Research Methodology

The figure below illustrates the TARGET Environment, which consists of the TARGET Learning Process that is supported by the TARGET Platform.

The TARGET Learning Process begins when a competence need has been identified, which may be done by either the Knowledge Worker (on their own or with the support of a mentor) or by a Human Resource Manager in an enterprise. With the need identified, the TARGET Competence Analyzer is used to semantically assess the current competence profile of an individual and analyse the gaps against what is needed to build the target Competence Profile, thus balancing both the Business Requirements and the individual’s Personal Requirements (goals).

The Competence Development cycle is a foundational block of the TARGET learning process, with five distinctive processes:

• Cognitive Learning Plan: this phase involves the creation of a learning plan that is tailored to ensure the minimal cognitive path for the knowledge worker to attain the target Competence Profile. The plan involves structuring a sequence of one or more Game Scenarios that reflect particular instantiations of a set of Critical Incidents within the chosen learning context. A Critical Incident captures a business context, which may also involve defined characters with particular roles. To successfully achieve the learning objectives of a Game Scenario, the knowledge worker is required to have mastered a particular set of Threshold Concepts and to be proficient in competencies within the associated competence performance benchmark. The Cognitive Learning Plan is built using the TARGET Navigator, which supports intelligent semantic searches of the TARGET repositories. However, it is always possible to dynamically build new Game Scenarios using the Didactical Competence Modeller that combines interactive Narrative Plot Elements. In addition, the Cognitive Learning Plan also takes into account the knowledge worker’s preferences concerning the execution thus empowering them with control over the delivery process.

• Execution: this phase involves the actual session where the knowledge worker interacts with the Virtual Business Environment (VBE) that is loaded with the appropriate Game Scenario as determined by the Cognitive Learning Plan. The VBE is supported on the front-end by a flexible component-based system architecture that dynamically combines the composition of functional plug-ins and with a Service oriented Architecture (SoA) for the back-end. The configuration of both the front-end and back-end of the system is done dynamically by interpreting a system initialization script that is processed at the start of the Game Scenario Execution. In the cases where a Game Scenario supports multiple characters, it is possible to either have multiple knowledge workers in the session or to assign pedagogical agents as non-player characters.

• Adaptive Learning Plan: this phase reflects the adaptation of the Cognitive Learning Plan based on the continuous monitoring of the knowledge worker as they go through the Competence Development cycle. The monitoring is based on an evaluation framework that flexibly combines psycho-physiological assessment with performance competence monitoring. The analysis of the evaluation data is fed back into the Competence Development Cycle through a range of operations that may involve just the dynamic reconfiguration of the particular Game Scenario being executed or more comprehensive changes to the overall Cognitive Learning Plan of the knowledge worker. The feedback operations are done through the personal mentor consisting of a pedagogical agent responsible for well-determined scoped and traceable mentoring activities and supporting the decoupling of the results from the knowledge worker’s identity, which also makes use of the Overload Manager responsible for ensuring that the cognitive load is manageable.

• Transfer Management: this phase relies on the externalization of tacit knowledge acquired during the execution of Game Scenarios, thereby contributing to the creation of knowledge assets. Here, the Learning Community plays an important role in the process with the support of recognized Mentors to facilitate the learning process of each individual with the association being one-to-one or one-to-many. The Learning Community draws upon learning as a social activity (communities of practice, situated learning) and activity theory . . TARGET assumes a learning environment that is based on a VBE supporting ever changing and ever expanding information resources. The social aspects of learning need to be supplied with the ability to deal with the complexity of these information systems, the ability to deal with flux and instability, and to thrive in situations of flux. Learning is here seen as an ecology: the constant interplay between the knowledge worker and their context.

• Repertoire Building: this phase consists mainly of the internalization of knowledge assets by an individual. As with the Transfer Management, this process is facilitated by the Learning Community, but mostly the human mentors.

The Learning Community will assess the outcomes of the competence development cycle to identify and formalize emerging behaviours in the form of patterns (and anti-patterns) to support successful competence development, thereby facilitating the process of knowledge management. In addition to mentoring, the Learning Community ensures the sustainability of the TARGET process by contributing to TARGET repositories. This is achieved through the support of the TARGET platform to capture the current state of a VBE session as a new knowledge asset, at the core of which is a game scenario to be shared amongst the wider community. The knowledge asset gains in value in its lifecycle. It begins by emerging in sharable form through group processes, which include being annotated by both learners and mentors. Next, the asset is refined through analysis of its elements, followed by integration of different viewpoints, and re-annotation. Even intractable problems (wicked problems) can be handled in this way, becoming knowledge assets. All content generated becomes part of the infrastructure, being easily accessible, open, modifiable, and re-distributable using multiple interchangeable formats to ease integration in external digital libraries. However, in some cases, the ownership of knowledge restricts the scope of accessibility and TARGET supports the necessary security model to foment the trust of organizations and individuals. The TARGET platform provides the Learning Community with a set of social tools and services.