iCaboodle

BACKGROUND

In common with many other Lifelong Learning Networks, Yorkshire & Humber East Lifelong Learning Network (YHELLN) faces several technical and socio-political challenges in the delivery of information and communication technology (ICT) enabled services to its constituents.

iCaboodle is funded by the JISC under the JISC Capital Circular 1/07: Cross Institutional use of e-learning to support of lifelong learners programme and is a regional, cross institutional, collaborative project.

iCaboodle addresses a number of the critical challenges related to enabling a personalised experience for YHELLN participants. The project, based around an identity management solution, implements a coherent view of the learner and other constituents. It involves the implemention of a flexible framework for incorporating not only the delivery of personalised services, information and applications from institutions, built around that identity, but also the incorporation of elements of external services and content. The result will mean a more personalised experience for the learner, placing information and content management firmly under their control.

To enable this, iCaboodle validates a series of widely used and mature open-source software components in the context of a Lifelong Learning Network. This contributes considerably to the availability of a wide range of tested tools for the community which are ready to use and reduce the extensive customisation required by deployments for this purpose. iCaboodle will therefore not limit itself to developing solutions for YHELLN, but will also be of benefit to UK HE and FE by adding to both the toolset and body of knowledge around processes and systems.