The document discusses the ROLE (Responsive Open Learning Environments) approach to lifelong learning. It summarizes the current use of Web 2.0 tools in higher education, noting that popular tools like Wikipedia are rarely used for interactive learning activities. It also outlines the future challenge for higher education in the ROLE project to make better use of Web 2.0's potential to support critical thinking, self-directed learning, and social interaction through open and responsive systems that guide learners and incentivize valuable learning activities.

1. Context-specific ROLE visions:
Formal higher education
workplace learning
Lifelong learning
Sylvana Kroop
PLE 2010 conference, Barcelona
© www.role-project.eu

2. Content:
→ The ROLE approach
→ The current use of Web 2.0 tools & learning
activities in higher education
→ The future ROLE challenge in higher education
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

3. The ROLE approach
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4. Discussion on the ROLE vision: tag cloud
formal higher education, informal learning
workplace learning, lifelong learning, social learning
highly adaptable to individual needs
openness, intelligent Recommender system
based on social interactions, responsiveness
self-directed learning, freedom & guidance
mash-up of widgets, usability
Impressions of the first ROLE Vision Sharing Workshop in Vienna (May 2009): http://www.role-project.eu/Videos
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

5. The ROLE approach
Lifelong learning → is not seen as a program but as a concept that is based
on social interaction: someone is learning all time while s/he has to deal with
the consequences of his/her actions.
The ROLE approach:
Openness: It is an open source system for everyone to use. Everyone can join
to give his/her input, develop and extend the system.
Responsiveness: The system supports a quick intelligent response
(individually-adapted recommendations, content, elements and tools) related to
the learner’s individual needs. The response is essentially created from the
users’ interactions with the system.
Impressions of the first ROLE Vision Sharing Workshop in Vienna (May 2009): http://www.role-project.eu/Videos
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

6. The ROLE approach
A user can individually select and aggregate their favourite
tools & content. This should help to empower the learner in
taking control over their own learning processes - as well as
stimulating self-directed learning.
Survey of learning-related services (July 2009): http://www.role-project.eu/Deliverables
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

7. The ROLE approach
Self-directed learning:
• A mission of our project is to not only target gifted learners,
whose personal attitude is already based on self-directed and
self-organized learning.
• Self-directed learning is seen as something that can be inspired
and supported by an appropriate learning environment.
Survey of learning-related services (July 2009): http://www.role-project.eu/Deliverables
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

8. The current use of
Web 2.0 tools & learning activities
in higher education
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9. The current Web 2.0 use in higher education
What are the most used Web 2.0 tools of students?
Literature / Study review: “Learning with Web 2.0” (www.hisbus.de)
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

10. The current Web 2.0 use in higher education
What are the most used Web 2.0 tools of students?
Literature / Study review: “Learning with Web 2.0” (www.hisbus.de)
Online-panel:
- 4.400 students
(= 40% response rate)
- enquiry period:
09/2008-10/2008
- only German students
- students have been
recruited offline
- representative study
for the basic population
of students in Germany
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

11. The current Web 2.0 use in higher education
Web 2.0 learning activities & their usage:
→ How often do you use the following possibilities in Wikipedia?
Literature / Study review: “Learning with Web 2.0” (www.hisbus.de)
often never
Online-panel:
- 4.400 students
(= 40% response rate)
- enquiry period:
09/2008-10/2008
- only German students
- students have been
recruited offline
- representative study
for the basic population
of students in Germany reading writing reworking contributing to
articles new articles existing articles discussions on articles
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12. The current Web 2.0 use in higher education
How reliable do you think are the information of
the following online-lexica?
Literature / Study review: “Learning with Web 2.0” (www.hisbus.de)
Online-panel:
- 4.400 students
(= 40% response rate)
- enquiry period:
09/2008-10/2008
- only German students
- students have been
recruited offline
- representative study
for the basic population
of students in Germany
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu

13. The current Web 2.0 use in higher education
Conclusion:
• Most used and considered most reliable information resources are …
→ Web 2.0 applications (everyone can participate)
→ they are popular worldwide
Potential:
• Web 2.0 provides a lot of (social innovative) learning activities which are most
welcome to stimulate self-directed learning & reflection as well as critical thinking
• A user is invited to not just remain in a passive consumer-mode, reading articles,
but more over to become active through disputing, revising, reviewing, assessing
and producing articles
Problem:
• these Web 2.0 learning activities are barely used:
→ there is little reflection about the reliability of information resources
→ the popularity (of a Web 2.0 tool) seems to be decisive in order to be attributed
as most reliable resource
• no critical thinking
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14. The current Web 2.0 use in higher education
Boundaries in formal higher education:
• Web 2.0 learning activities are barely supported in formal higher education
• The usage of Web 2.0 tools is mostly learned informal
• Web 2.0 learning activities are in general not accredited at universities
• Although every student should be educated in self-directed learning, which includes
learning to distinguish between good and bad knowledge resources, Wikipedia is
mostly rejected a-priori.
• Although Wikipedia is forbidden at universities every student is reading and using it
Reasons:
• For teaching staff it is mostly unclear how to deal with Wikipedia
→ the simplest way is to ban it
→ “Students need simple & clear rules! To not use the Wikipedia is a simple rule!”
• Traditional learning activities are: read given learning material, writing sth.
→ students are not used to review and assess the work of peers
• There is no system that motivates & appreciates Web 2.0 learning activities
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15. The future ROLE challenge
in higher education
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16. The future ROLE challenge in higher education
Existing formal HE ROLE challenge:
Overall learning objectives at → openness, responsiveness
universities are: Use the Web 2.0 potential:
• reflection, critical thinking, self- • Learners should not only aggregate
directed & self-organised learning widgets, tools & services but also be
→ these are even more important support and empowered to collaborate,
competencies in a society with a discuss, reflect, and think critical.
continuously growing amount of • Learners should know how to deal and
accessible information assess the quality of information in a
Use of Web 2.0 learning activities: knowledge society.
• Web 2.0 has the potential to • The interactions between learners are
support these learning objectives, becoming more important than ever.
but this potential is not used. • The creation and usage of desirable
learning activities should be stimulated
by an pedagogically well founded
incentive system.
ROLE Recommender system: the recommendation of learning activities differs between experts & novices,
between freedom & guidance
learner should understand and ROLE infrastructure should
control own learning process provide adaptive guidance
07.07.2010 © www.role-project.eu