Phillip Beauvoir

Developing a reference model to describe the personal learning environment

How can we ensure that our educational systems evolve to better serve the needs of learners? This paper reports on initial work to create a Reference Model for a Personal Learning Environment, where the emphasis is on facilitating learning, in contrast to traditional Virtual Learning Environments which exist primarily to manage the learning process. This paper describes the rationale underlying the Personal Learning Environment concept and the advantages gained by specifying a reference model to define the PLE domain, before presenting a summary of the reference model itself.

From Reload to ReCourse: learning from IMS Learning Design implementations

The use of the Web to deliver open, distance, and flexible learning has opened up the potential for social interaction and adaptive learning, but the usability, expressivity, and interoperability of the available tools leave much to be desired. This article explores these issues as they relate to teachers and learning designers through the case of the Reload Learning Design Editor and its successor, ReCourse. The applications are introduced and the results of evaluation are summarized. The principal challenges overcome in the development process are identified. By reflecting on the development process, the applications produced, evaluation, and user feedback, the conclusions regarding IMS Learning Design (IMS LD) and its potential use are identified. The principal areas discussed are programming frameworks, terminology, graphical interfaces, the relative salience of IMS LD elements, integration with authors’ workflow, the authoring of services, and the authoring of IMS LD level B.

Learning Design Authoring Tools in the TENCompetence Project

Since the IMS Learning Design (IMS LD) specification was published in 2003 (IMS Global Learning Consortium Inc. 2003) it has been recognised that the provision of effective and easy to use tooling is essential if the specification is to be widely adopted. Progress on tooling was discussed in Griffiths et al. (2005) and a more recent review of tooling and the wider achievements of the specification is available in Griffiths and Liber (2008), and it is in this wider context of IMS LD tooling that we situate the development of the ReCourse Learning Design Editor. Open image in new window