Lessons from the EUREX Workshops

(a) Situation faced: A family-owned manufacturing company recently went through the transfer of management from the older to the younger family generation. A number of problems were uncovered during this process, such as prevalence of tacit knowledge, an inefficient decision-making process, outdated IT system support, and an urgent need for certification of production processes according to quality-assurance standards (ISO 9001). Each of these problems required thorough documentation of the as-is business processes in the organization to guide their improvement. (b) Action taken: To ensure that the created process models serve as a valid communication medium, the company’s process landscape was created during an initial workshop between the executives and external BPM consultants. Then the information on processes in the company’s various departments was gleaned from semi-structured interviews with the department employees. At the same time, process weaknesses and potential improvements were derived and discussed with the functions’ management. The succeeding depiction of the to-be process framework was achieved with the help of the icebricks modeling method and the corresponding software tool, which is a lightweight, standardized approach to ensure high quality of process models. (c) Results achieved: During the modeling phase of the project, external BPM consultants documented the process landscape, thereby explicating the company’s knowledge and good-practice processes. The process landscape served as basis for well-informed decisions regarding the implementation options of a new ERP system, which was introduced on time and on budget in the second phase of the project. The ISO 9001 recertification of production processes was achieved in the third project phase with the help of the process documentation that had been created. (d) Lessons learned: Simply deploying process models on the company’s intranet platform does not necessarily lead to their desired comprehension and use. All employees have to be trained that process models are a means of communication and are never finalized, a notion that also applies to continuous process improvement. Process owners must be defined so they take responsibility for adjustments to the process environment beyond the project’s lifecycle, but such responsibility is not solely that of a project manager. Furthermore, the project demonstrated the appropriateness of the icebricks modeling method for the manufacturing domain, although it was originally designed for the retail industry.

This extended abstract delineates a collaborative endeavor between the School of Communication & Design and the Learning Design team at RMIT Vietnam. The project’s core objective was to uplift and reimagine blended learning approaches across selected courses. In line with the growing body of research endorsing the role of academic-designer partnerships in fostering technology-enhanced learning (Ellis et al., 2016; Nihuka & Voogt, 2012; Huber & Jacka, 2022; McDonald & Mayes, 2005), this initiative thrived on the close collaboration between academics and learning designers. What sets our approach apart is the non-homogenized implementation of blended learning changes. Instead of uniformly transitioning courses from face-to-face to a blended format, changes were specifically tailored based on the needs and learning outcomes of each course. This bespoke approach, combined with our multifaceted support framework and adaptive project management strategies, ensured that the course design was both effective and reflective of individual course characteristics. The multifaceted support framework leveraged initial design workshops to establish core principles and a shared vision, codesign of initial proof of concept course modules, design templates, a central site providing blended learning exemplars and pedagogical resources and ongoing consultations. Embedded throughout these were foundational frameworks for online and blended learning including Backward Design and Community of Inquiry (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, Garrison et al., 2001). New tools to support active, social, asynchronous learning were also integrated into the LMS. Adaptive project management strategies addressed challenges as they arose. The transformed courses showcase innovative blended learning approaches personalized to disciplinary contexts, leading to positive measurable impacts. Academics reported feeling empowered by new skills gained through the collaboration and this positive reception extended the reach of the program, providing a catalyst for academics not directly involved to implement the approaches and tools used in the program in their own course design. Despite its success, the initiative was not devoid of challenges. Different priorities necessitated compromise, and academics required additional support to adapt to new the new technologies and pedagogical strategies. The project’s collaborative nature proved instrumental in surmounting these hurdles, enabling learning designers to progressively build academic involvement whilst addressing issues central to blended learning implementation in a Vietnamese context such as lack of familiarity and experience with blended learning (Le et al., 2021). The outcomes of this collaboration underscore the value of leveraging complementary expertise of academics and designers. Beyond elevating technology-enhanced learning, the project fostered mutual understanding, leading to wider impacts than initially anticipated. Insights gained can inform effective collaboration strategies and highlight organizational enablers to nurture such relationships and promote the move to blended learning and uplifting of courses on a larger scale. This tailored approach not only represents a best practice example in the TEL context but also signifies a progressive step in the broader landscape of higher education, which is rapidly evolving towards online and blended modalities. While our experience is grounded in the Vietnamese context, the inherent flexibility and adaptability of our methods make it a model that can be replicated and customised for diverse tertiary educational settings globally. As higher education continues its evolutionary trajectory, academic-designer collaborations such as this one, rooted in blended learning enhancement, will grow in significance. The insights and methods presented here offer valuable pointers for those aiming to advance pedagogical innovation.