Online Communities of Practice as Agricultural information Platforms: A Case Study of Indonesian Shrimp Farmers During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Aim/Purpose: This conceptual review analyzes the designs of global health virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) programming reported in the empirical literature and proposes a new typology of their functioning. The purpose of this review is to provide clarity on VCoP learning stages of (co)evolution and insight into VCoP (re)development efforts to best meet member, organization, and network needs against an ever-evolving landscape of complexity in global health. Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the field of global health has seen an uptick in the use of VCoPs to support continuous learning and improve health outcomes. However, evidence of how different combinations of programmatic designs impact opportunities for learning and development is lacking, and how VCoPs evolve as learning networks has yet to be explored. Methodology: Following an extensive search for literature in six databases, thematic analysis was conducted on 13 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. This led to the development and discussion of a new typology of VCoP phases of learning (co)evolution. Contribution: Knowledge gained from this review and the new categorization of VCoPs can support the functioning and evaluation of global health training programs. It can also provide a foundation for future research on how VCoPs influence the culture of learning organizations and networks. Findings: Synthesis of findings resulted in the categorization of global health VCoPs into five stages (slightly evolving, somewhat revolving, moderately revolving, highly revolving, and coevolving) across four design domains (network development, general member engagement before/after sessions, general member engagement during sessions, and session leadership). All global health VCoPs reviewed showed signs of adaptation and recommended future evolution. Recommendations for Practitioners: VCoP practitioners should pay close attention to how the structured flexibility of partnerships, design, and relationship development/accountability may promote or hinder VcoP’s continued evolution. Practitioners should shift perspective from short to mid- and long-term VCoP planning. Recommendation for Researchers: The new typology can stimulate further research to strengthen the clarity of language and findings related to VCoP functioning. Impact on Society: VCoPs are utilized by academic institutions, the private sector, non-profit organizations, the government, and other entities to fill gaps in adult learning at scale. The contextual implementation of findings from this study may impact VCoP design and drive improvements in opportunities for learning, global health, and well-being. Future Research: Moving forward, future research could explore how VCoP evaluations relate to different stages of learning, consider evaluation stages across the totality of VCoP programming design, and explore how best to capture VCoP (long-term) impact attributed to health outcomes and the culture of learning organizations and networks.

ABSTRACTThis study contributes to literature on learning pathways and agricultural innovation diffusion by exploring the use of a virtual platform on the adoption of green technologies in a global South context. The case depicts online learning within a significant food system in Southeast Asia, Indonesian shrimp farming, and focuses on the dissemination of innovation within an online group. Based on a data set of 1059 shrimp farmers, we investigate the effects of membership in the Indonesian Vannamei Shrimp Communities (KUVI), a prominent Online Community of Practice (OCoP) on Facebook. We compare the adoption of green technologies between KUVI members and non‐members, and focus on how learning takes place in KUVI and how it influences technology adoption by shrimp farmers engaged in traditional extensive farming characterized by low stock density and minimal infrastructure, and those involved in more advanced intensive farming with higher stock densities and more advanced infrastructure. We find that KUVI members expanded their information sources on shrimp cultivation and significantly gained new information compared to non‐members, leading to the adoption of green technologies that address a major farming issue namely the prevention of shrimp disease. Since information in KUVI is codified rather than tacit, we also find differences between the two types of farming: KUVI members in extensive farming adopted context‐dependent technologies to cope with climate issues, while intensive farmers' environmentally friendly practices were more precise and strongly related to shrimp quality and productivity. The results indicate that not all agricultural information can be effectively disseminated using virtual platforms, as users have different cognitive capacities to absorb the information. Thus some practices still require experience and tacit knowledge from physical peers to be properly implemented.

The context of the digital age, described as "information society", "network society", and "networked information economy", is highly dynamic and thought-provoking. Research efforts (Leadbeater 2008, Shirky 2008) reveal that information or knowledge society gives rise to social collaboration and fosters outburst of community formation, especially with the help of the Web 2.0 tools. These tools, in particular social networking, facilitate knowledge sharing, stimulate information exchange, and foster cross-cultural connections. What becomes possible for communities of practice when they operate online, via social networking sites like Facebook? Do particular communities on Facebook display the characteristics of dispersed, or virtual, communities of practice? This research seeks to conduct a case study of a virtual community of practice (VCoP) on Facebook and explore how this community setup contributes to knowledge sharing and creation of alternative learning paradigms. The exploratory case study focusses on Consciousness Coaching® Academy (CCA) - an international organization that offers professional coach training curriculum.Nine months of participant observation and semi-structured interviews with VCoP members reveal that community members acknowledge the existence of a CCA community, online as well as offline. Community members testify that they participate online and believe that virtual community will continue its operation in the future. With over 300 members (as of January 2012) - trainers, practicing coaches, and CCA students - this community is not only dispersed geographically, but also shows high levels of socio-cultural heterogeneity. Participant observation reveals that the VCoP is active, with an average of 32 Facebook posts per week. Community members negotiate community content and rules, respond to each other, build relationships, do things together both online and offline (for example, informal face-to-face meetups and coaching practice sessions), and share a repertoire of stories, actions, artefacts, events, concepts, tools, and discourses. The facts above attest that the Facebook group in question displays the traits of a community of practice, as defined by Wenger (1998). The case study will be nearing completion by the time of the conference (April 2012), therefore, a more accurate picture of the VCoP will be obtained, lessons learned will be derived, and recommendations for community development will be formulated.

Knowledge sharing is essential for a person to grow individually and professionally. In recent years, international businesses have tended to realize the importance of having a good knowledge management system in place. The COVID-19 pandemic, back in 2020 brought a shift to the way of how companies operate with the majority turning to remote work. As a result, companies needed to adapt their knowledge sharing strategies to more remote possibilities. To guarantee that the employees are sharing their knowledge and are able to learn from others, more businesses started to adopt innovative tools for knowledge sharing. One of such tools is virtual communities of practice that brings a chance for employees to have a collaborative tool where they are connected with likeminded people. The objective of this article is to provide recommendations for ensuring knowledge sharing through virtual communities in international business organizations. To achieve this objective, potential knowledge sharing practices in the context of international business are discussed. Additionally, an original research methodology based on virtual ethnography for identi fying knowledge sharing practices in an international business organization is presented, and the qualitative research findings are discussed and interpreted.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived effectiveness of a virtual community of practice (vCoP) designed to support knowledge and expertise sharing between K-12 teachers during Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, it aimed at exploring the potential of such vCoPs in delivering effective professional development, in general, and during crisis in particular. The vCoP was developed by the researcher herself as part of a consultancy to the UNESCO. The sample included 696 participants who were members of the vCoP. The research methodology adopted was mixed methods. Quantitative data was collected through surveying; and qualitative data was collected through 8 focus group interviews each involving 6 participants. Statistical analysis was used to analyze survey data, while interviews data was analyzed using theme-based analysis. Findings showed that participants viewed vCoPs as effective tools for e-professional development in general and during crisis in particular. Facilitators and blockers confronting vCoP nourishment are presented and discussed. Discussions and conclusions are offered at the end of the study.

PurposeThis study aims to reflect on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and draw some tentative assumptions from the information and experiences gathered from participants in this community about their possible impact on the future of education.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a single-case descriptive case study that analyses some indicators of changes in teaching and learning that have taken place to date in the pandemic period as seen from Docentes en línea, a virtual community of practice of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.FindingsA number of shortcomings in the educational system, technological infrastructure and teacher formation in many of our members’ countries. Concurrently, rising interest in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education and a new awareness of possible changes.Research limitations/implicationsPart of the data comes from informal sources; therefore, they cannot be completely systematised or quantified. Besides, the results are provisional because the pandemic has not ended.Originality/valueThis analysis was conducted on the basis of first-hand data collected in the activity developed by the members of this virtual community of practice. There is little research on this type of activity at the moment.

The internationalisation of higher education has been challenged by the significant decline in international student mobility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergence of internationalisation at a distance before COVID-19 paved a new avenue for the internationalisation of higher education, with the distinctive feature of knowledge mobility without human mobility. However, few studies have explored knowledge mobility in an internationalisation at a distance context. The ethnographic case study identifies three knowledge mobility channels – Information and Communication Technology (ICT), curriculum and virtual community of practice – and argues that the knowledge creation model SECI (Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation) is inapplicable in the internationalisation at a distance context. Additionally, the absence of immersion in face-to-face interaction hinders internationalisation at a distance students’ identity construction, placing them at a disadvantage in acquiring tacit knowledge. The significance of cultural, linguistic and pedagogical contextualisation in the context is also emphasised.

Motivation for information exchange in a virtual community of practice: Evidence from a Facebook group for shrimp farmers

Evils of knowledge sharing and learning: The case of agri-food misinformation in virtual communities of practices in Sri Lanka

The major diseases affecting the farmed shrimp industry were of bacterial origin in Asia from late 1980s. At present world-wide the appearance of various major viral diseases ¬ such as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Yellow Head Virus (YHV), Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV), Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Syndrome AHPNS and others – led to changes in design and operation systems of shrimp farms to prevent and control disease outbreaks. The most important development in early 2000 was L. vannamei SPF brood stock from Hawaii. Early shrimp farming design and operation were based on simple culture ponds with water intake and waste water discharge back into the environment known as ‘singlepond base management’. In operation also to keep good pond environment the water was pumped in as required or known as ‘flow-through system’. With intensive operation system the required DO was acquired through aerators and phytoplankton (DO production cycles) in pond water. This leads to unstainable in production due to unstable water environmental condition and environmental degeneration. Shrimp bacterial diseases such as Vibrio spp started to appear which a threat to shrimp farming industry was. This forced shrimp farmers to use reservoirs to treat the water before use and some most farmers constructed waste water system to treat waste water before discharging into environment. For stable environment and prevent diseases more energy was used with less exchange of pond water which was to some extent successful. From mid-1900s the WSSV appeared in Asia. These again prompt shrimp farmers to treat incoming water and waste water before discharging into environment. Recently, due to reappearance of WSSV and outbreaks of AHPNS (EMS) farmers were using RAS systems in small shrimp farms or in raceways systems or modular systems in large shrimp farms. Recently the environment friendly biofloc technology, Aquaminicry, organic shrimp farming, etc, are being applied. However, the important factor for sustainable production was the farm biosecurity to control or prevent from shrimp disease entering hatchery or farm facilities. In any aquaculture business, sustainability of a system can improve profits. What investors, shrimp farmers and technicians need to be aware of is that, whatever waste is discharged into the environment, it will likely come back to you in the form of disease sooner or later.

<p class="CM20">This qualitative study aimed to identify the revision strategies among learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). It also examined the focus of these strategies and learners’ participation and membership in an online community of practice (CoP). As part of shared practices in this online CoP via a Facebook group, these revision writing activities were carried out among a heterogonous group of 15 EFL learners from different EFL countries. Data was collected from the learners’ original and revised paragraphs, online interactional exchanges and responses to the post-revision discussions. The qualitative analysis of the data revealed that addition, substitution, deletion, permutation (re-organizing elements), consolidation (combining elements), distribution (breaking up combined elements), negotiation and reciprocal scaffolding are the main revision strategies. These revision strategies focused on writing mechanics, language (form and meaning), unity and content of paragraphs. The CoP facilitated students’ revision process by increasing the participation of those peripheral learners (new members) in these activities through social ties and relationship building, a supportive learning environment and developing a sense of autonomy among them. These findings have underlying several theoretical, pedagogical and research implications and have provided a deeper insight into utilization of Facebook groups as CoPs conducive to useful writing revision activities.</p>

Social media plays a huge part in Filipinos' lives. In the area of learning, the proponents observed the emergence of an online community of practice using Facebook groups that has over 350 members. The aim of the chapter is to answer the question: How do online communities of practice engage students to learn and build new knowledge? The objective is to propose a framework that will guide readers to build their own online community of practice based on its learning context. To achieve the objective, the proponents use the inductive approach of grounded theory using action research. Results show that community members used different Facebook features to support their ongoing community of practice. Further studies may also assess the applicability of the framework in other areas of development.

Social media plays a huge part in Filipinos' lives. In the area of learning, the proponents observed the emergence of an online community of practice using Facebook groups that has over 350 members. The aim of the chapter is to answer the question: How do online communities of practice engage students to learn and build new knowledge? The objective is to propose a framework that will guide readers to build their own online community of practice based on its learning context. To achieve the objective, the proponents use the inductive approach of grounded theory using action research. Results show that community members used different Facebook features to support their ongoing community of practice. Further studies may also assess the applicability of the framework in other areas of development.

This study explores how English language teachers use shared repertoire in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) when integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into teaching. Using qualitative analysis of discussions from three open Facebook groups, the study identifies how teachers actively collaborate online to share practical strategies and resources related to AI. Findings indicate that shared repertoire in these groups serves four main purposes: supporting teaching activities, assessing students, sharing relevant resources, and suggesting improvements to AI tools. Teachers also discuss common challenges, including excessive reliance on AI, privacy issues, limited access to AI resources, and the risk of reduced teacher-student interactions. The study highlights that teachers' collective experiences within these online communities can help institutions develop more relevant training programs for teachers. Overall, this research confirms that while AI can support language education, its successful integration relies on teachers sharing experiences and guiding each other on how to best use this technology to enhance their teaching.

Predicting the outbreak of disease is essential when managing shrimp farms. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a serious disease in shrimp. It is essential that shrimp farmers on the east coast of the Mekong Delta detect the disease as early as possible, because the mortality rate can reach 100%. Here, we used machine learning to predict AHPND development based on data collected since 2010 from shrimp farms in Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau provinces. We initially hypothesized that the dependent variable, AHPND, was affected by 31 independent variables, but ultimately used 15 key variables to train the models. Logistic regression, artificial neural network, decision tree, and K-nearest neighbor analyses were performed, and the accuracy of the predictions was evaluated using hold-out and cross-validation tests. Logistic regression, as the most stable algorithm, was thus used to predict AHPND outbreaks in shrimp farms.