“iClass is not just another learning platform,” explained the developers at the recent conference in Munich where the project was presented to the Advisory Board. “It plugs in to other virtual learning environments such as Moodle or Blackboard as it is built on common international standards. It is an add-on which helps pupils reflect on the way they learn, an adaptive intelligent system designed to help learners sustain motivation.”

The underlining theory behind iClass is called Self Regulated Personalised Learning (SRPL). This is what teachers have always been trying to achieve in class: empower learners to make meaningful choices when they learn and reflect on them.

The way the system works is quite simple: a teacher creates a learning plan based on a goal to be achieved by the student and suggests some sub-goals and activities. As we are in a system which promotes personalization of learning and autonomy of the students, some activities can be left ‘open’ for the student to shape.

One of the innovations resides in a system called ‘tips and alerts’: based on personal choices of the learner as described in his or her personal profile; on the activities he or she chooses, whether or not he or she likes to work alone or in team and on entries posted in a personal journal: iClass does what every teacher would do in this situation and asks ‘why? ‘Can you explain your choice?’

Plan, Learn, Reflect
The user interface presented at the workshop in Munich contains three sections corresponding to the various phases of SRPL: plan, learn, reflect.

The ‘Plan’ button allows you to build a lesson plan, choose from the various learning paths available to attain the goals set by the teacher (and often based on a curriculum); following this a ‘Learn’ button is used to launch the activities while in the background the intelligent system keeps track of the user’s learning style and sends feedback. Finally the ‘Reflect’ button aggregates all the information about how the learner has reached his or her goal, with whom and using which methods or exercise. The iClass system regularly advises the learner to take a look at this overview as a mirror of his or her own learning path.

Severe cognitive load
 “A system based on a self regulated personalized pedagogy and this self regulation comes with a severe cognitive load” said Ali Turker, project manager for the Turkey-based Sebit who is responsible for the technical implementation of iClass. “What we try to do is to ease that load and also motivate the user to do more about their planning, engage in learning activities and share them. This is very demanding in terms of technical implementation.”

Privacy
Another key issue, just like for other social networks or intelligent systems is the question of privacy. Which is the reason why this is a closed system. The teacher never sees any of the messages, triggers and alerts of his students as this is the basis of self regulated learning. The iClass system is based on trust and on self-regulation of its users within the limits set by the teacher.

Back to the basics
The iClass system, which is currently been evaluated by a pool of teachers in several EU countries, offers a different learning experience for learners. In a podcast, Richard Galvin, head of the European School Brussels II explained how "many of the learning platforms used in schools are not used to their full potential".

"We have to get back to the basics, try to focus on how students learn what motivates them and create places and contexts for different learning experiences. iClass can help do that, it is a question of adapting what we have, to the learning that we want to achieve in schools", he said.

The iClass system opens up a window to how intelligent systems will, in the future, support the acquisition of knowledge. Developed as part of the EU’s sixth Framework Programme, more details will be released at a global conference in May.

A recent Le Monde article hinted that schools are entering a digital revolution and that “pupils’ natural mastering of more and more complex tools is changing their relationship to learning”. Intelligent systems such as iClass may well prove the story right. It does not just make learning ‘fun’ or ‘easier’, but a real life experience: like looking in a mirror and asking: am I doing this right?

The full feature article, podcasts and interviews are on the Insight website at: http://insight.eun.org/ww/en/pub/insight/school_innovation/learnenv/iclass.htm