Summer Institute on Learning in the 21st Century Organization

August 4-8, 2008 · The Information School, UW campus, Seattle

Learning in the 21st Century Organization is a five-day workshop style course that explores the practical side of organizational learning discipline. It is a course that will explore the theories of organizational learning to identify best practices of how to engage lifelong learning in any organization, create a learning organization, and better understand how to use information technology to facilitate learning. This course has four basic objectives:

1. Understand how people and organizations learn
   
   
2. Identify the problems of learning in organizations
   
   
3. Identify best practices for facilitating learning in organizations on the individual, group, and organizational levels
   
   
4. Understand how information technology can facilitate learning in organizations

• Lectures will be led by core faulty. Lectures will focus on the conceptual foundation of learning in organizations. Lectures are always interactive.
  
  
• Discussions will be led by core faculty and industry experts as well. In these discussions we will explore the practical implications of the conceptual materials covered in lectures. Industry experts will share their experiences and offer challenges they have faced and best practices they developed.
  
  
• Activities will center around case studies on different issues of organizational learning. These case studies will be presented by faculty and members of the case study organization.
  
  
• Group research project will center on cutting edge technologies or applications used to facilitate learning in organizations. Each group will present to the class an information technology and application that may facilitate learning in organization and instances of organizations that are using the technology.

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Themes in the course are:

1. The importance of learning in organizations
   
   
2. Overview of organizational learning theories
   
   
3. Investigation of the issues of formal and information learning in organizations
   
   
4. Cultivating Communities of Practice
   
   
5. Learning from consultants
   
   
6. Overview of the impact of organizational culture on learning in organizations
   
   
7. Overview of the role of information technology in facilitating learning in organizations
   
   
8. Study of best practices to facilitate learning in organizations
   
   
9. Analysis of case studies of learning in organizations
   
   
10. Interaction with professionals grappling with learning in organizations

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This course is intended for professionals and graduate students who are interested or involved in efforts to maximize the utilization of knowledge and learning in their organizations. Individuals who are concerned with how they as individuals and their organization can best utilize what they know should take this course. Specifically, individuals are concerned with how to:

• Capture lessons learned in various projects
  
  
• Identify and utilize experts
  
  
• Develop novices
  
  
• Connect isolated pockets of knowledge across the organization
  
  
• Identify and correct errors
  
  
• Innovate
  
  
• Develop a learning culture
  
  
• Utilize human potential in the organization through lifelong learning
  
  
• Become a learning organization
  
  
• Use information technology to achieve the preceding objectives

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Why is Learning in Organizations Important?

Facilitating learning in organizations is crucial for survival and effectiveness of any organization. Organizations are operating in an increasingly competitive global market environment and witnessing economic and technological changes unprecedented in history. These changes require that organizations are be adept to learning. The more adept an organization is at learning, the better it is at adapting to its environment, avoiding stability traps, experimenting, rethinking means and ends, correcting for error, innovating, realizing human potential for learning in the service of organizational purposes, and creating organizational settings as contexts for human development.

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About UW Extension

Learning through UW Extension gives working professionals the quality education that will take your career to the next level, whether you long for a promotion or a shift to a completely new field. All UW Extension programs are designed by UW faculty, industry experts, and community leaders. To ensure that you receive high-quality instruction, each UW Extension program is approved by the corresponding University of Washington academic department(s). UW Extension's advisory boards are continually reviewing programs and updating curricula to meet the evolving demands of a broad range of professional fields.

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Schedule

Aug. 4-8, 2008, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
A full schedule in PDF format will soon be available to download.

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Registration

It is not necessary to apply to the University of Washington for Summer Quarter-only courses in order to take this institute. To avoid the $50 Summer-only application fee, please register for this institute through UW Extension.

Important Dates
Registration begins on April 21, 2008. The deadline for registration is July 28, 2008.

Fees
Cost of the five-day institute is $1,825 if received by June 30, 2008, and $1,975 after that date. The institute fee includes tuition for the 30-hour (3 credit) course, instructional materials, access to the UW Information School’s computer labs, daily refreshment breaks and lunches, and a catered evening reception. There is an additional $35 nonrefundable registration fee. Costs for travel and accommodations are not included.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
Registrants who send a written cancellation notice by July 14, 2008, will receive a refund minus the $35 registration fee. No refunds will be granted after July 14, 2008. Cancellation notices should be sent to: Knowledge Management Institute, UW Extension Registration Services, 4311 - 11th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105-4608, or emailed to: uweoreg@extn.washington.edu.

How to Register (Reg # 95276)

• By telephone: Register using VISA or MasterCard by calling 206-897-8939 or 1-800-506-1325, Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and Friday, 9:00 a.m–5:00 p.m.
  
  
• By mail or fax: Print and mail or fax a registration form .
  
  
• In person:
  
  
  • UW Extension, University District, Seattle
    (Administrative offices for UW Educational Outreach)
    4311 - 11th Ave. NE (see map)

    Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Friday, 9:00 a.m–5:00 p.m.

    Parking: Free visitor parking is available in the building garage (entrance on 11th Ave. NE), in stalls marked "UW Educational Outreach."
    
    

  • UW Extension Downtown, Seattle
    1325 Fourth Ave. at Union St., Suite 400 (see map)

    Hours: Mondays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 2:00–5:00 p.m.

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If you plan to apply the credits you earn toward a specific graduate degree in the future you must apply for graduate nonmatriculated (GNM) status and register as a GNM student. For GNM application information, contact the graduate coordinator in the appropriate UW department. The deadlines to apply for GNM status are Sept. 1 for Autumn Quarter, Dec. 1 for Winter Quarter, March 1 for Spring Quarter and May 15 for Summer Quarter. For additional information, call UW Extension Registration Services at 206-897-8939, or the GNM Office at 206-543-7097.

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Institute sessions will be held in Mary Gates Hall on the University of Washington campus, Seattle, Washington. Sessions use the instructional and lab facilities of the UW Information School (iSchool) in Mary Gates Hall. Consult the following links for campus maps, driving directions to the campus (choose Central Campus as the destination), and parking information.

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For information about public transportation in Seattle and surrounding King County, visit transit.metrokc.gov/. For details on ground transportation to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, see www.portseattle.org/seatac/.

For places to stay during the institute, see local accommodations in the University District, which is located in North Seattle about 15 minutes from downtown and the Eastside/Bellevue. For more information about accommodations in Seattle and King County, see Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau Lodging Guide. Lodging guides for the Seattle metropolitan area are also available at:

• seattle.usahotelguides.com
• all-seattle-hotels.com

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Tax Credits for Tuition and Fees

Eligible taxpayers may claim a tax credit of up to $2,000 on UW Extension courses. For more detailed information, please refer to IRS Publication 970, "Tax Benefits for Higher Education."

For purposes of the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits, federal law (section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code) requires the University to obtain your Social Security number.

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Accommodations for Disabilities

The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation, contact UW Extension at 206-897-8939, or the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 (voice), 206-543-6452 (TTY), 206-685-7264 (fax) or dso@u.washington.edu (e-mail) at least 10 days before the institute.

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If you have questions about this institute, please call 206-685-8936 or 1-800-506-1325, or e-mail KMI@extn.washington.edu.

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