Learners develop online life timelines to help them look into the future
DEL regional stories
Using social networking tools for educational purposes
| L4All Project |
| Birbeck/Hackney Community College |
| Contact |
George Magoulas |
| Software used |
Bespoke, incorporating some existing tools and systems from other JISC projects and the learndirect database |
FE learners found completing an online life timeline really made them think about what they were going to do with their future. They enjoyed recording the details of their life and sharing this information with their friends.
However, it wasn't all about enjoyment! The aim was to help to engage post-16 learners who traditionally have not participated in Higher Education.
The system was developed on the basis of research into the issues that contribute to non-participation in HE. This highlighted that lack of information about educational opportunities and a perception that options are 'not for me' were key.
The concept of a life timeline was based on Vannevar Bush's 1945 trails concept which outlines the benefits of individuals recording a chained sequence of links, along with personal comments, resulting in the creation of personal trails that can be shared with colleagues. Reflecting on how their past experience had influenced their decisions helped learners to make more informed decisions about their future.
Therefore, it was decided to design a system based on a web portal that would provide information on work-based, FE and HE courses, at the same time as incorporating the life timeline. This was to be offered along with personalised support and advice on learning and personal development pathways.
The aim was to develop an interactive, visual, front-end tool that would allow learners and tutors to create learning pathways and annotate them. The system was integrated with the learndirect database, giving learners access to a range of local learning opportunities.
A user-centred approach to development was adopted, via interactive workshops with targeted user groups and an ongoing consultation process with stakeholders.
The project was a complex one and building a system on existing tools and services proved to be particularly difficult. The system that was finally developed allowed learners to access information and resources and plan their own learning pathway, sharing experience with their peers (if they chose to).
'It was only when I actually saw all these things on my life timeline, that I realised that it would be better to start the course next September, rather than this one', one student said.
What distinguished it from similar projects was the way in which it encouraged learners to take a holistic view of their life experiences and commitments by portraying these visually on the life timeline. Users found the visualisation helpful.
Reflecting on how their past experience had influenced their decisions helped learners to make more informed decisions about their future. It also encouraged them to be more realistic about how their current life commitments might impact on their present and future learning. 'It was only when I actually saw all these things on my life timeline, that I realised that it would be better to start the course next September, rather than this one', one student said.
The second phase of the pilot project involved Teacher Education students from the Institute of Education, Birkbeck IT Applications learners and FE learners from Community College Hackney. All groups agreed on the value of the work and its potential to support otherwise excluded learners, with the FE learners being particularly positive.
'This is an exciting opportunity to allow learners to use skills that they are already using at home via live chat and social networking and apply these to helping them make decisions about learning and life.'
Users were keen to see the system offer a much greater range of functionality than at present, including greater opportunities for personalisation, with opportunities to fill in journals, add photos, chat with friends, email mentors and search for jobs.
The system will now be used to support learners in a wider variety of contexts, as it is going to be embedded into the infrastructure of the Linking London Lifelong Learning Network. There are plans to integrate it with an e-portfolio and, as part of the MyPlan project, the current system will be adapted to incorporate a game-based application to give learners a better understanding of the implications of their career decisions.
George Magoulas, the project leader, commented 'this is an exciting opportunity to allow learners to use skills that they are already using at home via live chat and social networking and apply these to helping them make decisions about learning and life'.
L4All trail creator
This figure illustrates the main interface of the L4All trail creator. This is the component of the system that supports learners in creating their learning trail or timeline. A timeline consists of several life episodes. Learning and work-related icons as well icons that represent a variety of life events, and even customised icons, can also be included in the timeline. Episodes can be annotated and the timeline created can provide a holistic view of an individualÕs lifelong learning pathway, giving details of particular life episodes.
As an aid to constructing their own learning pathways throughout their life, learners are able to search for timelines provided by other learners. This gives learners a repertoire of learning possibilities that they may not have otherwise considered, allowing sharing of successful learning pathways and presenting successful learners as role models to inspire confidence and a sense of opportunity amongst those previously excluded.
A personal space for lifelong learners such as this contrasts with many of the learning environments currently in use, which provide learners with resources and learning management tools that relate to their study at a single institution. L4All offers learners a set of distinct features, such as learner control over learning pathways, opportunities for reflection on where their learning is taking them, management of their profile, view of their learning pathway throughout life, a sense of community building and information sharing with individuals and organisations.
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