Naming Things is Hard: From OELMs to GOLEs

In recent conversations, several people I’ve talked to have been confused by the phrase “open educational language models” (OELMs) that I’ve been using to describe the new line of work I’m pursuing. Inevitably, they’ve ended up thinking that the term refers exclusively to the generative language model component of the system, and excludes the broader set of integrated tools, content, and prompts. I can, admittedly, see how they arrive at that conclusion. So before the name OELMs gains any traction, I’m going to switch to a new, more descriptive name: “generative open learning environments” (GOLEs).

Given the work I’m trying to do (which I’ve described in my previous writing about OELMs), I think “generative open learning environments” is about as accurate and descriptive as a three to five word phrase can be. And it’s a phrase with no existing history or definition:

So, here’s the definition of “generative open learning environments”:

Generative Open Learning Environments (GOLEs) are systems that combine generative AI models, educational content, pedagogical prompts, and software to support learners in their learning. These models, content, prompts, and software either reside in the public domain or have been released under an open copyright license that permits them to be retained, revised, remixed, reused, and redistributed.