Design of a pedagogical model to promote knowledge generation in virtual communities

Abstract

This article presents a pedagogical model specifically designed to encourage the generation of shared knowledge among participants in a virtual community and the process followed to develop it. The model is based on three pillars: 1) structured learning resources that allow individual and collaborative work by the user; 2) game mechanics that increase participation in the community; 3) dynamisation of the community by the community manager or facilitator. The model was developed starting with a literature review of open learning systems, and specifically, massive online open courses. This review served as a basis to design a specific tool to assess these courses and identify best practices. The tool was subjected to an inter-rater evaluation process prior to its application.