JISC

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Region: London  

Overview

L4All targets the independent lifelong learner by creating a system that records and shares learning pathways and trails. L4All will create a Web Portal that will allow learners to access selected information and resources, plan their own learning pathways, and maintain and reflect upon their individual record of learning throughout their lives. The system will allow learners to share their learning plans and pathways with other learners, in order to formulate future learning goals and aspirations. Tutors will be able to publish recommended pathways through courses and modules, thereby facilitating progression into Higher Education (HE) and supporting career choices. 

To achieve this, the L4All project will work beyond infrastructure and technological barriers, bringing together a diverse group of people from a range of institutions, all of whom are committed to providing learning opportunities which enhance career development and widen participation across the London region. L4All will be the catalyst for devising a new framework of policies that engage the interest of lifelong learners, developing their trust in carrying out e-learning and web-based activities, whilst encouraging learners to take responsibility for planning and managing their own lifelong learning and continued professional development. The L4All pilot will provide not only a valuable resource for learners taking non-traditional pathways into HE, but will also act as a valuable test-bed of cross-institutional access management, enabling the assisted adoption of Shibboleth by a number of London institutions. 

Aims and Objectives

L4All will provide an environment in which the lifelong learner can access quality-assured learning materials, personal development plans, learning pathways, personalised support for planning of learning, and facilitate increased reflection upon learning. To this end, the project aims to develop a pilot that will provide:

• a Web Portal that provides information on Work-Based Learning (WBL), Further Education (FE) and HE courses and modules available to learners in the London region;
• personalised support in planning and reflecting on personal development and lifelong learning activities;
• advice on learning and personal development pathways;
• support in designing and maintaining personal learning and development plans;
• a forum for learners to share information and collaborate with peers and tutors.

Project Methodology

The project will achieve its objectives through identifying specific user groups and conducting user-based studies. Through focus groups and in-depth interviews the identified user groups will work with the team to define metadata and desired functionality for L4All services. Based upon these user requirements and scenarios, technical specifications and requirements will be defined and these will inform the design and functionality of the portal. The pilot will then be developed in parallel with a formative evaluative process that will aim to inform design according to user needs and requirements and with input from stakeholders represented on the advisory group.  

Implications/ Deliverables/ Stakeholders

L4All is an important project for the community as it will test-bed new tools and approaches to personalising learner pathways for lifelong learners, identify and support progression between different learning providers and provide a range of technical and user-based specifications and guidelines for integrating tools for supported e-learning. The pilot will have positive benefits for all our stakeholders including: the JISC community, post-16 recruitment departments, previously excluded learners and existing lifelong learners. Benefits will include: development of a workable service for lifelong learners, increased recruitment to post-compulsory institutions and new pathways for access to learning. These benefits will help development, embedding and uptake of dedicated e-learning tools and projects across the stakeholder community supporting further development and providing outputs that can be disseminated amongst the community.  

Deliverables will include: the L4All web portal, technical reports, user requirements and scenarios, guidelines, journal articles and reports available for the wider JISC community. All technical specifications will be open source and freely available with other project outputs on the project web site. In addition a dissemination event will be held towards the end of the project in order to present project findings to the widest audience.   

Lead institution  

• Birkbeck College, University of London

Project Partners  

• Institute of Education, University of London
• London Knowledge Lab
• Goldsmiths College, University of London
• London School of Economics, University of London
• Hackney Community College