Program Director:
Keywords:
The Dissemination Program is an integral part of NCRVE's infrastructure,
offering to its constituencies a consistent, reliable method of translating and
brokering R&D-based, practitioner-based, and policy-based knowledge in ways
useful to these persons. In addition, the activities of the Dissemination
Program encourage the development of social networks among all stakeholders,
again, so that knowledge is distributed and exchanged in useful, usable ways.
Thus, the Dissemination Program attempts to strike a balance among user-driven
responsiveness, targeted dissemination, and social networking, organizing
itself around three basic components: (1) knowledge distribution, (2)
knowledge acquisition, and (3) knowledge collaboration. Each of these
components uses a varying blend of several approaches including database
development and use, information brokering, publications, marketing/promotion,
direct interpersonal linkages, and electronic communications.
Knowledge distribution is the one-way distribution of knowledge produced by NCRVE. The Dissemination Program engages in the following activities in order to effectively distribute knowledge to its user communities:
The activities of NCRVE generate a variety of primary research, development,
and training materials as well as materials derived from these primary
outcomes, all of which must be made available to educators, researchers,
business/industry/labor, policymakers, and interested citizens. The
Dissemination Program operates NCRVE's product quality assurance and control
system, which includes the review, revision, production, and distribution
process for the Center, resulting in the distribution of quality materials.
The NCRVE MDS produces, markets, and distributes all primary and most derived
documents funded by the Center. MDS operates as a partially subsidized (as
compared to true cost-recovery) entity. MDS is operated under subcontract with
Western Illinois University.
An electronic archive of selected Center publications is supported as a
component of VocServe, the Dissemination Program's public-access bulletin board
system. The Dissemination Program will continue to offer NCRVE publications
and other information via alternative electronic means such as file transfer
protocol (ftp) archives, gopher servers (maintained by NCRVE and/or other
organizations such as AskERIC), and World Wide Web (WWW) servers.
Derived materials result from a formal translation process that develops spinoffs from project outcomes, or summarizes and synthesizes materials useful to and usable by NCRVE's user communities. Formats include such approaches as newsletters, brochures, briefs, working papers, and information packets.
The Dissemination Program has the task of marketing both the Center's
publications and the Center itself. The Dissemination Program uses both
printed materials and other marketing tools such as conferences, an 800
telephone line, electronic "advertising," and a Public Information Officer
Network. Printed materials include periodicals, brochures, information
packets, various publications promoting NCRVE documents, the complimentary
distribution of documents to targeted audiences, and advertorials
(institutional advertisements in large publications such as Education
Week).
The Dissemination Program provides a publicity venue for the entire Center
through publication of a brochure, which describes the entire Center; a yearly
Agenda and Human Resource Directory, which respectively describe
NCRVE's mission and areas of work; the NCRVE's personnel and their areas of
expertise; and conference display booths. The Products Catalog, topical
mini-catalogs, and New Publications flyers (mailed quarterly to targeted
audiences) promote NCRVE publications across all programs. The Public
Information Officer Network is used to link the Public Information Officers and
NCRVE site directors so that Dissemination Program-generated press releases can
be widely distributed to regional and national audiences.
Knowledge acquisition involves assisting NCRVE's customers to access information. The major technologies the Center will use to implement knowledge acquisition are
The overall mission of information brokering is to operate as an intermediary
for a variety of information services, products, and human resources--brokering
information to educators, researchers, policymakers, and
business/industry/labor.
To carry out the Dissemination Program's brokering mission of providing access
to a variety of information services and products, the Dissemination Program
will
The Dissemination Program maintains an 800 number for brokering. The other major channel for brokering requests as well as responses is through electronic communications. This brokering capacity is achieved through VocServe and VOCNET as well as through membership in major relevant electronic discussion groups.
Electronic communications are used to receive information requests, to respond
to these requests, and to seek information for customers in need of such
information for decision making. The Dissemination Program maintains its own
public bulletin board system (VocServe); its own listserv, VOCNET; a file
transfer protocol (ftp) archive; a gopher server; and a WWW server.
Additionally, memberships are maintained in relevant electronic discussion
groups and other systems managed by other organizations.
Electronic communications are used in a number of ways to deliver information.
For example, NCRVE events and products (e.g., conferences, R&D reports, and
videotapes) are marketed via electronic media; requests for information are
received and answered electronically; and more extensive data in electronic
form (e.g., data sets and texts of publications) are electronically archived,
accessible to all electronic network users.
Knowledge collaboration promotes the multiway flow of NCRVE-produced knowledge. The key implementing approaches the Center will use in encouraging this flow are
NCRVE promotes and facilitates the exchange of information among itself and its user communities by electronic means. The Center participates in BITNET/Internet discussion lists and in existing practitioner networks in order to maintain contact with those user groups, but the bulk of the Center's electronic knowledge distribution, acquisition, and collaboration efforts are channeled through VocServe and VOCNET.
The knowledge collaboration facilities of the VocServe system distribute knowledge, assist NCRVE's customers to access information, and result in shared experience in which the distinction between knowledge producer, translator, and user becomes irrelevant.
VOCNET provides a major forum for discussion of vocational education issues for BITNET/Internet listserv users. The Dissemination Program staff also participates in relevant BITNET/Internet discussion groups which deal with education and training issues. Through such memberships, the NCRVE monitors discussions--participating as appropriate--drawing interested NCRVE staff into the discussions.
NCRVE, through its participation in practitioner networks, shares in user-driven discussions. The Center encourages such users to communicate directly with Center persons (via VocServe if possible), while simultaneously transferring outcomes of such discussions to relevant Center personnel, encouraging them to communicate directly with the practitioner networks. The Dissemination Program encourages collaboration among the state/regional systems themselves via VocServe.
NCRVE collaborates with other key knowledge transfer networks in order to more
effectively integrate knowledge producers, transfer agents, and users into a
shared effort at developing and using knowledge generated through formal
dissemination activities.
The Dissemination Program will continue to maintain and strengthen linkages
with the following entities:
The following are deliverables of the NCRVE:
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