Abstract:

In the evolving landscape of education, modularity, adaptability, and versatility are invaluable for facilitating lifelong learning. This paper explores integrating these features, using concept maps, to enhance educational offerings for lifelong learners in designing the course 'Python Programming for Subsurface Applications'. The method for developing teaching materials addresses specific needs such as self-directed learning approaches, diverse educational backgrounds, and varied learning paces.

We detail the development of structured interactive infographics with adaptive content visualization aimed at supporting the preparation of teaching materials. This approach involves 'atomizing' teaching content, where each main concept, or atomic unit, is linked to other units based on their relationships to create a concept map. Nodes can be grouped into arbitrarily defined modules, facilitating teachers to select modules of interest and semi-automatically explore the relationships between them, minimizing overlaps and gaps.

A mixed-methods research design was employed with a sample of 12 lifelong learners. Learner interviews guided the course content development. Three modules were assigned to different teachers, while a final one was co-developed. The structured interactive infographics supported content development, promoting conceptual continuity across courses. A second interview, conducting a module-by-module evaluation, was collected, providing targeted feedback for individual module improvement.

Our preliminary findings support the potential of course modularity with structured interactive infographics, which supports the personalization of learning experiences for groups or individual lifelong learners by addressing their specific educational demands. The paper concludes with recommendations for integrating structured interactive infographics into modular teaching materials and suggestions for developing individual research paths. Our framework supports incorporating emerging technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence, into continuous education.

Keywords:

Technology, modul, life long, education, concept map.