Tackling HCI Challenges of Creating Personalised, Pervasive Learning Ecosystems

This paper explores two classes of emerging technology that offer the promise to provide radically improved ways to support lifelong learning. We particularly focus on the human computer interaction (HCI) challenges that must be addressed if that promise is to be realised. One technology is

personalisation

, based on a

long term learner model

which captures the learner’s knowledge, preferences and other attributes. We discuss the roles of an

explicit learner model

that is a first class software entity, with APIs for programmers as well as effective user interfaces that can give users control over their model and its use. We present the PLUS framework that provides the infrastructure for personalised learning, and how its Accretion-Resolution representation supports both flexible reasoning for personalisation by programs and provides the foundation for users to control the whole personalisation process. We link the PLUS framework to a second class of technology, the fast-changing and increasingly ubiquitous

personal mobile devices

and the emerging

embedded surface computing devices

, such as tabletop and shared wall displays. We show how we have tackled several of the HCI challenges that are key to both these technologies.