Stephan Weibelzahl

The high potential for synergy between Knowledge Management (KM) and e-Learning seems obvious given the many interrelations and dependencies of these two fields. However, the relationship has not yet been fully understood and harnessed. This workshop therefore aims at bringing together researchers and practitioners, who are interested in combining findings from both fields. On the one hand learning is considered to be a fundamental part of Knowledge Management because employees must internalize,or learn, shared knowledge before they can use it to perform specific tasks. Research within KM so far has addressed learning mostly as part of knowledge sharing processes and focuses on specific forms of informal learning (e.g., learning in a community of practice) or on providing access to learning resources or experts. On the other hand, learning might also benefit from KM technologies. Especially those that focus on the support of technical and organizational components can play an important role in relation to the development of professional e-Learning systems. The LOKMOL workshop placed a great deal of emphasis on the view that KM technologies need to take into account findings from the social sciences such as pedagogics or psychology, to be effective in terms of learning and that learning can profit from KM technologies. There is also a gap between well organized, but monolithic e-Learning material such as courseware on the one hand, and dynamic and flexible knowledge bases that are not able to activate learning processes on the other.