Personal profiling to stimulate participation in learning networks

Today continuous acquisition of new competences and updating existing capacities is crucial to personal empowerment and job performance. Due to the dynamics of the rapid technological change our society experiences, traditional, classroom-based methods of learning fail to meet the learning demands of today’s lifelong learners. People as self-directed learners will learn via informal knowledge sharing in ad hoc learning communities and Learning Networks. The Personal competence Manager under construction in the TENCompetence project aims to support the knowledge development of learners in social interaction with their peers in learning communities. Social encounters in Learning Networks need various cues to allow them to help meet a person’s learning needs. From the multiple suggestions to bootstrap learning interaction that are available, we will in this paper look at the role personal profiling and context portfolio information can play. Our particular focus will be building a common ground for communication and trust ultimately to enhance the learning process.