Online Study
Learning and Knowledge Management Systems
Program Overview
Business and industry leaders have come to realize that knowledge is one of the major differentiating factors between organizations. This emergence of the "information economy" makes the sharing and dissemination of knowledge a critical factor in business success. Visionaries have recognized this fact for over a decade. Knowledge management, although loosely defined, is the rapidly growing area in industry that attempts to address this growth in valuable corporate knowledge along with its systematic capture and sharing. Additionally, online learning has become the preferred method of delivery for corporate training.
The Learning and Knowledge Management Systems degree develops knowledge and skills in the area of planning, creating, and implementing innovative instructional, performance support, and knowledge-sharing environments. Students in this program learn a variety of strategies for providing education, training, and performance support to learner populations that are separated by distance, time or other constraints. Additionally, students learn how to capture, store, evaluate, and distribute knowledge assets and to design technical and organizational systems for knowledge management. The program integrates aspects of instructional design and technology, information technology, and knowledge management.
Curriculum Review
This 45-credit hour program is a part-time, completely distance delivered program. Students enroll in fall or spring quarters and take two courses per quarter for six consecutive quarters. Instructionally, the program attempts to "practice what it preaches" with a variety of online course formats and approaches. An evaluation project and associated report is the capstone experience for all students.
Developing learning and knowledge management systems requires knowledge of instruction, knowledge assets, and human performance along with skills in current (and emerging) networked multimedia and database technologies. There are 11 required courses in the 45-credit hour program and there are no electives.
Courses:
Career Outcomes
Job TitlesEmployment in this area happens usually within organizations in a Human Resources (Training) context or an Information Technology (Knowledge Management Systems) context. Job titles of graduates may include Learning Specialist, Instructional Designer, e-Learning Specialist, Knowledge Management Analyst, Learning and Performance Solution Consultant, Knowledge Management Educational - Content Developer, Consultant for Enterprise Learning, E. Learning and Web Developer.
Admission Requirements
Students applying for admission to the program will need to hold a bachelor degree and must follow standard RIT procedures for graduate applications including transcripts, an Objective Statement, and a resume or summary of work history.
General admissions requirements for the program include:
The department recommends that applicants with previous experience in the field of instructional design, training, or knowledge management submit a portfolio of their work. Applicants without this background should consider submitting GRE scores.
Prerequisites
This degree program requires a mix of technical and social science skills. Because computer programming is required in many of the courses, applicants must have programming background equivalent to a two-course programming sequence in a current object-oriented programming language before admission. The following bridge courses are available from RIT to complete this requirement:
or
Prerequisites
Some computer programming coursework and/or experience is required.