1. A cloud-based Personal Learning
Environment & Network (PLE&N)
for peer-based lifelong learning
Professor Eric Tsui
Knowledge Management and Innovation Research
Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

2. Change in the learning environment & process
Learning Paradigm has
shifted from
predominantly
teacher-lead classes to
a mix of lectures,
group discussions,
reflections, in personal
and group learning
environments

3. Teachers
Students
3

4. Student
Graduate
Guest
Student
Student
Student
Student
Student
Graduate
Graduate
Student
Teacher
Student
Teacher
Guest
Graduate
Guest
Student
Student
Student
Student
Student
Graduate
Student
Graduate
Teachers
Students
Graduates
Guests 4

5. Student
Graduate
Guest
Student
Student
Student
Student
Student
Graduate
Graduate
Student
Teacher
Student
Teacher
Guest
Graduate
Guest
Student
Student
Student
Student
Student
Graduate
Student
Graduate
Teacher
s
Students
Graduates
Guests 5

6. 6

7. Google tools selected for the PLE&N
(3.0) – Feedly & Google+

8. BPM RSS feeds in Google/Feedly Reader
8

9. How to collaborate inside the PLE&N?
9

10. Grading Criteria for the PLE&N
Regular contribution(s) every week throughout the
semester – 100%
Regular contribution(s) in most weeks throughout the
semester – 80%
Regular contribution(s) every fortnight throughout
the semester – 60%
Some contributions during the semester – 40%
A handful contributions during the semester – 20%
Setup completed and responded to the
test message – 10%

11. PLE&N Contributions (ISE457 UG students)
11

12. PLE&N Contributions (ISE531 PG students)
12

13. Relate theory to practice
Re-instate/Expand a point made with new info
13

14. Collecting a weak signal
A graduate & practitioner shares his experience
14

15. Gauging students’ reaction & learn from it
15

16. Heads up for a forthcoming lecture
Knowledge &
experience
sharing among
students from
different
backgrounds
16

17. Mobile access
17

18. Feedback from students from both semesters

19. Feedback from students from both semesters

20. Proactive effort by students in
setting up a PLE&N

21. Potential usages in the corporate world
• Marketing department monitors industry trends,
customer preferences and competitive
intelligence
• Corporate communications department
monitors all news about the company
• Research department keeps abreast of business
and technology trends
• Human Resources department monitors and
selects appropriate courses for learning and
development
• Staff discussions on any of the received articles

22. Benefits of the PLE&N for everyone
1. Supports a co-learning environment among
instructor(s), learners, practitioners & other expert(s)
2. Access to expertise & experience
3. Collaborative effort to combat information overload
4. Self-centered, flexible, customisable & pervasive
5. Supports lifelong learning as it is not confined to a
term/semester
6. “Move with the times”; relates theories to practice
7. Represents an “active knowledge repository”
benefiting the university, academics & all
8. Garners an online community in the domain topic
However, maintaining trust and quality of the
22
discussion in the PLE&N are of utmost importance!!

23. Sharing of a learner’s
experience

24. Experience sharing from past students
• http://www.slideshare.net/
eric_yh_tsui/personallearning-environmentnetwork-plen (English)
• http://www.slideshare.net/
eric_yh_tsui/userexperience-of-thepersonal-learningenvironment-network-plen
(Putonghua)

25. Critical Success Factors for designing & sustaining
a technology-enhanced learning tool/system
Innovation
Community
Membership,
Muiltimedia, Flipped
Classroom,
Gamification
Technology
Low entrance barrier
(Easy to install, free or
almost free, little to learn)
Robust, (Almost) No
maintenance effort,
Mobile access,
Scaleability
The
Learner
DIY
Be involved
Be frequent
Alignment
with Goals
Personal
Business/Research
Lifelong learning
Value add
Incentives
(Marks,
content,
network, just
right)
(innovation, learning
process, quality of
information, combat
information
overload,...)

26. Personal Learning Environment
& Network (PLE&N)
The next phase…

27. Student
Graduate
Guest
Student
Student
Student
Student
Student
Graduate
Graduate
Student
Teacher
Student
Teacher
Guest
Graduate
Guest
Student
Student
Student
Student
Student
Graduate
Student
Graduate
Teacher
s
Students
Graduates
Guests

28. Students’ learning and career needs
Undergraduate
Student
Part-time
Postgraduate
Student
Research
student
1) Explore interests to find the desired
pursuit of development areas
2) Learn from senior people on the field
3) Build up skill-sets
1) Better organization of knowledge
2) Communication and collaboration
well with others
3) Facilitating connection
1) Communication and discussion
platform with recommendations
2) Platform for obtaining and organizing
different sources of knowledge
3) File-sharing system

29. Customised RSS
feeds & tools
Undergraduate
Student
Part time
Postgraduate
Student
Research
student

30. Graduate
Msc parttime
Student
Msc parttime Student
Undergraduate
Student
Graduate
Undergraduate
Student
Teacher
Research
student
Undergraduate
Student
Research
student
Guest
Research
student
Graduate
Teacher
Graduate
Research
student
Undergraduate
Student
UG Student
Research student
PT Postgraduate Student
Graduate
Guest

31. A cloud-based Personal Learning
Environment & Network (PLE&N)
for peer-based lifelong learning
Professor Eric Tsui
Knowledge Management and Innovation Research
Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University