An Architecture for Layering and Integration of Learning Ontologies, Applied to Personal Learning Environments and Cloud Learning Environments

Extensible Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Cloud Learning Environments (CLEs) that facilitate the lone or collaborative study of user-chosen blends of content and courses from heterogeneous sources, including Open Educational Resources (OERs), are gradually gaining ground in the landscape of distance learning. In this paper, we examine the use of ontologies for modelling and supporting learner activities within a PLE or CLE that draws upon sources whose ontologies may vary a lot. In particular, we propose an architecture for layering and integration of learning ontologies modelling various aspects of the learning process and facilitating the production of recommendations to learners.