iLearn

iLearn is an immersive learning environment designed to develop and assess problem solving and collaboration skills through task-based learning. Problem solving and collaboration have been identified as key 21st century workforce skills but there is uncertainty amongst trainers and educators as to how to leverage technology to develop and assess these complex skills. Through iLearn, Learnovate is investigating the teaching, learning and assessment affordances of immersive learning environments for the development and assessment of problem solving and collaboration skills.

What Problem does it solve?

Problem solving and collaboration have been identified as key 21st century workforce competencies but there is widespread uncertainty amongst educators and organisations as to how to effectively and efficiently leverage technology to identify, develop and assess these and other complex competencies.

Application in Commercial Learning

Organisations require multi-functional workforce management tools to align the strategies and improve the efficiencies of Learning and Development, Human Resources and Talent Management functions.

Potential Application

• Recruitment – recruit employees for specific, observable competencies
• Training – enable trainers to observe competencies in real-time and to provide targeted feedback
• Performance Management – quickly assess competency rather than knowledge
• Workforce Management – manage and plan for key 21st century workforce competencies
• Talent Management – quickly identify hidden talent and rising stars

Application in K12 Learning

In the education sector there is a Government-driven focus on the development and assessment of 21st Century skills. However there is widespread uncertainty as to how to best assess these complex skills. Educators are looking to technology to provide them with objective, reliable and robust assessment tools.

Potential Application

• Provides educators with an objective and robust assessment tool for 21st century competencies
• Enables new models of teaching, learning and assessment

Technologies

To implement the pedagogical framework, iLearn comprises a number of component technologies – the immersive learning environment itself (ILE), social search and recommender technology (SSR) and data capture technology.

ILE: The immersive learning environment is designed to enable learners to perform the task and to capture specified indicators of problem solving and collaboration activity within the context of the task. The engagement affordances of the immersive learning environment together with the game mechanics interwoven into the task are exploited to engage and motivate learners to complete the task.

SSR (Social Search and Recommender Technology) acts as a conduit for problem solving and collaboration activity in iLearn.

Data Capture Technology is integrated into iLearn to capture indicators of problem solving and collaboration competencies as learners progress through the task.