The TOOMOL project: supporting a personalised and conversational approach to learning

Toolkit for the Management of Learning (TOOMOL) project is a JISC Technolog ies Applications Programme funded project, developing tools to help teacher s and students to manage learning resources, negotiate learning programmes and develop learning profiles. The system can be used in both local and dis tance learning contexts, and is designed to Ire able to support those engag ed in life-long learning programmes. Two key theories underpin TOOMOL: conv ersation theory and organisational cybernetics. The former is concerned wit h the interactions that take place between participants in the learning and teaching process; and the latter with the organisational constraints under which learning and teaching takes place. TOOMOL has been designed to embra ce a constructivist approach to learning, specifically making the managemen t of learning conversations its primary aim. From this viewpoint, learning resources (including online materials), activities and assignments can be s een as amplifying and enriching conversational acts. Using the tool, teache rs and learners can build and then access a history of their learning conve rsations, allowing this to inform their continuing interactions. This paper describes the theoretical framework that guided the design of the software and briefly illustrates its application. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.