Project Overview of European Learning GRID Infrastructure (ELeGI)

Key Action: FP6 - IST - 2002 – 2.3.1.12 - Technology-enhanced learning and access to cultural heritage
Acronym: ELeGI
FullName: European Learning GRID Infrastructure
Proposal/Contract Nº: 002205
Contracted by: European Commission
Start Date: 01-FEB-04
End Date: 31-JAN-08
Duration: 48 months

Abstract:
The European Learning Grid Infrastructure (ELeGI) project has the ambitious goal to develop software technologies for effective human learning. With the ELeGI project we will promote and support a Learning paradigm shift. A new paradigm focused on knowledge construction using experiential based and collaborative learning approaches in a contextualised, personalised and ubiquitous way will replace the current information transfer paradigm focused on content and on the key authoritative figure of the teacher who provides information.

We have chosen a synergic approach, sometimes called “human centred design”, to replace the classical, applicative approach to learning. With consideration of humans at the centre, learning is clearly a social, constructive phenomenon. It occurs as a side effect of interactions, conversations and enhanced presence in dynamic Virtual Communities: experimental research concepts integrating new powerful developments of services in the Semantic GRID, the leading edge of currently available and future ICT technologies, with highly innovative and powerfully significant scenarios of human learning.

The ELeGI project has three main goals:
- Goal 1 - To define new models of human learning enabling ubiquitous and collaborative learning, merging experiential, personalised and contextualised approaches.
- Goal 2 - To define and implement an advanced service-oriented Grid based software architecture for learning. This will allow us to access and integrate different technologies, resources and contents that are needed in order to realise the new paradigm. This objective will be driven by the pedagogical needs and by the requirements provided by the test-beds (SEES) and informed by the experience gained through implementing the demonstrators.
- Goal 3 - To validate and evaluate the software architecture and the didactical approaches through the use of SEES and demonstrators. The project will build extensively on advanced work already done, creating new learning environments rather than creating new learning resources per se.

Project Objectives:
Goal 1
- OB1 - Study, define and experiment with the new paradigm for formal and informal learning taking into account socio-cultural constructivist, personalised, contextualised, experiential and collaborative approaches
- OB2 - study, define, experiment and validate methodologies, techniques and standards for representing and managing knowledge construction in the learner during the learning process according to different learning styles (individualised and personalised learning);
- OB3 - Study, define and validate methodologies for evaluating the effectiveness from both the pedagogical and usability point of view of these new learning approaches in different disciplines and contexts;
- OB4 - study, define and validate didactical learning models for virtual scientific experiments which take the learner’s preferences and collaborative aspects into account;

Goal 2
- OB5 - Design, develop and validate a GRID based software architecture for exploiting the new learning paradigm;
- OB6 - Monitor and contribute to standards development for learning systems, pedagogical models, GRID technologies, semantic and knowledge technologies;
- OB7 - Study and evaluate how the development of the semantic Web in general, and the semantic and knowledge GRID in particular, will impact on the project software architecture and new learning paradigm;
- OB8 - Study, define and experiment with advanced conversational processes and enhanced presence technologies for collaborative learning in the new paradigm;

Goal 3
- OB9 - Experiment and validate learning approaches, strategies, and technology infrastructure through different test-beds (SEES), using feedback for re-engineering and refining the context;
- OB10 - Study and define strategies for the adoption of these new learning approaches and related technology facilitating the paradigm shift for the learning institutions;
- OB11 - Demonstrate and validate how GRID technology facilitates the realisation of new learning paradigm and the implementation of Virtual Learning Communities;
- OB12 - Demonstrate, customise and exploit new or re-engineered learning systems and solutions for citizens and organisations;
- OB13 - Facilitate the exploitation of European cultural and scientific resources though the Learning GRID infrastructure;