DISTANCE LEARNING AS A SUPPORTING TOOL IN KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE LLL CONCEPT – THE PERSPECTIVE OF HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

One of the most important competencies of organisations and individuals is the ability to capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using knowledge. Effective and efficient knowledge management is the key to building organisational/individual strength and competitive advantage in today’s market. Due to wider access to the techniques and tools of knowledge management, organisations are better able to achieve objectives by making the best use of knowledge than individuals.

The overall objective of the presentation is to present the integrated concept of knowledge management for individuals and organisation in the field of Lifelong Learning. The main issues addressed in the presentation are as follows:

1. the meaning of knowledge management in development of Lifelong Learning concept. Distance learning as a part of lifelong learning
2. main characteristic of objects in distance learning in the scope of knowledge management:
­ LL-learner – explicit knowledge (gain during the course) vs. tacit knowledge (gain from the LL-learner environment)
­ course - explicit knowledge (educational content of the course) vs. tacit knowledge (interactions among learners and tutors, e.g. during chats, internet forums, works) tutor - explicit knowledge (gained during formal and informal learning) vs. tacit knowledge (gained during informal learning, e.g. conferences, meetings, discussions, seminars)
3. identification of knowledge resources in the framework of the distance learning processes:
­ distance learning process management – organisational knowledge
­ learning/teaching process – knowledge based on the course
­ human resources management processes – knowledge collected from tutors and learners
4. analysis of development and dissemination knowledge collected from distance learning in LLL:
­ e-portfolio – integrated knowledge about tutors and learners
­ e-learning platforms – knowledge created during e-courses and captured in learning management systems (LMS)
­ websites – knowledge dissemination tool used by organisations, tutors and learners.