A Framework for Improving the Sharing of Teaching Practices Through Web 2.0 Technology for Academic Instructors

Abstract

Knowledge management (KM) has become significant for gaining a competitive advantage in many organizations, specifically higher education institutions (HEIs) which are knowledge-intensive environments. Instructors generate a considerable amount of valuable teaching-related knowledge that has accumulated through years of teaching, and needs to be gathered and shared among communities of instructors. Identifying and sharing teaching experiences means enhancing successes by helping instructors to learn from each other and deliver better quality teaching. Many universities still struggle in documenting, sharing and reusing the knowledge gained by instructors due to the absence of a collaborative platform where novices and experts can interact and collaborate. In this paper, we propose a knowledge management framework that aims to enhance the process of acquiring, sharing and reusing teaching practices. Meta-requirements are explored by conducting an investigative study with instructors who work in Saudi universities and then translating these requirements into design principles for efficient and effective knowledge management system development in the higher education context.