TRAILER project overview: tagging, recognition and acknowledgment of informal learning experiences

The evolution of new technology and its increasing use, have for some years been making the existence of informal learning more and more transparent, especially among young and older adults in both Higher Education and workplace contexts. However, the nature of formal and non-formal, coursebased, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily, and although technology bring us near to the solution, it has not yet achieved. TRAILER project aims to address this problem by developing a tool for the management of competences and skills acquired through informal learning experiences, both from the perspective of the user and the institution or company. This paper describes the research and development main lines of this project.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

TRAILER: A Tool for Managing Informal Learning

Even though informal learning plays an important role in everyone’s life, not everyone is aware of its importance. These informal activities contribute to the development of self-regulated learning that can help productivity in different environments. As this kind of apprentices grow, the need to keep track of this developed knowledge is becoming vital. This paper presents a study on the perception and usage of a tool that would help keeping track of learners’ informal learning. This study was conducted both within academic and professional contexts and was developed within the European Commission funded TRAILER project. The contexts were similar regarding the importance and perception of informal learning, but differed concerning tool usage and the usefulness of such a platform. The overall idea of managing one’s informal learning was well accepted and welcomed, which validated the emerging need for a tool with this purpose

Tagging, Recognition, Acknowledgment of Informal Learning experiences (TRAILER)

[EN] Learners do not only learn in the institutions, they learn during their live in different contexts, with different resources and from the interaction with different persons. This kind of learning that is not always intentionally carried out is known as informal learning. The application of Information and Communication Technologies to learning and teaching processes facilitates making visible such kind of learning for the institutions. However the nature of formal and non-formal, coursebased, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily. The project aims to facilitate first the identification by the learner (as the last responsible of the learning process), and then the recognition by the institution, in dialogue with the learner, of this learning. To do so a methodology and a technological framework to support it have been implemented and tested

Enhancing informal learning recognition through TRAILER project

Conde, M. A., García-Peñalvo, F. J., Zangrando, V., García-Holgado, A., Seoane-Pardo, A. M., Alier, M., Galanis, N., Griffiths, D., Johnson, M., Janssen, J., Brouns, F., Vogten, H., Finders, A., Sloep, P. B., Marques, M. A., Viegas, M. C., Alves, G. R., Waszkiewicz, E., Mykowska, A., Minovic, M., & Milovanovic, M. (2013). Enhancing informal learning recognition through TRAILER project. In F. J. García-Peñalvo, M. Á. Conde, & D. Griffiths (Eds.), Proceedings of the Workshop on Solutions that Enhance Informal Learning Recognition (WEILER 2013) (pp. 21-30). September, 18, 2013, Paphos, Cyprus. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1039/The evolution of new technology and its increasing use, has for some years been making the existence of informal learning more and more transparent, especially among young and older adults in both Higher Education and workplace contexts. However, the nature of formal and non-formal, coursebased, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily. The project aims to facilitate first the identification by the learner (as the last responsible of the learning process), and then the recognition by the institution, in dialogue with the learner, of this learning. To do so a methodology and a technological framework to support it have been implemented. This project has been tested in several contexts showing that an informal learning dialogue between learners and people in charge of the institutions is possible.Tagging, Recognition and Acknowledgment of Informal Learning ExpeRiences project (TRAILER) that is funded by the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme. Ref. 519141-LLP-1-2011-1-ES-KA3-KA3MP [http:// trailerproject.eu]. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Using the TRAILER tool for managing informal learning in academic and professional contexts: the learner perspective

Informal Learning plays an important role in everyone's life and yet we often are unaware of it. The need to keep track of the knowledge acquired through informal learning is increasing as its sources become increasingly diverse. This paper presents a study on a tool developed to help keeping track of learners' informal learning, both within academic and professional contexts, This tool, developed within the European Commission funded TRAILER project, will further integrate the improvements suggested by users during the piloting phase. The two studied contexts were similar regarding the importance and perception of Informal Learning, but differed concerning tool usage. The overall idea of managing one's informal learning was well accepted and welcomed, which validated the emerging need for a tool with this purpose

TRAILER Project (Tagging, Recognition, Acknowledgment of Informal Learning Experiences) a methodology to make learners' informal learning activities visible to the institutions

The application of information technologies (specially the Internet, Web 2.0 and social tools) make informal learning more visible. This kind of learning is not linked to an institution or a period of time, but it is important enough to be taken into account. On the one hand, learners should be able to communicate to the institutions they are related to, what skills they possess, whether they were achieved in a formal or informal way. On the other hand the companies and educational institutions need to have a deeper knowledge about the competencies of their staff. The TRAILER project provides a methodology supported by a technological framework to facilitate communication about informal learning between businesses, employees and learners. The paper presents the project and some of the work carried out, an exploratory analysis about how informal learning is considered and the technological framework proposed. Whilst challenges remain in terms of establishing the meaningfulness of technological engagement for employees and businesses, the continuing transformation of the social, technological and educational environment is likely to lead to greater emphasis for the effective exploitation of informal learning

TRAILER: A Tool for Managing Informal Learning

Even though informal learning plays an important role in everyone's life, not everyone is aware of its importance. These informal activities contribute to the development of self-regulated learning that can help productivity in different environments. As this kind of apprentices grow, the need to keep track of this developed knowledge is becoming vital. This paper presents a study on the perception and usage of a tool that would help keeping track of learners' informal learning. This study was conducted both within academic and professional contexts and was developed within the European Commission funded TRAILER project. The contexts were similar regarding the importance and perception of informal learning, but differed concerning tool usage and the usefulness of such a platform. The overall idea of managing one's informal learning was well accepted and welcomed, which validated the emerging need for a tool with this purpose.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

TRAILER

Even though informal learning plays an important role in everyone’s life, not everyone is aware of its importance. These informal activities contribute to the development of self-regulated learning that can help productivity in different environments. As this kind of apprentices grow, the need to keep track of this developed knowledge is becoming vital. This paper presents a study on the perception and usage of a tool that would help keeping track of learners’ informal learning. This study was conducted both within academic and professional contexts and was developed within the European Commission funded TRAILER project. The contexts were similar regarding the importance and perception of informal learning, but differed concerning tool usage and the usefulness of such a platform. The overall idea of managing one’s informal learning was well accepted and welcomed, which validated the emerging need for a tool with this purpose