Development of Personal Learning and Social Networks: Strategies for Knowledge Creation and Sharing in Online Learning Environments

Abstract

In the chapter, the author will address the role of informal networks in transcultural knowledge creation and the strategies online learners employ to develop these networks. It is recognized that an increase of global social capital, development of a global mindset, and increase in transnational competences are some of the desired outcomes of business education, and these competences are relevant for international organizations. However, inadequate attention has been paid to how such developments occur in an online environment and what factors enhance or hinder the learning process. The chapter will open with a brief overview of the role social capital plays in the development of networks, followed by a discussion of different types of networks that can either promote or hinder knowledge creation in online education. It will then discuss the different strategies learners apply in development of networks, followed by an evaluation of these strategies’ effectiveness. Then a model of an effective knowledge-sharing network will be presented and analyzed. Further, examples of different types of social and personal learning networks in which learners participate and which they develop will be provided, to illustrate knowledge-sharing routes and to pinpoint knowledge creation hubs in these networks. The chapter will argue that in contrast to the widespread opinion that online learners are disadvantaged in social capital development, they benefit from the interconnected learning space and can develop professional and social networks and collaborative knowledge more successfully than their peers in traditional learning environments.