What is Lifelong Learning 2.0

Lifelong learning can be broadly defined as purposeful learning that people engage in throughout the lifespan. The proliferation of knowledge, the information society, and the accelerating use of information and communications technologies combine to create a demand for professionals who are flexible, motivated, and self-directed, as well as multiskilled. Recently, there has been an increasing focus on developing generic skills and competencies as part of tertiary learning. Graduates are expected to meet the demands of employers for social communicative and cooperative skills as opposed to abstract disciplinary knowledge, and therefore, the acquisition of lifelong learning skills is imperative if they are to remain productive, competitive, and open minded. As the current information age is characterised by continual dynamic change, graduates need a dynamic set of attributes or competencies. In order to develop as lifelong learners, tertiary learners need to be exposed to activities and tasks that prepare them for the responsibilities that lifelong learning requires. One key strategy for supporting lifelong learning is through pedagogical approaches that recognise that both formal and informal learning have value, and that both forms of learning can be supported in technology-supported learning environments. The raft of social software tools and applications now available offer greater opportunities to support the lifelong building of knowledge and competencies required for learning in the 21st century.