Rethinking Life-long Learning: The Empirical Modelling Approach

Educational technology is seen as key for life-long learning, but it has yet to live up to expectation. We argue that current learning environments are typically oriented too much towards structured learning to meet the needs of the life-long learner. Environments for life-long learning demand a higher degree of autonomy for the learner, must be open to eclectic sources, support soft informal learning activity, and accommodate evolution both in the experience of the learner and in the context in which this occurs. We propose sense-making through the construction of suitable interactive artefacts as a core activity for life-long learning, and briefly discuss and illustrate how this can be supported using empirical modelling