New online course integrates Toolkits
Toronto, CANADA – March 8, 2004

Jones International University (www.jonesinternational.edu) is pleased to announce the creation and implementation of a capstone course for the Jones International University Master of Education Program integrating the internationally renowned online educational toolkits of Verna Allee (www.alleetoolkit.com) and Hubert Saint-Onge (www.coptoolkit.com - a hands-on operational guide that helps organizations develop their own communities of practice.) that were developed and are managed by Know Inc. (www.knowinc.com). Additionally the well-know Knowledge Innovation Assessment Software of Debra Amidon (www.entovation.com) has been integrated.

On the frontier of the business and education worlds, communities of learning have become a fundamental pillar of organizational management, change and innovation. In this final course of the Master of Education degree program at Jones International University, students are asked to
participate actively as a member of the virtual community of learning formed by the course group and the facilitator in exploring community of learning concepts, and to design a "blueprint" for launching a community of learning in their own area of degree program specialization.

Learning outcomes of the course:

• Create a convincing value proposition for the creation and maintenance of communities of learning in an organization;

• Describe, in writing, the logistics of building a virtual learning community;

• Evaluate different approaches for growing learning communities;

• Describe how individual knowledge is used to create community knowledge;

• Evaluate the blending of e-learning technologies to support community of learning performance;

• Create a roadmap to ensure that community knowledge is leveraged for organizational benefit;

• Discuss how maximum participation in communities of learning is encouraged and moderated;

• Discuss how communities of learning are leveraged as catalysts for change in organizations;

• Develop an innovation proposal for leveraging communities of learning for organizational change.

Managed by Dr. Cheryl Hurtubis Sahlen, the JIU academic chair for the graduate education programs, course design was performed in collaboration with Dr. Oliver Schwabe (www.euro-focus.com), Verna Allee (www.vernaallee.com), Debra Wallace (www.konvergeandknow.com) plus the instructional design team of Jones International University and technical competence of Konverge (www.konvergeandknow.com).

Dr. Cheryl Hurtubis Sahlen serves as the Academic Chair for the M.Ed. Program at Jones International University. Prior to joining JIU, she served as a grant reader for the United States Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education and the Office of Special Education.  Dr. Hurtubis Sahlen was also teaching faculty at Colorado State University as well as a researcher for multi-disciplined agencies including Regis University, Community Colleges of Colorado and Colorado Partnership for Education Renewal.  She has also directed and coordinated employment departments for non-profit agencies collaborating with state departments and statewide school districts to provide competitive employment, transition services and academic access for individuals with different abilities. Dr. Hurtubis Sahlen received a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Human Resource Studies as well as her Master of Education degree in Vocational Education from Colorado State University.  She has presented professional papers and has published articles about universal access to postsecondary settings for global environments.
 
Dr. Oliver Schwabe is a globally recognized virtual community builder and coach. He heads up a consulting firm focused upon creating tangible value out of intangibles and is associated with numerous global expert networks. Dr. Schwabe supports the delivery of organizational change programs in collaboration with third parties and has authored numerous executive seminars and coaching programs for virtual delivery (www.euro-focus.com). He is furthermore responsible for the delivery of the new MEd course. He also delivers a number of MEd and MBA courses for Jones International University, Capella University, the UNDP Virtual Development Academy and the Open University Business School.

Verna Allee is recognized worldwide for her work in value networks, knowledge management, intangibles, communities of practice, and new business models. She is a practitioner, thought leader, author, and frequent keynote speaker. Through her value network of colleagues, including <konvergeandknow> in Toronto and Vision 2020 in Brussels, she consults with a wide variety of organizations—from global corporations and entrepreneurial startups to government agencies and global action networks. Ms. Allee's publications include The Future of Knowledge: Increasing Prosperity through Value Networks (2003) and The Knowledge Evolution (1997), which is a continuing best seller in the knowledge management field. Ms. Allee is a Fellow of the World Business Academy and the Asian Knowledge Management Association and contributes to special projects for the European Commission, Stanford University, the Brookings Institution, and others.

Debra Wallace consults in a wide range of private and public sector organizations, helping them to develop knowledge and learning strategies to maximize their performance. Most recently, she was responsible for developing and guiding the implementation of the organization-wide knowledge and learning strategy for the newly combined Sun Life Financial and Clarica Life Insurance organizations.  Prior to that role, Dr. Wallace was the Project Manager and Community Facilitator for the Agent Network, a community of practice for Clarica agents Canada-wide. A frequent speaker and workshop facilitator on the benefits of “knowing what you know,” Dr. Wallace has co-authored a chapter on communities of practice in “In Action: Measuring Intellectual Capital” (ASTD, 2002) and continued the writing partnership with Hubert Saint-Onge in “Leveraging Communities of Practice for Strategic Advantage” (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003). She is currently completing a book on advocacy capability development for family law professionals with the Honourable Madam Justice P.H. Wallace.

Hubert Saint-Onge is the co-Chair of Konverge Digital Solutions Corp., a Toronto-based firm of practitioners that implements fully integrated knowledge strategies based on optimized business processes and custom technology solutions. He is cross-appointed to the role of Executive Vice-President at the parent company S.A. Armstrong Limited, a global manufacturer of fluid engineered products, where he oversees the activities of developing the strategic capabilities of the firm as well as overall e-business strategy. For over a decade, Hubert has been refining a model known as the Knowledge Assets Framework for the strategic integration of business plans with people management systems, using technology architecture and organizational infrastructure. Hubert is a respected advisor to Fortune 500 companies and is widely recognized as a leading practitioner in the field of knowledge management.