ABSTRACT: This paper describes a dynamic knowledge management system for use in the education setting. It is an attempt to transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in order to benefit students in an academic program. The goal of this Web-based system is to focus on the most common issues, relevant points, frequently asked questions, and specific help for current courses and projects offered in educational institutions.
Introduction
Students entering information technology classes possess a range of computer skills. The Internet is more popular than television or radio for 13 to 24 year olds (Harris Interactive & Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU), 2003). Although the majority uses the Internet (Lenhart, Madden, and Hitlin, 2005), not all students know how to use Microsoft Office application software, or read and write programming code. When students study information technology, they usually take an introductory programming course. As they progress through the program, they encounter typical problems any new information technology student might experience. Examples include troubleshooting problems and reading code, conceptual issues and various other technical skills issues.
Students increasingly want answers to questions after hours, when an instructor may not be available. Waiting until the next working day to solve a problem can put a student in a bind. Knowing basic computer skills can make the learning experience more gratifying and can help the student focus on the concepts taught in the classroom. These skills could include software installation, basic computer problem resolution, reading and troubleshooting programming code, general programming concepts, debugging skills, and software installation. Learning how to use a debugging tool is a separate skill. Debugging can be a time sink for the beginning programmer. Downloading and installing the developer software tools introduces another hurdle for students.The software development environments in use can contain idiosyncrasies that require a steep learning curve. An experienced software developer knows the difference between tool issues versus “buggy” code, while an inexperienced student can spend hours solving one problem.
Since educational institutions foster knowledge and learning, it seems natural to use a knowledge management system (KMS) to leverage competitive advantage (Rowley, 2000) and enhance learning. Since students need to accomplish more in less time, and the knowledge management (KM) by developing a tool can help them succeed. An instructor-centered Web portal is proposed. For student users of the KMS, access to fresh, relevant information is critical. As projects change every semester, and courses change, some of the knowledge gathered becomes outdated. An updated online knowledge base for an educational institution can give students access to the most current help information.