The ROLE test-beds: ROLE learning tools in action

© www.role-project.eu

The ROLE test-beds:ROLE learning tools in action

Dr Alexander Mikroyannidis

The Open University, UK

The ROLE test-beds

• The ROLE test-beds target a large sample of individuals with significant potential for extending to other learners and learning communities.

• Learning in higher education:• The Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) test-bed• The RWTH Aachen University test-bed• The OpenLearn test-bed by the Open University

• Learning in the workplace:• The Festo Lernzentrum test-bed • The British Institute for Learning and Development

(BILD) test-bed

The SJTU test-bed

• The SJTU test-bed takes place at the School of Continuing Education (SOCE/NEC) of SJTU.

• SOCE students, mostly adult learners who have a job, attend the classes in the evening or on the week-end, either in person in the classroom, or by watching live over the Web.

• Improving their competencies via degree education or certificate training enables personnel to increase their chances in the highly competitive Chinese job market.

SJTU widgets

• Creating an audio self-presentation in French includes four main widgets: • a translator widget • a spell checker• a text-to-speech engine • a recording widget

• This widget bundle is useful in a language learning context and can be used to complete a variety of tasks, such as learning vocabulary, improvement of pronunciation, producing of texts and audio-files, etc.

The RWTH test-bed

• The RWTH test-bed is provided by the “Center for Learning and Knowledge Management and Department of Information Management in Mechanical Engineering” (ZLW/IMA) at RWTH Aachen University.

• The ZLW/IMA is responsible for the lecture “Informatics in Mechanical Engineering” with more than 1000 students each semester.

• The usage of e-learning tools supports collaborative learning especially within large groups of students.

RWTH widgets

• The environment is composed of three intercommunicating widgets:1. WKM Widget: A Web 2.0

Knowledge Map for accessing and reading topic articles

2. Multiuser Chat Widget: general or topic-related group chats & presence information

3. History Widget: tracks individual learning activities and shows personal history of visited topics

The Festo test-bed

• The Festo test-bed addresses the issue of providing a responsive learning environment within further education activities of a training centre in a company.

• This test-bed provides a platform for federating and mashing-up different ROLE learning services within the Festo Virtual Academy, which is the central learning management system of Festo.

Festo widgets

• This widget bundle consists of two widgets: • Media Search Widget: search

for learning content in various content repositories like YouTube, SlideShare, and Wikipedia

• Media List Widget: organize learning content in media lists.

• Tagging, sharing and commenting functionalities as well as collaborative creating of media lists are supported.

The BILD test-bed

• The BILD is a membership organisation representing the interests of over 2000 learning and development professionals.

• Each member represents a different organisation utilising potentially different learning systems and servicing varying types of learners working in different contexts.

• The members selected to participate in the test bed activity represent scenarios where there are individual learners and where there is a potential to make a transition from working in isolation to sharing competencies with others and entering into a collaborative situation.

BILD widgets

• Etestme provides an online system whereby English language learners can practise for their IELTS examination.

• Etestme has produced a widget sized version of their online language assessment system, namely an ‘Etestme results thermometer’.

• The widget has been used by English language learners in SJTU.

The OpenLearn test-bed

• OpenLearn (http://openlearn.open.ac.uk) is a Moodle-based LMS, consisting of two distinct learning areas: LearningSpace and LabSpace.

• LearningSpace includes Open Educational Resources (OER) organised in standalone learning units, plus social software and discussion forums to enable collaboration and group work.

• LabSpace has an experimental and developmental nature; users can submit their own content, as well as remix and reuse the resources available.

OpenLearn courses & tools

Learner-centric approach

• OpenLearn has been built around units of study and not the personal profiles of learners; a learner-centric approach is missing

• Learners do not get any guidance about how to learn on their own, neither from technology, nor from peers

• Learners need support to plan and control their learning journey

• ROLE goal: Provide recommendations to learners about resources and other learners (‘study-buddies’)

Image source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/appleweywey/2765552356/

Tools and personalisation

• Tools currently available in OpenLearn:• Videoconferencing (FlashMeeting)• Sensemaking (Compendium, Cohere)• Blogs• Forums• Learning clubs

• Generally disconnected from learning units

• ROLE goals:• Allow learners to gain control over the manipulation and production

of content through tools• Enable learners to bring in their own tools and personalise their

learning environment

Social interactions

• The learning content currently provided by OpenLearn is comprised of standalone units, which are generally not being studied in a social context

• Lack of support for social interactions

• ROLE goals:• Provide support to learners for community building and collaborative

activities• A shared learning experience instead of a lone study

Image source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/smannion/2949490218/


ROLE widgets in OpenLearn

Learners aggregate and work collaborativelyon learning resources provided by the Open University (e.g. OpenLearn, iTunesU) and external sources (e.g. Wikipedia, SlideShare, YouTube)

http://www.role-showcase.eu/widget-bundle/find-and-work-collaboratively-open-educational-resources

Moodle recommenders for educational resources

• This widget bundle consists of two widgets that provide recommendations about educational resources related to a particular course.

• The widgets have been developed as Moodle blocks to be displayed on the sidebar of a Moodle course.

http://www.role-showcase.eu/widget-bundle/moodle-recommenders-educational-resources

ROLE course in OpenLearn

• The course provides an overview of the concepts behind PLEs and also demonstrates a selection of learning tools that have been developed by ROLE.

• Additionally, it gives the learner an opportunity to use some of these tools within through a set of learning activities.

http://labspace.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=7433

From LMS to PLE

• The OpenLearn transition from the LMS towards the PLE paradigm aims in:• A richer and more

personalized learning experience

• Support for self-regulated learning

• Social networking and community-building

• Openness and adaptivity of the learning environment

Image sources:http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanspoldoja/4098840001/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/petahopkins/2157928982/


Thank you for your attention!

Questions?