ImREAL · Immersive Reflective Experience-based Adaptive Learning

The popularity of immersive simulated environments for experiential learning is growing; they will be part of tomorrow's learning technologies in the key area of adult training. The major challenge is to effectively align the learning experience in the simulated environment with the real world context and day-to-day job practice. ImREAL provides a new class of cost effective adaptive systems adjusted to adult learners' needs: pioneering a new psycho-pedagogically sound technological approach to seamlessly link the simulated learning experience and real-world job-related experiences; developing a novel conceptual framework -augmented simulated experiential learning- enabling adaptive services to augment simulated learning by leveraging the connection with the real world; delivering a new open framework of intelligent services which can be plugged in to simulated environments to enhance self-regulated learning.<br/>The ImREAL framework exploits and significantly extends advances in distributed architectures, context modelling, dialogic systems, semantic web, and ontological reasoning, and follows pedagogical models of adult self-regulated learning to deliver: evolving model of real world job activities, linked to storytelling and semantic content augmentation; extended model of the learner and context, aligning experiences in the simulated environment and the real-world; affective meta-cognitive scaffolding to motivate and engage learners and promote self reflection, self evaluation and self awareness.<br/>Framework validation will be in the high-impact domain of interpersonal communication with multi-cultural awareness, linked to key skills increasingly required in organisations & businesses. User trials will examine how ImREAL augments learners' and trainers' experiences by improving the learners' interpersonal skills and abilities to set learning strategies and goals, and by enhancing trainers' awareness of real job practice & training needs.