From «formal» to «informal» e-Learning through knowledge management and sharing

Abstract

If we had to indicate the themes that have characterised the evolution of e-learning systems in recent years, the choice would very probably fall, on the one hand, on those linked to standards and more in general to technological development, and on the other on what could be called «informal» e-learning, not referred, in other words, to a «formal» educational process designed and run by someone (i.e. the course provider), but that is entrusted to the synergetic and collaborative action typical of professional communities which learn «through the network» and «in a network».
In this article, in particular, we will discuss the important role of the interpersonal interaction and the circulation of knowledge that develop within online professional communities. This implies the clear understanding of the best way to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to foster processes of access, management, sharing and
capitalisation of knowledge within and outside the ommunities, and more in general the organisations to which their members belong. These are, in fact, situations where e-learning, or better, a certain type of e-learning, can find considerable impetus for its own growth in quality, by adopting knowledge management and/or sharing tools and techniques.