Think of having close to 100 experts at your beck and call to answer questions on everything from human-computer interface to wireless technology, business development to career enhancement, storage area networks to information security. It’s all there at http://expert.ist.psu.edu/. Whether you’re a student researching an assignment or the manager of a small business facing a roadblock and having no internal expertise, help from the manager of a software company or a Penn State professor is a few clicks away.
Among students, the Expert Exchange is an idea that is beginning to take off.
"The latest way to get students involved has been to integrate use of the Expert Exchange with class projects," said Cole Camplese, co-director of the IST Solutions lnstitute and director of the training and education team which worked with the Institute’s business and career team to create the exchange. "It makes for a nice way for our students to connect with folks from outside the University."
Camplese said, "We are really just figuring out how to best use the service, but it is becoming clear that we must tie it to other events for people to really take advantage of what it has to offer.
"For example, streaming events are posted on the SBL (Solutions Based Learning) Live section of the Exchange and the designers here create thread starters related to the content of the presentation from the four Online IST courses," he went on. "Students are directed to view the presentation and post a response and a review at the Expert Exchange. They also are encouraged to ask follow-up questions of our experts."
Looking ahead, Shawn Clark, director of the Solutions Institute’s business and careers team, sees tremendous potential.
"The IST Expert Exchange is a virtual gathering place for students, faculty members and industry experts, and as such, will help participants navigate the complexities of a dynamic IT field throughout their careers," said Clark. "We foresee this service becoming an asset to many of our constituents.
"Professors will leverage this tool to facilitate parallel conversations about IT outside of the classroom," he went on. "We hope students and alumni will come back to the Exchange again and again to solicit or give advice.
"We envision turning the Expert Exchange into an economic development tool for Pennsylvania by providing an online, one-stop-shopping experience for those seeking advice, insight or best practice ideas in the information sciences. We also expect to see this service used in conjunction with some of our major conferences. It is an effective way to solicit input from conference participants and identify key issues before an event, and foster online communities of experts afterward."
The concept grew out of an interest in providing a resource for life-long learning, a resource that could bring together students, faculty members, and frontline executives to share knowledge and insights in a convenient online forum. Chris Millet, multimedia and instructional technology specialist, has played a major role in the system’s development and rollout.
As currently configured, the Expert Exchange homepage provides main channels into information about the experts featured, background about the project, resources, and—of course—a way to get involved right away. Posting requires users to register an account and all posts are attributed to their owners. The posts of invited experts are highlighted. The credentials and backgrounds of all experts are provided. "Conversations" on the site are moderated.
The exchange was given its first major shakedown last spring in a consulting course taught by Shawn Clark, Solutions Institute co-director, and IST 220 Networking and Telecommunications taught by Brian Cameron, senior technology architect with IST. Approximately 90 students were involved in the pilot test which yielded usability improvements, maintenance improvements, and such content additions as the Resource Library, where the invited experts can share URLs for useful Web sites and other information. One major push was streamlining the system so that experts could provide quality interaction with a minimum of time on task. What emerged was an incredibly sophisticated learning tool that is convenient and easy to use.
Formally launched in September, the Exchange began with around 40 experts, a number which has nearly doubled in the weeks since then. The individuals involved are typically a mix of Penn State faculty members and corporate managers. A case in point is the group of experts arrayed under "business development" among whose job titles are chief operating officer, e-business solutions manager, director of business development, and professor of strategic leadership.
"By inviting experts with diverse backgrounds to cover a variety of subject areas, we believe we provide IST Expert Exchange members a valuable and interactive IT-related resource," said Chris Millet.
While continuously looking for ways to improve the exchange, Camplese is pleased with the results so far.
"All in all, it is going well," he said.
Added Clark, "Crossing boundaries of time, location, disciplines, topics, and industries, this is truly a remarkable form of knowledge sharing. We are just now beginning to tap into its full potential."
