=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-1400/paper6
|storemode=property
|title=Learn PAd : Collaborative and Model-based Learning in Public Administrations
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1400/paper6.pdf
|volume=Vol-1400
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/staf/BertolinoAPS15
}}
==Learn PAd : Collaborative and Model-based Learning in Public Administrations==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1400/paper6.pdf
Learn PAd : Collaborative and Model-based
Learning in Public Administrations
1 1,4 2
Antonia Bertolino , Guglielmo De Angelis , Andrea Polini , and
3
Darius ilingas
1
CNRISTI, Italy
{antonia.bertolino,guglielmo.deangelis}@isti.cnr.it
2
University of Camerino, Italy
andrea.polini@unicam.it
3
No Magic Europe, Lithuania
darius.silingas@nomagic.com
4
CNRIASI, Italy
Abstract. In modern society public administrations (PAs) are undergo-
ing a transformation of their perceived role from controllers to proactive
service providers. PAs are today under pressure to constantly improve the
quality of delivered services, while coping with quickly changing context
(changes in law and regulations, societal globalization, fast technology
evolution) and decreasing budgets. As a result civil servants delivering
such services to citizens are challenged to understand and put in ac-
tion latest procedures and rules within tight time constraints. The Eu-
ropean project Learn PAd copes with this transformation by proposing
an e-learning platform that enables process-driven learning and fosters
cooperation and knowledge-sharing. The platform supports both an in-
formative learning approach, based on enriched business process (BP)
models, and a procedural learning approach, based on simulation and
monitoring, while relating them as well to learning objectives and key
performance indicators.
1 Introduction
The Public Administration (PA) sector in modern society is characterized by the
need to continuously improve the delivery of already provided services as well as
to introduce new services for both citizens and companies. The adoption of the
European Interoperability Framework [1] challenges the PAs from the European
member states to cope with several and interconnected procedures, which are
often documented and modelled in term of Business Processes (BPs).
A BP describes a collection of activities, messages, and forms that the PAs
have to elaborate in order to produce a service to their end-users (i.e citizen, com-
pany, or other PAs). Such services are usually articulated in three main phases:
i) activation (i.e. request, documentation); ii) processing while performing ac-
tivities that add value (i.e., checks), or producing evidences: in both these cases
the activities use resources (i.e., humans, information, structures); iii) release of
2 A. Bertolino, G. De Angelis, A. Polini, D. ilingas
a set of produced artefacts as output (e.g. permission, licenses, or rights). Fur-
thermore, it is evident that a BP of a PA must also comply with all regulations
governing the subject of the service.
Designing and understanding BPs for PAs is a complex, interdisciplinary, and
time consuming task that often involves judgements based on domain knowledge
and experience. From the point of view of a civil servant, complexity is also
raised by the fact that BPs typically include several alternative scenarios, many
of which are seldom activated and may be thus not well understood. Moreover
in most of the cases a collaborative eort involving several PA o ces is required
to ful ll BP objectives. Finally the introduction of new regulations, or their fre-
quent modi cations, results in the intertwined modi cation/deletion of already
established BPs, or it can lead to the creation of BPs that were not originally
considered. In short BPs in PAs require that civil servants acquire a complex
knowledge [2].
Such knowledge is necessary both for accomplishing the required tasks, and
to determine what are the tasks to be executed in presence of uncertainty. The
management of such a knowledge is challenging per-se. Civil servants deal with
heterogeneous information usually learned from previous engagements. In some
cases, they can access to insights from prior projects, where notes for subsequent
process steps are scattered among manifold knowledge containers spanning
from the personal memory/notes, to some o cial information systems. Never-
theless, it is often di cult to use such pieces of best practice in a coordinated
manner that can take into account both the documents content and the docu-
ment context (i.e. the creation situation, the potential usage situation). Therefore
civil servants are never done with learning how to carry out their tasks. This
is one of the major critical issues that modern PAs have to cope with when
transforming their regulation framework in order to improve e ciency and ef-
fectiveness.
The Learn PAd project (see Section 5 for details) investigates means for
merging the activities modeled in a BP and the context behind, so to collabora-
tively organize knowledge archives that could support civil servants in learning
and mastering the complexity of PA processes. In particular, we promote the
engagement of civil servants in learning activities at dierent times, following
dierent paradigms, and by dierent means, i.e., by fostering informative learn-
ing paradigm (i.e. from the BP models and their related material), but also by
promoting the same civil servants as prosumers (providers/consumers) of the
learning materials.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 envisions a methodol-
ogy supporting the de nition of both BP models, and their associated learning
artefacts in PAs. Section 3 presents the overall strategy followed in the project
work-plan. Section 4 discusses both the challenges, and the perspectives expected
by the Learn PAd project; nally Section 5 concludes the paper by reporting a
synthetic outline of the project, the founding schema, the consortium, and the
key-people involved.
Learn PAd 3
2 Models and Contents Production Process
A service oered by a PA can be fully carried out within an administration,
or may require information held by other institutions, or may be delivered in
collaboration with other PAs. In any of these cases the activities that a PA has
to perform are strictly guided by rules emphasizing the recognition of the legality
and regularity of the administrative work. In addition to the formal obligations,
an important characteristic in PA processes is the presence of internal procedures
resulting from the establishment of habits: for example checks or obligations
that in the past were required by the o cial regulations and were afterwards
revoked, but are still locally enforced. These internal procedures are frequently
part of tacit knowledge of a PA. They often result elusive to highlight and
to learn when they are benign, but they are particularly di cult to eradicate
when they are mere bureaucracy. In any of these cases, they make the work of
new employees di cult. The possibility to collaboratively model and discuss PA
processes, in order to document them, can help the training of new employees,
and can facilitate the reorganization of o ces and the removal of unnecessary
procedures.
Fig.1. Models and Contents Production Process
The Learn PAd project envisions a methodology for the collaborative mod-
elling and learning of BP-oriented procedures in PAs. Figure 1 sketches the main
steps about the models and contents production process. According to this vi-
sion, the organization of a set of activities in a PA starts with the identi cation
4 A. Bertolino, G. De Angelis, A. Polini, D. ilingas
of the formal set of laws, rules and procedures regulating them ( 1 ). All this
information is explicitly structured and codi ed using a graphical BP notation
( 2 ) and is possibly linked with other artefacts modelling information objects
(e.g. documents and data), organizational structure business motivation (e.g.
policies, strategy, goals, objectives and in uencers) [3].The models and their re-
lations are checked in order to assess their structural and semantic quality ( 3 );
if these checks fail, further iterations on the modelling phase are requested, else
the models are the input of an automatic synthesis process that structures and
populates the e-learning platform supporting wiki-like facilities (i.e. the Lear-
n PAd platform 4 ). Note that most information about a PA process comes
from sets of regulations in natural language (e.g. laws, and procedures that can-
not be modi ed). Thus often quality issues on the model representation (e.g.
non termination of the BP, or deadlock) are due to alternative interpretations
of such regulations.
The models structured as a collection of interlinked wiki pages provide a
valuable source of information grasping the BP objectives and context. In this
sense, the Learn PAd platform enables informative and process-driven learning,
as the civil servants can browse and access the information codi ed in the mod-
els. The wiki-like representation of the BP structure, its data, and its business
rules, enable communities of civil servants to collaboratively develop documen-
tations, hints, people to contact ( 5 ). Moreover it fosters the continuous upgrade
of such information directly by the personnel working within each BP. In other
words, the platform fosters cooperation and knowledge-sharing among civil ser-
vants. For each new contribution, further quality procedures and check about
the contents produced are enabled ( 6 ); for example in order to support the iden-
ti cation of potential ambiguities or contradictory documentations. If no issues
are raised, contents are released on the platform becoming part of the additional
documentation of a process ( 7 ).
In some case, the collaborative development of documentations could reveal
unexpected behaviour or desirable improvements. There, it is possible to take
advantage of the semi-formal representation of the BP. Speci cally, modellers
can be noti ed with a bottom-up feedback about the highlighted problem; when
a fresh version of the global speci cation is released, the related documentations
can be preserved by navigating and comparing the two BP versions.
3 Overall Strategy and Work Plan
Main aim of the project is to build a collaborative and BP-based e-learning
platform targeted at supporting training of civil servants. Following this objec-
Model
tive, the Learn PAd consortium identi ed ve major solution dimensions:
Based Learning where a set of model kinds, and their interrelations, are the
key abstractions used in order to represents the dierent aspects of an organi-
zation;Collaborative Content Management referred to a collection of wiki pages
organized in accordance to the structure of corresponding models;Content and
Models Automatic Assessment for both the models and their associated docu-
Learn PAd 5
mentation produced by civil servants; Simulation Based Learning Support that
enables civil servants to experiment collaboratively their acquired knowledge;
Monitoring and KPI for engaging learners where indicators are derived and
monitored in order to assess both civil servants, and organizational learning.
These solution dimensions are investigated within four work packages (i.e.
WP3, WP4, WP5, WP6) mainly conceived to enhance the research with the area
of technology-enhanced learning. These work packages leverage on the activities
from other three work packages (i.e. WP1, WP2, WP7) enabling the engineering
of the Learn PAd platform. The project validates its achievements using two
demonstrators (i.e. WP8). Finally, dissemination and management activities are
the focus of the remaining WPs (i.e. WP9, WP10).
In the following we report more details for each work package in Learn PAd.
WP1: Requirements Analysis is conceived as the very rst interaction point
of the project where all partners meet in order to de ne and to elicit their needs
and their vision for the e-learning platform that will result from the project.
Speci cally, the whole consortium discusses the requirements from research,
methodological, technical, architectural and user perspectives.
WP2: Learn PAd Platform designs the high level architecture for the whole
Learn PAd platform and it shapes the strategy for the integration of the various
components. It also provides the design of the core functionalities of the collab-
orative framework to which all the tools developed by WP4, WP5, WP6 can be
plugged in. Moreover the core of the collaborative framework relies on the data
metamodel resulting from WP3 and WP5.
WP3: Approaches Enabling Model-Based Learning analyses, speci es,
and de nes the domain-speci c models and meta-models that are needed to
be adopted for the management and learning of business processes and their
context. Speci cally, it investigates on adequate means for automatically relating
BP-notations such as BPMN [4], and other model kinds representing either the
organization of the PAs or learning aspects.
WP4: Models and Contents Quality Assessment investigates on the qual-
ity assessment of the BP model speci cations, and its related learning contents.
The quality assessment will be based on both formal veri cation, and natural
languages processing techniques. The former will focus on proper approaches as-
sessing the satisfaction of relevant properties by de ned BP models. The latter
will include mechanisms to check if the text within the learning content referring
to the elements of a model is consistent (e.g. not contradictory, issuing potential
ambiguities, etc.) with respect to the model itself.
WP5: Collaborative Content Management deals with the collaborative
management of learning contents, including their production and fruition. Specif-
ically the WP is designed around the de nition of ontologies providing a shared
understanding of learners, contents and KPI. It also leverages on automatic rea-
soning in order to measure the success of learning, as well as cooperation and
content production. This work package fosters the development of a performance
culture by explicitly referring to KPIs as means for assessing how learners engage
in learning, and improve their competence by means of the platform.
6 A. Bertolino, G. De Angelis, A. Polini, D. ilingas
WP6: Simulation Based Learning researches on the design and the con-
struction of a simulation environment where learners are engaged in training
activities. The simulation engine will support both the software emulation of the
involved parties, and the provisioning of dedicated means for gathering learners
willing to train on the business process by interacting with other learners.
WP7: Coordination Activities Supporting Integration is a technical work
package prescribing the guidelines for the development and the integration of the
software provided by the other work packages.
WP8: Demonstrators aims at demonstrating applicability, acceptance and
eectiveness of the overall Learn PAd platform. The WP leverages on the results
from the WPs 1-6 from two dierent PAs, each one providing and highlighting
dierent aspects.
The rst case concerns the administrative procedures related to the partic-
ipation to a European research project. This case is demonstrated in the ad-
ministrative departments at University of Camerino. It is conceived to engage
dierent partners in the de nition of BP models and BP documentation, but
without crossing the border of that PA.
The second case addresses a more complex inter-organizational scenario in-
volving several PAs. Speci cally, it refers to the activities that the Italian PAs
have to put in place in order to allow entrepreneurs to set up a new company (i.e.
Sportello Unico Attività Produttive SUAP). This demonstrator is run under
the support of Regione Marche PA, which partially regulates the activities in
SUAP, and it also includes a stable school for PA employees.
WP9: Dissemination and Exploitation deals with managing all activities
including dissemination, exploitation, standardization undertaken throughout
the project.
WP10: Management includes all management tasks (e.g. budgeting, project
sta ng, planning, quality assurance, etc.).
4 Challenges and Perspectives
For each of the ve main solution dimensions presented in Section 3, the Le-
arn PAd project deals with challenges and perspectives overcoming the current
state-of-the-art in technology-enhanced learning.
Model Based Learning : The more evident perspective promoted by the Lear-
n PAd project is to adopt models (and their graphical representation) as the basis
for organizing knowledge and training people in PAs. In fact models have been
used more and more to represent dierent dimensions of an organization; what
Learn PAd proposes is a systematic way to automatically derive and organize
e-learning artefacts from such models; thus a platform for Model Based Learning
supporting o-line learning by consulting and commenting contents related to
speci c topic, and learning-by-doing by simulating the BP activities.
A challenge with respect to the current state-of-the-art in the eld of Model-
Driven Engineering concerns the proposition of means for the homogeneous link-
ing of orthogonal aspects. For instance from the BP notations towards several
Learn PAd 7
other model kinds that are referred in the domain of PA (i.e. case, organiza-
tion, competency, business motivation, data). Only an explicit formulation of
those interrelations can enable coherent cross-model analysis, and the automatic
synthesis of e-learning artefacts.
This solution dimension is mainly investigated in WP3, and WP5.
Collaborative Content Management : The main innovation brought to the
Collaborative Content Management dimension in e-learning is to have an asyn-
chronous learning platform where civil servants are both learners and instructors
and contribute to create a shared knowledge. Like in a wiki, the platform sup-
ports the provision from some power-brokers of tutorial/learning material that is
updated and commented by civil servants in a collaborative way. As introduced
above the underlying structure of the platform is automatically derived accord-
ing to precise metamodel speci cations and re ects the structure of dierent
model kinds adopted and their interrelations.
In addition, the platform refers to complex ontologies in order to classify
learners and contents, and also in order to infer learning needs for the civil ser-
vants. Indeed, the innovation about this dimension also concerns the possibility
to provide context-based recommendation of both contents and social pro les
(e.g. a set of competent colleagues which may provide help).
This solution dimension is mainly investigated in WP5 and partially in WP3.
Content and Models Automatic Assessment : The platform is including
automatic veri cation techniques with reference to both stored models and con-
tents. The research along this dimension leverages formal veri cation techniques
that are used to highlight potential issues in BP and related speci cations. Since
Learn PAd encourages collaborative work on documenting models on-line with
new learning artefacts, the perspective of an automatic support for contents pro-
duction assessment is particularly appealing. Instead of pre-de ned structured
information, unstructured information in natural language that is related to the
models (comments, annotations, etc. in the platform) need to be analysed. The
challenge is that quality for the contents produced by the civil servants is ad-
dressed by investigating advanced Natural Language Processing techniques [5].
In this respect, textual analysis mechanisms rely on the de nition of rigorous
speci cation (i.e. metamodels and weaving models) for relating the models and
with contributed textual material in order to highlight possible inconsistencies
or mismatches.
This solution dimension is investigated in WP4.
Simulation Based Learning Support : Another perspective pursued by the
Learn PAd project focuses on highly interactive media-intensive learning envi-
ronments. The challenge is to enhance traditional training methods by means
of simulation exercises. In addition, the simulation environment of Learn PAd
includes a BP execution engine supporting the behavioural emulation of the in-
volved parties in the process. Also, in this context the simulation may suggest
some interesting paths in a BP, leveraging research in model-based testing
approaches enabling the detection of critical branches/paths [6][7], or seldom
8 A. Bertolino, G. De Angelis, A. Polini, D. ilingas
activated during actual BP engagements (i.e. paths where civil servants are sup-
posed to be less skilled).
Along this dimension, Learn PAd investigates topics on collaborative simula-
tions, and gami cation , which are currently considered as promising approaches
to learning by many communities in the eld [8][9][10].
This solution dimension is investigated in WP6.
Monitoring and KPI for engaging learners : The Learn PAd project en-
visions KPIs as speci cally tailored to reveal knowledge resources and speci c
capabilities of learners. For example, a perspective foresees individual KPI pro le
as a mean for learners to identify and to communicate with relevant peers/ex-
perts in order to explore collaboration opportunities and enhance their learning
process.
The challenge on the KPI dimension rises from their formulation and usage.
The research in Learn PAd aims at combining the knowledge maturing scorecard
approach which measure the achievement of learning goals, with the Business
Motivation Model that explicitly represents the goals and objectives of an orga-
nization (i.e. the PA). Instances of the individual KPI pro le rely on data from
the activities performed within the platform: either with respect to the quanti-
ty/quality of learning artefacts produced, or with respect to the results from the
sessions executed in the simulation environment.
The Learn PAd project investigates the track of activities on the platform
by means of multi-source monitoring facilities grounded on research about the
Events-Driven software architecture pattern[11]. In this respect the challenge is
to conceive adaptive approaches that are able to correlate auditing data and
inferring complex events so that to be used in order to compute the aggregated
data from an instance of an individual KPI pro le.
This solution dimension is manly investigated in both WP5, and WP6.
5 Learn PAd at a Glance
Project Acronym: Learn PAd
Project Name: Model-Based Social Learning for Public Administrations
O cial Project Web-Site: http://www.learnpad.eu
Source of funding: European Commission : EU FP7-ICT-2013-11 / 619583
Overall Total Budget: e
Total cost: 3.532.993 (EC contribution: e 2.635.000)
Duration: 30 months (from the 1
st
Feb. 2014 to the 31
st
Jul. 2016)
Consortium:
Bene ciary Name Short Name Country
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (coordinator) CNR Italy
BOC Asset Management GmbH BOC Austria
LINAGORA GSO LIN France
No Magic Europe NME Lithuania
Regione Marche MAR Italy
University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW Switzerland
University of Camerino UNICAM Italy
University of L'Aquila UDA Italy
XWiki SAS XWIKI France
Learn PAd 9
Key People: Project Coordinator : Antonia Bertolino (CNR)
Scienti c Leader : Andrea Polini (UNICAM) Exploitation Leader : Darius ilingas (NME)
Technical Leader : Guglielmo De Angelis (CNR) Project Secretary : Daniela Mulas (CNR)
WPs Leaders : Robert Woitsch (WP1 BOC), Jean Simard (WP2, WP7 XWIKI), Alfonso
Pierantonio (WP3 UDA), Stefania Gnesi (WP4 CNR), Barbara Thönssen (WP5 FHNW),
Jean-Pierre Lorré (WP6 LIN), Barbara Re (WP8 UNICAM), Darius ilingas (WP9 NME),
Antonia Bertolino (WP10 CNR)
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