Towards a learning path specification

Abstract

Flexible lifelong learning requires comparability and exchangeability of courses, programmes and other types of learning actions both in a national and international context. To this end a uniform and meaningful way to describe learning paths is needed. This paper identifies the requirements for a learning path specification drawing on a study of literature in the field of curriculum design and lifelong learning, and on recent initiatives aimed to enhance comparability and exchangeability of learning actions. Mapping these requirements on two existing specifications designed to describe learning programmes, XCRI and IMS-LD, leads to the conclusion that IMS-LD more broadly fulfils the requirements because it has a generic way to define completion of learning paths as well as an expression language to describe all kinds of conditions. A learning path model is presented identifying the main elements of a learning path specification.