An investigation of the potential of technology supported environments to support professional and lifelong learning

As tertiary education moves towards greater accountability, and the emphasis is on the development of transferable skills, pedagogies and learning activities need to be reconceptualiased and redesigned. This paper reports on the capacity of technologies to scaffold learner-centered activities and foster self-directed inquiry and a range of lifelong learning skills. A Web-supported learning environment is analysed with a view to demonstrating how learner centred pedagogy and inquiry-based tasks foster self-management, inquiry, reflection and problem-solving strategies. The implications for tertiary educators and instructional designers are examined, and recommendations are made to enable the integration of lifelong skills into existing learning environment design.