On the subject of using the NILS platform to document change ideas

I want to summarize where we are on using the Carnegie Foundation online platform called NILS to document  our change ideas and outcomes.  Could you to read this blog, complete some reflection and then vote yes or no on adopting this platform.  NB we took a vote already at our face-to-face SC meeting May 15- the yeas had it, but subsequent discussion made us feel like we should wait. We were given the opportunity to log in and poke around. You are encouraged to do this: http://first2network.carnegienetworks.org

VOTE/COMMENT on the FORUM

According to their website, " NILS is an online platform designed to facilitate the initiation and development of NICs working on shared problems of practice in a disciplined manner. Its main goal is to promote social, organizational learning through curation and synthesis, as well as to disseminate tacit and explicit knowledge for improvement in education by moving much of what we currently do face-to-face in improvement practice into a virtual learning environment. "

We actually have a free instance of this platform available to the First2 Network for some, as yet, unspecified time.  You can log in or register : http://first2network.carnegienetworks.org

Here is a screenshot of what you see when you log in. As you can see I have not created a PDSA Change idea document yet.  But here is the important part. See the link called "Review driver diagram? See the link called "Ask for Help"?

This online platform could provide some needed support as we go about developing our first PDSAs

There are some pros and cons, as have been discussed at several recent meetings, including the SG meeting on May 15.  I'll recap as best I can here, and I'm hoping this blog format will allow you to comment, correct and add to this summary:

Cons:

1. NILS is another online portal.   It's hard enough getting people to use one let alone 2 different online tools. Hub Zero has functionality for communicating, forming groups,  and sharing educational data, publications and resources- as well as the most important:  Good Google Drive integration!  NILS does not match our hubzero site in this regard. 

1b. There will be NO a single sign on option in the foreseeable future.  We would have to make a button on first2network.org to take us to NILS and NILS  would have to make a button to take us back to first2network.org

2.  Although there is online functionality for chartering activities like editing driver diagrams, as well as PDSAs. — NILS people are needed to switch us between chartering functions and Improvement Testing.(PDSA).

3. We really need to have 4 entire instances in NILS ( one for each major working group) that are connected back to  the OVERALL project and the BIG driver diagram,  but NILS people don't know how to do this, at this point. So, we would have to use the  one big driver diagram, and add as many secondary drivers as needed to capture our work, and then many PDSAs.

4. NILS is free now but one day it won't be free-  and could be costly– (10K/year?)–we do not have money budgeted for this per se– have to balance against the WVNET related hub zero costs that we will be paying.

Neutral: The NILS folks tell us that our PDSA (etc) data is private and would not be used without our permission, but that our site usage data will be mined. They tell us we can download it in some form if we leave the platform.

Pros:

1.NILS is a custom made to build and update PDSAs, to build and update our Driver diagram, to go back and even document our empathy interviews– all of the steps we undertake in improvement science- it is all there.

2. There is an impending gap in our data collection/documentation as we get PDSAs started.  Form an evaluation standpoint, using NILS would mitigate this.

3. PDSAs are easily visible and always connect to the driver diagram.  Easy to see how much progress, you can drill down into the PDSAs.Would allow SG members  to  see, assist and approve PDSA cycles proposed by individuals in the working groups.

4. Great way to learn the NIC ways,  and have support from Carnegie, even if we don't continue past the free period, we will know what we are doing.

Final thought: As with all of our arrangements with outside partners, I personally think we'd need an MOU with Carnegie and here are some initial suggestions:

• First2 Network agrees to adopt the NILS platform as its main platform for conducting the Improvement Science work for our NSF Alliance for a period of two years. We agree to provide input to the NILS development team.
• In return for adopting this platform  for improvement science work as an NSF INCLUDES Alliance,  Carnegie Foundation agrees to offer a free instance of this platform  from June 2019- June 2021 (two years). We will commit to the platform for that period of time.
• After that time we will re-enter into negotiations  with Carnegie to extend or amend the MOU.
• Should we determine that we will discontinue our use of the platform, we will be able to retrieve all data from the site, in some machine readable form – such as pdf.

VOTE/COMMENT on the FORUM