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eLearning Systems:
Fulfilling KM Requirements

Knowledge Management (KM) is the creation and management of an environment which encourages knowledge to be identified, created, stored, shared, learnt, enhanced and utilized by an organization or individuals. Managing intellectual capital as it flows and grows is the domain of knowledge management.

On the other hand, e-learning is essentially learning utilizing electronic technologies and processes to access educational curriculum even outside of a traditional classroom. E-learning applications and processes include, among others, computer-based learning, online resource library, mobile learning, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration.

It is with KM that education providers will be better able to enhance existing courses and expand new program offerings to meet student needs anytime and anywhere.  Education providers have substantial opportunities to apply technology in their KM practices to support every part of their mission. Along with the technology, such as the use of e-learning platforms, educators can capture knowledge and promote a knowledge reuse and sharing culture.

KM portals contain a collection of electronic information, data and documents related to many topics. A KM portal include or can be embedded with a e-learning system containing online courses that can be taken by learners in order to develop further knowledge and skills. Once certain knowledge is needed by learners, the e-learning system extracts the knowledge needed from the repository and share or transfer it to them. Through the interactions among teachers and students about this shared knowledge, an existing knowledge can be enhanced or new knowledge might be created. Again, the e-learning system, thru KM processes, can be used to capture this new knowledge. At the end of the day, the e-learning systems provide the competency and skills measurements or assessments to determine if the students were able to learn and enhance the knowledge.

KM is instrumental in driving the design and content of e-learning platforms. KM provides the guides and tools for every step of building and sustaining an e-learning program. What is just needed is for educators to arm themselves with the KM tools, techniques, and strategies and fully utilized their e-learning systems to help them reach their learning goals and objectives.