Public policy is a discipline with global reach and importance, yet students and educators often find themselves in isolation and lacking a common language. The members of PolicyNet, a network of global researchers, students and academic institutions, found themselves in just this predicament with no way to know if they were studying the same global issues.
This case study describes how a business social software solution provides the researchers, students and institutions of PolicyNet with the ability to seek out, share insights and collaborate with their counterparts down the hallway, across the street and around the world. With an online community researchers can compare notes, network with 'virtual workspaces' and learn about other institutions' events, course material and programs.
Community Success Story
www.policy-net.org
Education
PolicyNet is a network of global researchers, students and academic institutions focused on public policy. With members from a variety of disciplines at public policy schools worldwide, PolicyNet allows students, scholars, and institutions to connect and collaborate with their peers around the world through a dynamic online community.
The Challenge Dedicated to bringing Public policy is a discipline with global reach and importance, yet students technology to bear on and educators often find themselves in isolation. Within an institution, political scientists, economists, sociologists, lawyers and natural scientists often lack a international governancecommon language. Between institutions, it is often unclear what schools of public issues, this website makespolicy, international studies, administration, government, or schools of law share information-finding and with one another and even how they differ. Students are often unaware thattheir peers are studying the same global issues on the other side of the world. exchange easy acrossThese geographic boundaries hinder collaboration and knowledge exchange a range of institutionalbetween students, scholars, and educators and in turn, lessen the educational models and national experience as well as opportunities for global change. borders.The IGLOO SolutionPolicyNet works to overcome these boundaries by giving policy researchers, students, - Anne-Marie Slaughter,and institutions the ability to seek out and collaborate with their counterparts down Dean of the Woodrowthe hallway, across the street, and around the world. PolicyNet exposes researchers to Wilson School of Publicnew ways of thinking about their topics by making them aware of new data streams. and International Affairs, Princeton UniversityEducators can compare notes and syllabi while networking with other instructors with similar research interests and course topics. They can also learn about other institutions' events, course materials and new programs. Institutions can learn how other organizations structure academic and research programs as well as showcase events and innovative programs and courses. Students can find and connect with their peers, and learn about options for graduate school and studying abroad.
Institutional Sub-Communities
Each institution has its own sub-community with links to pertinent content and information about its programs and faculty. Each sub-community provides search functionality, allowing users to quickly and easily find what they need. MarketplaceCOMMUNITYMember Profiles
Every member of a participating institution can create a profile where he or she can include contact information, post academic work and information about research interests, ongoing projects, teaching or study material and other relevant information. Researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students and institutional administrators can have individual features tailored to meet their particular needs.
This information is also fully searchable, allowing users to quickly identify the full range of individuals who, for example, study AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, municipal waste disposal, or international nuclear proliferation.
Revolutionalizing Issue Groups
academic Members have the ability to create their own thematic groups, bringing together institutional all the researchers and/or students working on a particular topic. These groups can be as basic as an email list-serve, but can also provide a "virtual workspace" for models collaboration and discussion. Users can create forums, hold debates, share data sets, www.policy-net.org exchange documents and interact with colleagues regardless of location.
Calendar of Events
A single calendar found on the main PolicyNet site links all lectures, deadlines and important events for the entire network. Institutions that post events on their own events calendar can automatically publish the same information to the overall community.
Smaller organizations are able to showcase their events to a larger audience, while larger institutions can broaden the reach of their events and further their reputation among students and peer organizations.
Charter Member Institutions
. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs - Princeton University (USA). Graduate Institute of Internati... [download for more]
