‘Networked Learning’ at the Management Center Innsbruck, Austria

Learning is commonly defined as a process combining cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring or enhancing changes in one's knowledge, skills, values, and world views. It comprises the way in which information is absorbed, processed, and retained. This process should be enforced through integrated Networked Learning. By this we refer to a process of developing, maintaining and integrating knowledge acquired in different lectures and the communication of this knowledge to the students. At the Management Center Innsbruck, Austria, this concept has successfully been implemented at the Bachelor program of Nonprofit, Social and Health Care Management three years ago by connecting three lectures and the respective lecturers in the field of “Scientific Work”, “Project Management” and “Statistics”. In line with the customary procedure as adopted in scientific tasks and research, the students have to elaborate a problem definition and a specific research question. An external partner from an organization or company is responsible for defining the specific practical problem to be solved. The didactical principles comprise different levels and forms of cooperation: between the lecturers, within the project team, among the project groups and lecturers, between the project groups and the external (practice-oriented) partner, between the lecturers and the external (practice-oriented) partner. The key method consists of learning in networks in combination with Experiential Learning, both in relation to others and to learning resources and has to be seen as an innovative approach of sustainable learning.