Telework 96: an international collaborative learning package for information entrepreneurs

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Davenport, Elisabeth^a | Wormell, Irene^b

Affiliations: [a] Communication and Information Studies Department, Queen Margaret College, Clerwood Terrace, EH12 8TS, UK | [b] Royal School of Librarianship, Birketinget 6, DK-2300 Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract: The paper describes an international joint course between Queen Margaret College in Scotland and the Royal School of Librarianship in Denmark which introduced undergraduate students to tools and issues that are relevant to teleworking. The approach was one of active learning, and the collaborative training programme lasted twelve weeks (September to December 1996). The course designers aimed to give the students experience in: 1) working and learning at a distance; 2) international broking across national frontiers; 3) working productively in teams with students from different educational traditions; 4) communication across national cultures and traditions; 5) acting as informed professionals. Students were assessed according to the norms of the respective syllabi in each of the two participating institutions. Both Danish and Scottish groups, however, shared a common task: to produce a written evaluation report on the legislative, financial and social conditions of teleworking both in Denmark and in Scotland. The purpose of this report was to review the conditions as well as the advantages and disadvantages of running this kind of business operation in the two different countries. The report was based on literature searches and analyses as well as the experience of the students themselves, combined with practical and theoretical knowledge in information resource management.

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-1997-15105

Journal: Education for Information, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 43-56, 1997