning and cognitive science, technology in education and instructional design. She is also a researcher at the LICEF Research Center, dedicated to re-search in the field of Cognitive Informatics and Learning Environments. Her cur-rent research interests include knowledge modeling applied to learning, knowledge management and instructional design, the design of e-learning scenarios, collabo-rative learning and self-evaluation of competencies.

Biography: Gilbert Paquette is professor at Tele-universite, Montreal, and the holder of the Canada Research Chair in Tele-Learning in Cognitive Engineering. He founded the LICEF Research Center in 1992 and initiated many strategic and large projects on instructional engineering of e-learning environments and on knowledge man-agement. He is the main designer of the knowledge modeling software MOT. He is the author of three books and of hundreds of articles and communications in those fields. He is presently the director of the cross-Canadian project LORNET (Learn-ing Objects Repositories Network).

Biography: Béatrice Pudelko recently finished her doctoral studies in Cognitive Psychology at the University Paris VIII. In her thesis, she examined, with a Vygotskian approach, the epistemic mediations of a graphical knowledge representation tool during a text comprehension activity. In the last years, she participated in many research projects at the LICEF Research Center. She is also a tutor in an online course on cognitive science and learning offered at Tele-universite. Her current research in-terests are related to the use of knowledge modeling for learning and for knowl-edge elicitation, to the development of cognitive skills and to artifact-mediated ac-tivity.

Biography: Michel Léonard is a professional researcher at the LICEF Research Center. He worked in many areas: hospitals, industrial maintenance, video and audio RF, as a technician, coordinator, test and development engineer, production engineer and manager. Since January 1994, he has contributed to the development and valida-tion of instructional design methods and support systems. He also contributed to the development of the knowledge modeling software MOT. He is involved in the preparation and the delivery of training sessions on knowledge modeling and on instructional engineering with tools and methods developed at the LICEF.