A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
STUDIE CASE: CEIDIS ULA
Beatriz E. Sandia Saldivia and Ana C. Muñoz García
Coordinación de Estudios Interactivos a Distancia, Universidad de Los Andes
Nucleo La Hechicera Edif. de Ingeniería Nivel Patio ala sur, Mérida, Venezuela
Keywords: Knowledge management, Interactive distance education.
Abstract: Knowledge management is one of the priority areas of study, both at the organizational level as in the
technology. It is because of the importance of knowledge as an asset for government organizations.
Universities, whose business is closely tied to the creation and dissemination of knowledge, are not
unknown to this trend and give special attention to the development of knowledge management
mechanisms, such as priority research and development. Knowledge management is an essential part of
university management. This knowledge management should be reflected in all academic fields, especially
in the processes being undertaken for the implementation of interactive distance education or virtual
programs. This article presents a knowledge management model, based on the organizational model for the
Coordination of Interactive Distance Education (CEIDIS) of the Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida,
Venezuela, which has the responsibility to give methodological and technical support to the processes of
learning and distance learning using information and communication technologies (ICTs).
1 INTRODUCTION
Currently, because of the importance of knowledge
as an asset for government organizations, knowledge
management represents one of the priority areas of
study, both at the organizational level as in the
technology. The management of this resource, as
valuable and important, requires great effort by the
part of organizations. Universities, whose business is
closely tied to the creation and dissemination of
knowledge, are not untied to this trend and give
special attention to the development of knowledge
management mechanisms, such as priority research
and development.
Knowledge management is an essential part of
university management. A significant portion of its
business is aimed at employment of professors and
researchers responsible for the generation and
dissemination of knowledge. Moreover, traditionally
the libraries of academic institutions focus on
knowledge management. This knowledge
management should be reflected in all academic
fields, especially in the processes being undertaken
for the implementation of interactive distance
education or virtual programs.
This article presents a knowledge management
model, based on the organizational model for the
Coordination of Interactive Distance Education
(CEIDIS), an academic unit within the Universidad
de Los Andes, Merida, Venezuela, which has the
responsibility to give all the technical and
methodological support to the processes of learning
and distance learning using Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs). This activity
implies the management of knowledge in the area of
interactive distance learning education, as well as
the organization that carries out such management.
CEIDIS reports directly to the Academic Vice
President and serves all the faculties and areas of the
Universidad de Los Andes.
2 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Knowledge may be viewed from several
perspectives (1) a state of mind, (2) an object, (3) a
process, (4) a condition of having access to
information, or (5) a capability (Alavi et al. 2001).
The perspective on knowledge as a state of mind
focuses on enabling individuals to expand their
personal knowledge and apply it to the

organization’s needs. A second view posits that
knowledge can be viewed as a thing to be stored and
manipulated (i.e., an object).
Alternatively, knowledge can be viewed as a
process of simultaneously knowing and acting. The
process perspective focuses on the applying of
expertise. The organizational knowledge must be
organized to facilitate access to and retrieval of
content. This view may be thought of as an
extension of the view of knowledge as an object,
with a special emphasis on the accessibility of the
knowledge objects. Finally, knowledge can be
viewed as a capability with the potential for
influencing future action (Alavi et al., 2001).
Organizational knowledge creation involves
developing new content or replacing existing content
within the organization’s tacit and explicit
knowledge (Pentland, 1995). Through social and
collaborative processes as well as an individual’s
cognitive processes (e.g., reflection), knowledge is
created, shared, amplified, enlarged, and justified in
organizational settings (Nonaka, 1994). This model
views organizational knowledge creation as
involving a continual interplay between the tacit and
explicit dimensions of knowledge and a growing
spiral flow as knowledge moves through individual,
group, and organizational levels.
Four modes of knowledge creation have been
identified: socialization, externalization,
internalization, and combination (Nonaka and
Takeuchi, 1995). The socialization mode refers to
conversion of tacit knowledge to new tacit
knowledge through social interactions and shared
experience among organizational members (e.g.,
apprenticeship). The combination mode refers to the
creation of new explicit knowledge by merging,
categorizing, reclassifying, and synthesizing existing
explicit knowledge (e.g., literature survey reports).
The other two modes involve interactions and
conversion between tacit and explicit knowledge.
Externalization refers to converting tacit knowledge
to new explicit knowledge (e.g., articulation of best
practices or lessons learned). Internalization refers to
creation of new tacit knowledge from explicit
knowledge (e.g., the learning and understanding that
results from reading or discussion).
Knowledge management refers to management
of intangible assets that generate value for an
organization. These intangible assets are related to
processes associated to the recruitment, structuring
and transmission of knowledge. The knowledge
associated with a person and a series of personal
skills becomes on wisdom, and finally knowledge
associated with an organization and a series of
organizational capabilities becomes on the
Intellectual Capital of this organization.
Thus, organizations have the knowledge of the
organization or intellectual capital and this allows
them to develop their essential activity. The
knowledge resides in the system of processes that
gives as results the materialization of the goods or
services.
Brooking (1997) says that the concept of
intellectual capital has been incorporated to define
the set of non-material inputs, and that in the
information age is defined as the main asset of the
third millennium organizations.
The Intellectual Capital of an organization,
according to Brooking (1997) can be divided into
four categories:
• Market assets: related to the knowledge about
the market.
• Intellectual properties assets: referred to the
know-how, to the secrets, copyrights, patents,
design rights, trade and services.
• Assets focused on the individual: these are the
qualities and skills that make up the human
being and that make it what it is.
• Infrastructure assets: referred to technologies,
processes and methodologies that make
possible the organization function.
On the other hand, Steward (1997) defines
intellectual capital as "knowledge, information,
intellectual property, experience, which can be used
to create value." This author makes a very important
point which is that that compares the intellectual
capital with the collective brain power. Steward
divides the capital into three elements: human
capital, structural capital and customer capital.
To Edvinsson and Malone (1997), intellectual
capital is divided into human capital, structural
capital, customer capital, organizational capital,
innovation capital, and capital process. For
Euroforum (1998), the intellectual capital is
composed of: human capital, structural capital and
relational capital.
In general, the value of intangible assets of an
organization is found in the management of their
knowledge, either tacit knowledge of employees
acquired according to its preparation, training and
know-how or the explicit knowledge that is in the
forms of done in the organization such as procedures
and processes, among others.
This article takes as a reference model according
to Munoz, A., Schults, S., and Omaña, T. (2006) in

which intellectual capital is composed of human
capital, structural capital and relational capital.
The Human Capital is formed or characterized
by the human resources involved in the production
or organizational support process (training, skills,
and personal qualities, among others).
The Structure Capital is what makes up the
information managed in the process, which enables
these people to increase their training or skills to
perform their tasks.
The Relational Capital is the information that
comes to relations with the outside of the
organization.
Of the union of these three stands emerges
knowledge. In the way that the organizational
structure will facilitate communication between
people and information, it will be created an
environment of knowledge.
This environment of knowledge is conditioned
by a number of elements such as the quality of
human resources, the ability to manage information
and the ability of the organizational model to
implement and integrate the appropriate tools,
techniques and methods, as well as interact with the
external environment.
The Figure 1 illustrates the value of an
organization according to these components of
intellectual capital.
Organization Value
Intellectual Capital Financial Capital
Human Capital Structural Capital Relational Capital
Organization Value
Intellectual Capital Financial Capital
Human Capital Structural Capital Relational Capital
Figure 1: Organization assets (Muñoz, A., Schults, S., and
Omaña, T., 2006).
2.1 Knowledge Management Process
According to the Knowledge Research Institute
(2000), knowledge transfer takes place in four
stages:
1. Identify existing knowledge in the
organization.
2. Create new knowledge.
3. Capture and store knowledge.
4. Organize and transform knowledge.
To achieve knowledge transfer, Belly, P. (2002)
mentions three key practices:
1. Create information memory where each
individual, in the organization, documents
the steps that take place to achieve the
goal. That is, each member has its own
operating manual; it's about moving to the
conscious the efforts that are made
unconsciously.
2. Create media or communication systems
to transmit the information deposited. It
permits that everyone can access that
information and transform it into
knowledge.
3. Design activities and procedures to ensure
that the knowledge were built and put into
action. This is to ensure that the system is
working properly and it is becoming a
habit. This is what is known as a
knowledge-based organization.
The processes for the CEIDIS knowledge
management model are based on the processes of the
organizational model described below.
2.2 CEIDIS Organizational Model
The CEIDIS organizational model implanted since
February 2007, has being followed the
organizational modelling method developed by
Barrios and Montilva (2004). This model, as Sandia
(2007) comprises, presents:
CEIDIS goals model: based on the mission of
the Coordination of Interactive Distance Education
(CEIDIS), this model defines and represents the
specific objectives through the hierarchical structure.
These goals describe the intentions that contribute to
achieving the mission of the institution and
determine and justify the processes, activities, actors
and roles that employ CEIDIS.
CEIDIS processes model: defines the various
processes involved in CEIDIS, as well as the
functions and activities carried out by different
actors. Besides defining the CEIDIS organizational
structure involving sub models actor / role, role /
activity and objects that cover all business processes.
The CEIDIS organizational structure, indicated in
Figure 2, is a horizontal (in line or staff) and consists
of a set of roles composed of a coordinator, an
administrative support unit, methodology and
didactic unit, development and production unit,
technical support unit, and research and training
unit. In turn, each faculty has the support of
interactive distance studies satellite units (EIDIS).
The Administrative Support Unit is
responsible for the planning, organization,
coordination and supervision of administrative

activities of CEIDIS. It is also responsible for the
budget execution and control, procurement of inputs,
materials, equipment, applications and manages
contracts for maintenance of equipment and
software, among other functions.
The Methodology and Didactics Unit is
responsible of everything related to the design of
content, media and educational resources, as well as
counselling, care and support to teachers, mentors,
facilitators in the implementation and use of
instructional media for teaching-learning activities
on interactive distance, virtual or online educational
programs.
The Development and Production Unit is
responsible for all matters relating to the
development and production of content, media and
educational resources on the Web.
The Research and Training Unit implements
the activities related to research in the area of
educational technology, assessments tools and
learning management platforms, as well as the
training, care and support to teachers, mentors,
facilitators in the implementation and use of the
platforms.
The Technical Support Unit is responsible to
provide, operate, manage and maintain the
technological platform and its automated services,
managing the resources (network systems,
computers, servers, desktops, video and Internet
services, Web pages, user lists, email and other
information services). It also provides technical
assistance to teachers, mentors, facilitators and
students to the best use of these resources.
Academic
Vice
Board
General coordination of
interactive distance
education
Administrative
Support Unit
Methodology
and didactic
Development
and production
Technical
support
Research and
training
• educational
technology
experts
• virtual
trainIng experts
• methodology
and didactics
experts
•professorsand
researchers
• graduated
estudents
Eidis
Satelital Units
•web
administrators
• applications
administrators
• web helpers
• technical
assistents
•web
developers
•webmaster
• telerinformatic
technician
• content
developers
•web
developers
•webmaster
•graphic
designers
• proofreaders
•multimedia
experts
• web helpers
• Instructional
designers
• instructors,
professors,
facilitadores
• educational
technology
experts
•virtual
training
experts
• psicology
and didactic
experts
Academic
Vice
Board
General coordination of
interactive distance
education
Administrative
Support Unit
Methodology
and didactic
Development
and production
Technical
support
Research and
training
• educational
technology
experts
• virtual
trainIng experts
• methodology
and didactics
experts
•professorsand
researchers
• graduated
estudents
Eidis
Satelital Units
•web
administrators
• applications
administrators
• web helpers
• technical
assistents
•web
developers
•webmaster
• telerinformatic
technician
• content
developers
•web
developers
•webmaster
•graphic
designers
• proofreaders
•multimedia
experts
• web helpers
• Instructional
designers
• instructors,
professors,
facilitadores
• educational
technology
experts
•virtual
training
experts
• psicology
and didactic
experts
Figure 2: CEIDIS Process Model (Sandia, 2007).
There are six major processes: coordination,
administrative support, methodology and didactic,
development and production, technical support and
research and training. Each of these processes is
described in general, on the following.
Coordination process: plans, organizes,
coordinates and supervises the management of
CEIDIS. As well, it is responsible for the promotion
and generation of agreements and alliances for
interactive distance education.
Methodology and didactic process: it function
is the design of content, media and educational
resources, as well as counselling, care and support to
teachers, mentors, facilitators in the implementation
and use of instructional media.
Development and production process: is
responsible for all matters relating to the
development and production of content, media and
educational resources on the Web.
Technical support process: is responsible to
provide, operate, manage and maintain the
technological platform and its automated services.
Research and training process: is responsible
for carrying out activities related to research in the
area of educational technology, assessment tools and
learning management platforms.
Administrative support process: together with
the Coordination is responsible for supervising the
CEIDIS administrative activities.
EIDIS Faculty process: is responsible for
giving support in all the Universidad de Los Andes
faculties where they are conducting distance
education studies. This thread is a smaller replica of
all the CEIDIS processes.
3 CEIDIS KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT MODEL
The CEIDIS knowledge management model is based
on the knowledge management model proposed by
Munoz, A. Schults, S., and Oman, T. (2000). There
are three essential components of CEIDIS
intellectual capital shown in Figure 3. This
intellectual capital is made up of the organizational
structure, culture, leadership, mechanisms of
learning, the attitudes of individuals who work in
CEIDIS, the capacity for teamwork and all those
intangible factors that make up the organization.
 The human capital: composed of knowledge,
skills and attitude of each individual who
work in the CEIDIS units. Moreover, in this
human capital are taken into account the
profiles and quality of work of teachers and
students who participate in the processes of
the organization.

 The structural capital: is the corporate
memory, institutional or organizational made
up of the CEIDIS organizational structure,
their operating manuals, information systems,
and the information and communication
technologies to support the process of
teaching and learning, as well as the
innovation and development in the distance
education area, among others.
 The relational capital: composed of relations
with third parties in terms of advice to
teachers and students, alliances and
agreements with other entities and customer
services.
CEIDIS Roles:
Coordinador
Instructional Designer
Expert in Educational
Technology
Expert on Virtual
Training
Graphic Designer
Web Developer
Net administrator &
software
Proffesors & Researcher
Manager of Business
Proofreader
Working Capacity:
Attitudes
Skills
Leadership
Organizational Structure
Manuals of Policies and
Procedures
Organizational culture
Systems
Technology for
Knowledge Management
Virtual Platforms
Technologies for the
management of
information,
communication,
representation and
groupware
Network Connections
Software
Research
Innovation
Relationship with Users
Advice to Teachers
Advice to Students
Service User
Technical Support
Agreements with
institutions
Alliances
Virtual Communities
Suppliers
Human capital Structural capital Relational capital
Intelectual capital
CEIDIS Roles:
Coordinador
Instructional Designer
Expert in Educational
Technology
Expert on Virtual
Training
Graphic Designer
Web Developer
Net administrator &
software
Proffesors & Researcher
Manager of Business
Proofreader
Working Capacity:
Attitudes
Skills
Leadership
Organizational Structure
Manuals of Policies and
Procedures
Organizational culture
Systems
Technology for
Knowledge Management
Virtual Platforms
Technologies for the
management of
information,
communication,
representation and
groupware
Network Connections
Software
Research
Innovation
Relationship with Users
Advice to Teachers
Advice to Students
Service User
Technical Support
Agreements with
institutions
Alliances
Virtual Communities
Suppliers
Human capital Structural capital Relational capital
Intelectual capital
Figure 3: CEIDIS Knowledge Management Model.
3.1 CEIDIS Knowledge Management
Processes
In CEIDIS, knowledge is generated from three main
processes: the methodology and didactic process, the
development and production process and research
and training process. These processes are hold with
the technical support necessary to carry out the
knowledge management activities.
The processes of knowledge management in
CEIDIS are already provided by the existing
knowledge in the organization, by the capture and
storage of the knowledge, and finally by the
organization and transformation of that knowledge.
Currently, the existing knowledge in the
organization is made up of the courses and contents
stored in the CEIDIS database, as well as the
projects implemented with their blogs. This allows
reviewing and evaluating the successes and mistakes
made during its development and in this way can be
defined standards to execute new projects.
There is an organization memory, which through
an organizational scheme established in a database
server, each individual, who works at CEIDIS,
documents the procedures or steps to achieve the
objectives of the established processes. In addition,
blogs are carried out in which each individual
employee records his personal activities.
The procedures for carrying out the activities are
based on the CEIDIS manual of roles and
procedures. This handbook describes the processes,
activities to implement in each process, as well as
the procedures required in each activity and the roles
that run the different activities.
CEIDIS also has a database where are registered
the students and teachers who are served by.
On the other hand, knowledge is generated in
CEIDIS also through agreements and alliances intra-
and inter-institutional. These agreements with other
higher education institutions and other entities with
experience in the distance education area enrich and
allow transforming the existing knowledge in order
to achieve quality in the processes executed in
CEIDIS.
Various media or communication systems have
been designed to transmit the information stored in
the CEIDIS databases, and everyone can access that
information and transform it into knowledge.
Regularly, it is performed information exchange
among the CEIDIS units which allows the planning
and operation information to flow between all
members of the coordination. This allows sharing
information, and that everyone has access to that
information and transforms it into knowledge. This
ensure that the knowledge gained have been
incorporated into the organization and put into
action.
The Figure 4 shows the main knowledge-
management processes that take place in CEIDIS
and how they are interrelated.
Methodology
and
Didactics
Development
and
Production
To develop
instructional
content
To design, develop
and deliver courses
Instructional
design
components of
each course
Scheduling
some of the
designs
instructional
Develop static
and dynamic
content on the
Web
Develop training
materials and
resource support
Research
and
Training
Formation of
Users
(Teachers,
Students)
Advice on
Technical,
academic and
organizational
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
Agreements
Alliances
Methodology
and
Didactics
Development
and
Production
To develop
instructional
content
To design, develop
and deliver courses
Instructional
design
components of
each course
Scheduling
some of the
designs
instructional
Develop static
and dynamic
content on the
Web
Develop training
materials and
resource support
Research
and
Training
Formation of
Users
(Teachers,
Students)
Advice on
Technical,
academic and
organizational
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
Agreements
Alliances
Figure 4: CEIDIS Knowledge Management Process.

4 CONCLUSIONS
The CEIDIS knowledge management model
comprises three main processes: methodology and
didactic, development and production and research
and training, supported by the technological support
process.
The interrelationships of these processes
generate knowledge, as well as the capture, storage,
and finally the organization and transformation of
that knowledge.
Currently, the CEIDIS knowledge management
model is being implemented in its different phases:
The capture and storage phase is implemented
through actions such as information record
(activities, planning, operation and monitoring) in
each of the units that conform CEIDIS, as well as
projects that take place in (Career of Law, TSU
levelling Forest program, Levelling Engineering
program, Graduate Computer program, among
others.).
The organization and transformation phase is
executed through the implementation of the
knowledge management project, which includes the
following activities:
 Implementation of policies and procedures
manuals that serve as a guide for action and
how to conduct the process.
 Definition of technological tools that support
the interaction and updating of knowledge
between the different groups that conforms
CEIDIS (based on the organizational model).
 Definition of activities and procedures to ensure
that the knowledge were built and put into
action.
 Setting standards for measuring quality of
activities and effectiveness in production.
It is important to mention that, actually, the
process functions in CEIDIS are being executed
according to the organizational model, and they are
being evaluated throughout a validation and
evaluation project following the Capability Maturity
Model Integration (CMMI). For measuring quality
of processes, according to CMMI, there are three
dimensions in which the organization should focus
to improve it business processes: people, processes
and methods and tools and equipment, where the
processes are those that describe the behaviours of
the organization. Those are closely related to the
knowledge management model that would be
implanted.
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