Requirements for the Design of Lifelong Learning Organisers Giasemi N. Vavoula University of Birmingham g.vavoula@bham.ac.uk Mike Sharples University of Birmingham m.sharples@bham.ac.uk Abstract We propose a set of general requirements for the design of Lifelong Learning Organisers (LLOs), based on our studies of personal learning practices. The studies showed [1] that learning activity is mobile between locations, time slots, and topic areas. Moreover, learning follows a hierarchical organization at three operational levels: learning activities are discrete acts, which are grouped to form learning episodes, which in turn are grouped to form learning projects. Objects are used in the process of carrying out learning activities, episodes and projects, which the learner organises based on a personal organisation system. On the way, the learner constructs personal, meaningful knowledge. We describe KLeOS, an example of a system to organise such knowledge over long periods of time. 1. Introduction In seeking to design a system that supports a person’s everyday learning over a lifetime, a descriptive Framework of Lifelong Learning (FoLL) was produced. The framework originated in a theory-informed phenomenological study of learning [1]. This study required 12 learners to keep diaries of their daily learning over 4 days and at the end to participate in a structured interview, which explored issues arising from the diary entries. The FoLL led further to the definition of a set of general requirements for technology to support the organisation of lifelong learning. The requirements pointed to the need for tools that provide facilities for management of learning, of learning materials and resources, and of the learnt knowledge. Furthermore, mobility and flexibility with respect to time, place and topic were identified as important attributes of an enduring learning organisation system. Based on these requirements a prototype system, KLeOS (Knowledge and Learning Organisation System), was designed. Section 2 of this paper presents the background to the requirements, based on the FoLL, which is fully described in [1]. Section 3 outlines the recommended general requirements for Lifelong Learning Organisers (LLOs), and section 4 briefly presents KLeOS (for a more detailed description see [2]). 2. Background The phenomenological study of learning indicated three ways in which learning can be considered “mobile”. Learning is mobile in terms of space, i.e. it happens at the workplace, at home, and at places of leisure. It is mobile between different areas of life, i.e. it may relate to work demands, self- improvement, or leisure. It is mobile with respect to time, i.e. it happens at different times during the day, on working days or on weekends. The study also analysed the activities that people reported to carry out during learning. The participants were asked to report their learning experiences, without being given a strict definition of a learning experience. In some cases, a diary entry reported the performance of a single activity (e.g. reading a book). In other cases, however, a diary entry involved the performance of a number of different activities (e.g. reading, searching the internet, and taking notes). The fact that people reported these as a single learning experience rather than as distinct experiences demonstrates that people differentiate between learning episodes and activities: distinct learning acts are grouped together by thematic, temporal and/or spatial proximity to form learning episodes. In some cases, people described episodes as forming part of a greater learning project. To group episodes into projects, people use purposes and outcomes: episodes that contribute to the achievement of a particular aim are likely to be grouped together under a single project. A number of learning projects may be pursued during the same period. Learning episodes may contribute towards more than one learning project. While carrying out the learning activities, episodes and projects, people engage with various types of learning object. These can be containers (objects containing other objects), conduits (objects that allow the access of resources or that enable/assist the activity), resources (objects that contain the actual information to be learned), stimulators (objects that trigger reflections, thought processes, or discussions that lead to learning), tools (objects used to carry out an activity), and pointers (objects that point to other objects). People reported several different ways of organising their learning objects: in chronological order of use, theme, by context of use.