Technology Partnerships Research Articles

MARKETING ACTIVITIES OF IT COMPANIES: INFORMATION AND ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES FOR DIGITAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive examination of the informational and organisational capabilities of marketing activities in the market for digital products and services. It highlights the importance of data analysis, web analytics and technology partnerships for success in the digital marketplace. It also examines modern organisational strategies to help IT companies effectively implement marketing initiatives and adapt quickly to changing business landscapes. Methodology. This article is based on a theoretical and methodological review of the existing scientific literature on digital technologies, the marketing of digital products and services, and an overview of current technological and organisational solutions in the digital field. In addition, it includes a survey of marketing managers from renowned IT companies with the aim of delineating the typology of organisational structures within marketing departments. Results. Information delivery, data analytics, monitoring tools and web analytics are critical to digital marketing in IT organisations, facilitating the collection and analysis of data from multiple sources such as websites, social media and CRM systems. By leveraging big data and machine learning algorithms, it is possible to identify complex dependencies and predict consumer behaviour. Technological partnerships and collaborations with startups are becoming increasingly important for IT companies' marketing efforts, providing access to fresh ideas, technologies and a competitive edge. Organisational structures in the marketing departments of IT companies emphasise agility and cross-functional teamwork, often using agile methodologies. This promotes adaptability to market changes. Marketing structures typically include inbound approaches, flexible growth-oriented setups, and streamlined hierarchies. Practical implications. These marketing tools and organisational methods are recommended for implementation in the marketing departments of IT companies. The correlation between informational and organisational capabilities contributes to the achievement of marketing goals and the competitive advantage of IT companies in the marketplace. Scrum and Kanban, widely used agile frameworks, are not limited to technology companies but are also common in financial services and retail. Value / Оriginality. In the context of the ongoing military conflict, successful operation of Ukrainian IT companies in the modern world requires not only technological superiority, but also effective marketing and a well-organised internal structure. To accelerate the recovery of the Ukrainian IT sector and improve existing practices, the following recommendations have been made.

Sustainable and Circular Hotels and the Water–Food–Energy Nexus: Integration of Agrivoltaics, Hydropower, Solar Cells, Water Reservoirs, and Green Roofs

The hotel industry in Iran faces critical challenges that underscore the urgent need for sustainable practices, specifically in the realms of energy, water, and food. Despite industry growth, a mere three percent of hotels fall into the five- and four-star categories, emphasizing the need for widespread adoption of sustainable practices. Focused on Ramsar in Mazandaran, the study underscores the importance of eco-friendly strategies to tackle challenges related to the food–water–energy nexus. Employing the SCOC, Fuzzy BWM, and Z-MARCOS methods, the research proposes a robust framework for evaluating hotel development strategies. The case study reveals a concentration of hotels in Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, and Tehran, urging prioritization of sustainable practices in these regions. Analyzing Ramsar’s climate, the study suggests leveraging solar energy and implementing green roofs, emphasizing an integrated approach to achieve eco-friendly hotel construction. Furthermore, the research provides a prioritized set of strategies based on SCOC, aligning with criteria regarding the water–energy–food nexus. It emphasizes internal strengths, opportunities, and strategic technology partnerships while acknowledging external challenges such as political stability and climate change risks. The discussion introduces an Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) to guide managerial decisions, presenting an insightful perspective for effective strategy implementation in Iran’s evolving hotel industry.

Beyond validation: getting wearable activity trackers into cardiovascular care-a discussion paper.

This paper addresses the challenge of integrating wearable activity trackers (WATs) into cardiovascular disease care. Despite evidence supporting the use of trackers for monitoring and promoting physical activity, implementation challenges persist in clinical settings. The paper emphasizes the lack of systematic, evidence-based implementation approaches for integrating trackers. It underscores the urgent need for stakeholder collaboration between clinicians, patients, implementation scientists, researchers, health and technology partners, and the use of proven implementation science methodologies. This is crucial for bridging the gap and ensuring effective translation of WATs into cardiovascular care, meeting the increasing demand from patients and clinicians.

Axes of transformation towards Blockchain technology in Islamic financial institutions

This research paper aims to study the axes of the transition towards blockchain technology, how to apply it in Islamic financial institutions, obstacles of actual implementations and the proposed solutions. Islamic financial institutions must keep pace with technological developments, especially with regard to strategic changes, development of work mechanism, performance efficiency, accuracy of operations performance, service speed with cost and security of operations, and the impact of this on the competitiveness of Islamic financial institutions with international and traditional financial institutions, and the impact of all of this on the success and effectiveness of financial institutions. The role of blockchain technology in developing the performance of financial institutions and the huge change in the way of work that has emerged is the importance and severity of the need for technology, especially during the pandemic, for an effective transformation towards blockchain technology considering cases studies is very important to manage the change through the following three main axes: Technology: how to choose the right technology and the right technology partner. Procedures: The development of procedures has a major and effective role in improving and controlling all operations in general, achieving the best productivity, reducing waste of time and money, and controlling better workflow and costs and removing obstacles. Employees: One of the most important factors affecting the application of modern technologies and the success of development and change is the mechanism of work in financial institutions. Keywords: Islamic, Financial, Blockchain, institutions, Transformation.

Applying Geo-Spatial Techniques to Determine the Temporal Variation and Conversion Pattern of Land-Use Surrounding Negombo Lagoon

Remote Sensing technology and Geographic Information Systems are the major partners in geospatial technology and they play a vital role in surface, subsurface and above earth’s studies. It provides a better platform for researchers specially in the fields of regional planning, disaster management, natural resources management etc. Observing land-use patterns in a particular area forms a basis for decision making in these fields. The study has the purpose of applying geo-spatial techniques to determine the temporal variation and conversion pattern of land-use surrounding Negombo lagoon. For that, the study has used Landsat imageries of 2003, 2009, 2015 and 2021 from the United States Geological Survey. ISO Cluster Unsupervised Classification method and data conversion tools were used to create initial layers for analysing the land-use in selected four years by using Arc GIS 10.4. software. Intersect and field calculators were used to get a better understanding of the variation of land-use through classified Landsat imageries of respective years. The results will support for measuring area of the conversion of different land-use into another and / or within the same category in a particular area throughout the time. The study concluded that, the used techniques could measure only the temporal variation of major land use types; water bodies, vegetation, built-up areas and cultivations but the minor categories of land uses were unable to detect. However, the better spatial and temporal resolution data enables to improve results to avoid such issues.

The Spiritualization of Domestic Violence in the Digital Era: Examining the Cathartic Role of Religious Institutions in Empowering Victims

This study delves into the intricate intersection of domestic violence, spirituality, and the digital age, aiming to understand the evolving dynamics and the role religious institutions play in providing catharsis for victims. As technology increasingly permeates our daily lives, the digital era has brought about new dimensions to the manifestation and perception of domestic violence. This research seeks to shed light on the phenomenon of spiritualization, where religious narratives and beliefs are interwoven with domestic violence experiences, either exacerbating or alleviating the trauma. Through a comprehensive review of scholarly literature, and digital ethnography, this study explores how religious institutions engage with domestic violence victims in the digital realm. It examines the ways in which religious teachings, counselling, and support mechanisms are leveraged to address the unique challenges posed by the intersection of spirituality, technology, and intimate partner violence.
 
 The research also investigates the potential pitfalls of spiritualization, considering instances where religious doctrines may inadvertently contribute to the perpetuation of abuse or hinder victims from seeking help. By analyzing online forums, social media platforms, and religious websites, the study aims to elucidate the ways in which digital spaces either facilitate or impede the spiritualization process for domestic violence victims. Furthermore, the role of religious leaders and communities in raising awareness, providing resources, and fostering a supportive environment for victims is explored. The study aims to identify best practices employed by religious institutions in addressing domestic violence in the digital age, offering insights for policymakers, advocates, and religious leaders to collaboratively develop more effective strategies for supporting victims and preventing further harm. Ultimately, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on domestic violence, spirituality, and technology, offering a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved. The findings hold implications for both academic scholarship and practical interventions, emphasizing the need for a multidimensional approach to empower victims and create a more compassionate and informed societal response to domestic violence in the digital era. 
 
 keywords: domestic violence; digital era; Islamic law.

Toward a better understanding of collaborative research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) - exploring virtual, physical, and cognitive structures

Objective of the study: The research in this paper contributes to the understanding of how physical, virtual, and cognitive structures support innovation ecosystems’ multi-actor research, development, and innovation (R&D&I) collaboration in its different phases. Methodology/Approach: The research’s methodological approach is based on a qualitative case study research strategy. It is done by exploring three innovation ecosystem cases. The case data comprises the case ecosystems’ existing documentation that was supplemented with five semi-structured interviews. Originality/Relevance: Based on the findings of this research, it was possible to explore how industry and academy partners are collaborating through virtual, physical, and cognitive structures. Our cases also provide empirical evidence on how physical industrial sites can be used as environments for collaborative industry-academy R&D&I work. Main Results: As a result, the paper presents lessons learned from three different innovation ecosystem cases that involve industrial, technology, and academy partners to tackle industrial use cases through virtual, physical, and cognitive structures. An example of such lessons learned is assembling dynamic teams to solve industrial problems. Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: This article builds an understanding of how virtual, physical, and cognitive structures support collaboration between different participants in their joint R&D&I work covering industry-academy collaboration. The article also explains practical examples of this using innovation ecosystem cases. Management/Social Contributions: The findings of this study may benefit professionals and managers who have an interest in understanding collaborative R&D&I and how physical, virtual, and cognitive structures can support it. Furthermore, the results provide means and experiences for innovation ecosystem managers to facilitate the definition of operational models suitable for the context of their innovation ecosystems.

Research on the Digital Marketing Strategy of Adidas

This analysis focuses on Adidas digital marketing strategy, aiming to identify challenges and provide corresponding suggestions for improvement. The current status analysis highlights Adidas overall approach to digital marketing, while the problem analysis identifies specific challenges within the strategy. The causes of these problems are also examined to gain a deeper understanding of their origins. The suggested improvements include enhancing personalization, optimizing the mobile experience, embracing influencer marketing, leveraging social media platforms, implementing data-driven marketing strategies, investing in augmented reality and virtual reality, enhancing social listening and reputation management, collaborating with technology partners, prioritizing continuous testing and optimization, and fostering customer engagement and advocacy. These suggestions aim to help Adidas strengthen its digital marketing efforts, engage customers effectively, and drive business growth in the digital landscape.

Bundled climate-smart agricultural solutions for smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka

Smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable to climate shocks in Sri Lanka. Lack of education and technical skills, poverty, risks inherent to agricultural investments, limited assets, and financial capital are major reasons for low investments in enhancing adaptive capacity. The study explores the use of agricultural technologies in improving smallholder resilience to water-related disasters and their opportunities for recovery. We tested four bundled services to promote climate-smart agriculture practices namely weather index insurance (WII), agronomic advisories dissemination via SMS, weather services, and climate-resilient seeds of maize and rice. The integrated solutions are referred to as Bundled Solutions of Index Insurance with Climate Information and Seed Systems (BICSA) to manage agricultural risks in Sri Lanka. The study conducted the bundled solutions in three agroecological regions spread over five districts and covering more than 2,500 farmers in three cropping periods ofMahaandYalaseasons. The results demonstrate that providing bundled solutions significantly protects smallholders against moderate drought events. The satellite-based weather index insurance can offset the long-term consequences of severe yield losses and mitigate the long-term drop in farm productivity. Our findings demonstrate the importance of bundled insurance to mitigate financial risks associated with extreme weather events and enhance resilience to climate change among vulnerable smallholders. It is evident from the study promoting a viable business model among seed companies, insurance companies, and technological partners, along with public institutions such as agricultural extension services can help production-level improvements and develop strategies at both the farm and policy levels that will support a transition to a more resilient farming system.

Implementing and scaling authentic assessment through a pedagogical technology partnership

Authentic assessment has been identified as an effective strategy to transform assessment, with a focus on measuring students’ success in skill-relevant and real-life situations (Wiggins, 1998). However, effectively implementing activities that can help foster authentic assessment, such as peer feedback, group work, or team-based learning, especially in online and hybrid courses and large cohorts, is a consistent challenge. (Shank, 2009) To combat this challenge, the higher education institution Deakin University partnered with the pedagogical technology company FeedbackFruits, with the initial focus on developing a solution aimed at optimising group work. Due to the positive impact of the partnership, the two organisations continued their collaboration and worked together on implementing faculty-wide authentic assessment strategies with pedagogical technology, across a wide range of course sizes and modalities. The first collaborative project was meant to build on FeedbackFruits’s two solutions, Peer Review, for streamlining peer feedback, and Group Member Evaluation, enabling group member evaluation. Deakin University signalled the need for a pedagogical feature that would ensure fairness in group work. The two organisations developed the Group Contribution Grading feature that based the students’ grades on the contribution of each individual to the group deliverable and allowed the instructor to later manually adjust the grade. With increased visibility for teachers and between students on their performance and contribution to group work, students had more opportunities for autonomy and self-regulation. The results of the initial collaboration encouraged Deakin University to continue collaborating with FeedbackFruits on a wider scope. Since FeedbackFruits’s pedagogical technology included multiple tools that supported a wide range of learning approaches, the new project introduced the possibility to link different elements of different assignment types to customise the setup flow of assignments. As a result, educators could create complete, diversified activities more quickly and easily, as well as access the combined analytics in one place. Following the success of the past projects, the two organisations, together with several other higher education institutions, developed an AI-powered tool, Automated Feedback, that provided instant formative feedback to students on “lower-level” academic writing concerns, such as citation, academic style, grammar, and structure, freeing up time for the instructors to provide personalised feedback on “higher-order” concerns such as comprehension and critical argumentation of concepts. The most recent collaborative project involved leveraging the team-based learning (TBL) framework to provide additional learning experiences in established authentic assessment, with plans to scale up across STEM faculty. Following the principles for defining and measuring authentic assessment (Schultz et al., 2021), the institution used the team-based learning Tool 4 to conduct intra-group evaluation after authentic group projects. The collaboration between Deakin University and FeedbackFruits resulted in a robust ecosystem of co-developed authentic assessment technology that has prioritised the lived experience of educators and continuous improvement. Combining the expertise of higher education practitioners and pedagogical technology developers enabled a highly engaging, innovative learning experience for all students.

A Community-Based, Mobile Electronic Medical Record System App for High-Quality, Integrated Antiretroviral Therapy in Lilongwe, Malawi: Design Process and Pilot Implementation.

Differentiated service delivery (DSD) increases antiretroviral therapy (ART) access in sub-Saharan Africa by moving clients out of congested ART clinics to communities for care. However, DSD settings challenge provider adherence to complex, chronic care treatment guidelines and have burdensome systems for client monitoring and evaluation (M&E), reducing data for decision-making. Electronic medical record systems (EMRS) improve client outcomes and reduce M&E workload. Traditional EMRS cannot operate in most DSD settings with unreliable power and poor connectivity. This study aims to detail the human-centered design (HCD) process of developing a mobile EMRS for community-based DSD services in Lilongwe, Malawi. Lighthouse Trust (LT) operates 2 Ministry of Health (MoH) clinics in Lilongwe, Malawi, with a combined total of >35,000 ART clients. LT's real-time, point-of-care EMRS collects complex client M&E data and provides decision-making support, ensuring adherence to integrated HIV and tuberculosis guidelines that optimize client and program outcomes. LT's EMRS scaled to all large MoH ART clinics. LT also implements a nurse-led community-based ART program (NCAP), a DSD model to provide ART and rapid assessment for 2400 stable LT clients in the community. LT, alongside collaborators, from the University of Washington's International Training and Education Center for Health and technology partner, Medic, used the open-source Community Health Toolkit (CHT) and HCD to develop an open-source, offline-first, mobile EMRS-like app, "community-based ART retention and suppression" (CARES). CARES aims to bring EMRS-like provider benefits to NCAP's DSD clients. CARES design took approximately 12 months and used an iterative process of highly participatory feedback sessions with provider, data manager, and M&E team inputs to ensure CARES optimization for the NCAP and LT settings. The CARES mobile EMRS prototype supports NCAP providers with embedded prompts and alerts to ensure adherence to integrated MoH ART guidelines, aiming to improve the quality of client care. CARES facilitates improved data quality and flow for NCAP M&E, aiming to reduce data gaps between community and clinic settings. The CARES pilot demonstrates the potential of a mobile, point-of-care EMRS-like app that could benefit NCAP clients, providers, and program teams with integrated client care and complete M&E data for decision-making. CARES challenges include app speed, search features to align longitudinal records, and CARES to EMRS integration that supports timely care alerts. Leveraging the CHT and HCD processes facilitated the design of a locally specified and optimized mobile app with the promise to bring EMRS-like benefits to DSD settings. Moving from the CARES prototype to routine NCAP implementation should result in improved client care and strengthened M&E while reducing workload. Our transparent and descriptive process shares the progress and pitfalls of the CARES design and development, helping others in this digital innovation area to learn from our experiences at this stage.

A case study of quality control application with BIM-laser scanning collaboration in building construction process

Housing accounts for the largest share of the volume of the construction sector. Housing is the living space that people use on a permanent or temporary basis. Living space is also expected to have the desired quality. Quality requires construction in accordance with specified conditions and rules. In order to minimize possible errors in the design and construction process and to achieve the desired level of quality, continuous, scientific and instrumental controls are required. In recent years, with the rapid development of technology, methods have been developed that have achieved good results using integrated technology, which has begun to replace the quality controls performed by traditional methods. This new technology partnership called Building Information Modelling and Laser Scanning is described in this study. The aim of the study is to show that human error in building inspection can be minimized with the help of technology. In the study, a building was selected from a sample public housing project. Two dimensional projects of the building were converted into three dimensions using Building Information Modelling. In the current state of construction, point clouds were captured using laser scanning. The point clouds were converted to three dimensions. The construction defects were calculated by overlaying the BIM model with the real point cloud data. After checking, it was found that 2.2 % of the productions were defective productions. It was found that 97.8 % of the productions were within acceptable tolerance limits. The results obtained on a sample residential building demonstrate the importance of these new solutions for quality control and error-free production

Differentiating the impacts of ambient temperature on pneumonia mortality of various infectious causes: a nationwide, individual-level, case-crossover study

It remains unknown how ambient temperature impact pneumonia of various infectious causes. Based on the national death registry covering all counties in Chinese mainland, we conducted an individual-level case-crossover study in China from 2013 to 2019. Exposures were assigned at residential addresses for each decedent. Conditional logistic regression model combined with distributed lag non-linear models were used to estimate the exposure-response associations. The attributable fractions due to non-optimum temperature were calculated after accounting for spatial and temporal patterns for the excess risks. The exposure-response curves were inversely J-shaped with both low and high temperature increasing the risks, and the effect of low temperature was stronger. Extremely low temperature was associated with higher magnitude of influenza-related pneumonia [relative risk (RR): 2.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.62-3.74], than viral pneumonia (RR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.55-2.30) and bacterial pneumonia (RR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.56-2.09). The magnitudes of RRs associated with extremely high temperature were similar among the three categories of pneumonia. The mortality attributable fraction for influenza-related pneumonia (29.78%) was the highest. The effects were stronger in people of low education level or residence in the north. This nationwide study presents findings on the varied risk and burden of pneumonia mortality of various infectious causes, and highlights the susceptibility of influenza-related pneumonia to ambient low temperature. This study is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2022YFC3702701), the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (21TQ015) and Shanghai International Science and Technology Partnership Project (21230780200).

Emerging market multinationals’ liability of outsidership

This study investigated how the liability of outsidership affects emerging-market multinationals. We argue that besides lack of access to local networks, lack of access to leadership positions in global value chain networks is another possible source of the liability of outsidership, and it affects emerging market firms more than multinationals from developed countries. Accordingly, multinationals from emerging markets are more likely than those from developed countries to exit from a foreign market in which they had invested. Allying with technology partners and developed-country non-technology partners could help EMNEs overcome the LOO. Those findings are based on a study of mobile money services provided by multinationals from both emerging markets and developed countries during the period 2001–2022.

Measurement of Contact Patch Pressure Behaviors in High-Speed Dynamic Conditions

ABSTRACT Many of the challenging problems in tire dynamics are related to what happens inside the contact patch. Important tire performance attributes such as grip/friction, wear, and noise are all directly related to the contact patch. Calspan and its technology partner Tekscan have developed a novel sensor system that measures the contact patch pressure of the tire as it is rolling at high speed on a flat-belt tire test machine. The measurement results provide detailed insights into the dynamic contact patch pressure (DCPP) in a wide range of realistic and relevant operating conditions on a flat roadway surface. The contact patch behaviors of three tires of similar size and type, but from different manufacturers, were compared. The results highlight how differences in tire design decisions influence the contact patch behavior and in turn the overall tire performance. Additional applications of the DCPP data are presented and discussed.

Promoting Open Access in Research-Performing Organizations: Spheres of Activity, Challenges, and Future Action Areas

Open access (OA) has become a critical issue in science policy and affects a wide range of activities in universities and research labs. Research-performing organizations (RPOs), defined as publicly funded universities and research institutions, face significant challenges in shaping the OA transformation. This article examines the spheres of activity available to RPOs for shaping the OA transformation, using a categorization of 22 spheres of activity related to OA. These spheres of activity include strategy and communication, services and infrastructures, business relationships with publishers, and collaborations. Current challenges and future action areas in promoting OA are also described, providing support for RPOs in handling OA and highlighting key issues. The categorization can serve as a tool for systematically assessing OA activities at RPOs and shows that OA is a cross-cutting issue in these organizations. Collaboration on OA activities, both within and beyond organizations, presents a challenge. To effectively promote OA, it is crucial to strengthen the interaction between funding agencies and RPOs. Libraries are critical stakeholders, playing a vital role in advancing OA at the local, national, and international levels in partnership with RPO management and other partners in faculty, administration, and information technology.

Guidelines for Dealing with Thai Baht Volatility in Industrial Businesses

Since Thailand switched the exchange rate to a floating system in 1997, Thai industries engaged in import and export activities have experienced profits and losses due to fluctuating exchange rates continuously. The objective of this research was to investigate strategies for managing the volatility of the Thai baht in the industrial sector and to develop a structural equation model based on these findings. The study employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. In-depth interviews were conducted with 9 experts to develop the quantitative research tools, and a group discussion involving 11 experts was held to establish a consensus on the study’s model. As for the quantitative study, the data were collected from 500 industrial business executives awarded PRIME MINISTER’S EXPORT AWARD, using the developed questionnaires. Descriptive, referential, and multiple statistics were employed to analyze the data. The study revealed that 4 major guideline areas for handling the volatility of the baht in the industrial sector were found, prioritized as follows: risk control (x ̅ = 4.36), resource-centered (x ̅ = 4.34), analysis of the environment (x ̅ = 4.31), and innovation and technology (x ̅ = 4.30) respectively. The most important guideline item in each area was: always have the policy to review profit and loss from exchange rates, select personnel with financial and language skills to analyze and forecast the volatility of the baht, continuously analyze the GDP of the major currency country, connect the demand for products to digital technology and corporate partners, and respectively. As for the hypothesis testing results, it was found that small and medium-sized businesses, and large businesses differently prioritized guidelines to cope with baht volatility in the industrial sector at the statistical significance level of 0.05. The analysis of the developed structural equation model revealed that the evaluation criteria were consistent with the empirical data with its Chi-square Probability, the Relative Chi-square, Goodness of Fit Index, and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation of 0.055, 1.148, 0.964, and 0.017, respectively.

Digitalization as a facilitator of open innovation: Are family firms different?

This study analyzes the effect that a firm's level of digitalization has on its open innovation activities. Specifically, we argue that digitalization facilitates collaboration with a wider set of technology partners in the innovation process (i.e., breadth of technological collaboration). In addition, our arguments contend that certain socioemotional factors in the particular context of family firms may diminish this facilitating aspect. We test our ideas using panel data from a representative sample of Spanish manufacturing firms over the period 2007–2017. We find support for the positive association hypothesized between digitalization and the breadth of technological collaboration. Contrary to our expectations, however, the positive effect of digitalization is more pronounced among family firms. We discuss the implications for the open innovation and family business literatures.

Lummus technology and MOL group partner for chemical recycling of plastics

Lummus technology and MOL group partner for chemical recycling of plastics

The Coach Developer as a Learning Designer: An Insight Into the Development of the ICOACHKIDS Massive Open Online Courses

The role of the coach developer (CD) has broadened over the last two decades. Today CDs fulfil multiple functions, such as tutor, facilitator, expert, or mentor. They also play a significant part as learning designers. CDs are normally not trained to perform this role. This practical advances paper provides an overview of the role and required skills of learning designers, specifically in the context of the creation of an online coach development resource: the ICOACHKIDS massive open online courses. The paper offers a novel description of the development process. It describes four stages, including: (a) agreeing on target audience and learning outcomes, (b) choosing the pedagogical model, (c) selecting technological solutions and partners, and (d) content development. For each stage, the working parameters, associated challenges, and the learning gained by CDs are described. Each of these phases presents unique challenges and requires different competences. We conclude that learning design, especially in relation to massive open online courses (and perhaps, more broadly, online), must become part of the CD development curriculum going forward.