A System Architecture for a Context-aware Blended Mobile Learning Environment

Mobility offers new possibilities for interaction and communication in education. Pervasive nature of mobile devices makes learning on the move and across time a reality. Their characteristics fit into the blended use of technology in education since they posses socializing powers, re-conceptualize learning by making it more informal, ambient, collaborative and personal. Nevertheless, the problem of creation and coordination of a learning environment based on mobile devices still exists. This article presents a system called MILE and its extensible context-aware architecture to support the use of mobile devices in blended learning environments. In the end, some experience and lessons learned during the development of the system are described

Author Index

Author Index: CIT Vol. 17 (2009), No 1–

Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) tools to improve computational thinking skills

The common and easy access to technological devices has led to the rapid inclusion of technology into the learning process. The development of technical skills, as well as the increasing confidence in computer attitudes, seems to be obvious. We therefore propose to go beyond and advocate the use of TEL to provide specific leadership, multi-tasking and other organizational skills, known as computational thinking, as precisely the main contributions provided by TEL. To support this hypothesis, we present two different experiences. The first, based on high-school students, to introduce young people to technology at the same time as they acquire other demanding skills. The second, with undergraduate Computer Science students, is focused on technology itself to enhance and improve computational thinking skills. A comparison is also made between two populations with different digital profiles in their user skills (general in the first case and engineering biased in the second).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Conceptual model of mobile augmented reality for cultural heritage site towards enjoyable informal learning (Marchsteil)

A mobile augmented reality (AR) is one of the emerging technologies that may provide interactive content to tourists at cultural heritage sites. Past studies show enjoyable informal learning experience is highly needed for tourists to broaden knowledge for tourists. Although many mobile AR applications have been developed to expose cultural heritage site information, they are still lacking in providing such experience due to lack of comprehensive models which taking into consideration the elements of enjoyable informal learning experience in the development of such applications. Therefore, this study proposes a comprehensive conceptual model of mobile AR where it considers the components of enjoyable informal learning experience at cultural heritage site. This study followed design science research methodology. The proposed conceptual model is reviewed and validated through expert review and focus group discussion The review was analysed based on frequency of the responses on each component. As a proof-of-concept, the prototype (named as AR@Melaka) was developed and then evaluated on its enjoyable informal learning aspects to 200 tourists of a renowned cultural heritage site. From user perspective, it is proven that AR@Melaka provides enjoyable informal learning. In conclusion, these findings proved that the conceptual model is useful for assisting tourists in learning at cultural heritage site in an enjoyable way. This study contributes a conceptual model to serve as guidelines for developing a mobile augmented reality that considers an enjoyable informal learning component

Augmented Reality and Context Awareness for Mobile Learning Systems

Learning is one of the most interactive processes that humans practice. The level of interaction between the instructor and his or her audience has the greatest effect on the output of the learning process. Recent years have witnessed the introduction of e-learning (electronic learning), which was then followed by m-learning (mobile learning). While researchers have studied e-learning and m-learning to devise a framework that can be followed to provide the best possible output of the learning process, m-learning is still being studied in the shadow of e-learning. Such an approach might be valid to a limited extent, since both aims to provide educational material over electronic channels. However, m-learning has more space for user interaction because of the nature of the devices and their capabilities. The objective of this work is to devise a framework that utilises augmented reality and context awareness in m-learning systems to increase their level of interaction and, hence, their usability. The proposed framework was implemented and deployed over an iPhone device. The implementation focused on a specific course. Its material represented the use of augmented reality and the flow of the material utilised context awareness. Furthermore, a software prototype application for smart phones, to assess usability issues of m-learning applications, was designed and implemented. This prototype application was developed using the Java language and the Android software development kit, so that the recommended guidelines of the proposed framework were maintained. A questionnaire survey was conducted at the University, with approximately twenty-four undergraduate computer science students. Twenty-four identical smart phones were used to evaluate the developed prototype, in terms of ease of use, ease of navigating the application content, user satisfaction, attractiveness and learnability. Several validation tests were conducted on the proposed augmented reality m-learning verses m-learning. Generally, the respondents rated m-learning with augmented reality as superior to m-learning alone

Using mobile learning in blended learning environments in higher education: perceptions and acceptance among students and lecturers at Qassim university, Saudi Arabia

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonIn Saudi Arabia, learning methods, such as blended learning and mobile learning, have become more important than ever. However, to successfully implement such type of learning methods in higher education settings, determining the perceptions of students and lecturers is vital. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to determine students’ and lecturers’ understanding, acceptance, and barriers of using mobile learning in blended learning environments, using semi-structured interviews, open-ended surveys, and responses to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Overall, 108 participants were included in the study, of which 12 students attended the interview and 24 lecturers and 72 students participated in the open-ended survey. The results show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, habit, academic social influence, and conditions facilitating academics are the core determinants of behavioural intention, which have direct effects on the user behaviour of students and lecturers. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has investigated blended mobile learning acceptance in Saudi higher education settings. The findings can be generalised to the most of Saudi universities and some universities in the Arabian Gulf that exhibit the same conditions

A mobile context-aware learning schedule framework with Java learning objects

The focus of this thesis is the study of mobile learning, specifically learning in different locations and under various contextual situations, from the perspective of university students. I initially derived and designed a theoretical mobile context-aware learning schedule (mCALS) framework from an extensive literature review. Its objective is to recommend appropriate learning materials to students based on their current locations and circumstances. The framework uses a learning schedule (i.e. electronic-based diary) to inform the location and available time a student has for learning/studying at a particular location. Thereafter, a number of factors are taken into consideration for the recommendation of appropriate learning materials. These are the student’s learning styles, knowledge level, concentration level, frequency of interruption at that location and their available time for learning/studying. In order to determine the potential deployment of the framework as a mobile learning application by intended users, I carried out three types of feasibility studies. First, a pedagogical study was conducted using interviews to explore together with students (a) what their learning requirements were when studying in a mobile environment, (b) whether the framework could potentially be used effectively to support their studies and, (c) using this user-centred understanding, refined user requirements of the framework. Second, a diary study was conducted where I collected data and analysed the usability feasibility of the framework by (a) determining whether students could plan their daily schedule ahead and keep to it, (b) ascertaining which learning contexts were important and, (c) establishing which learning materials were appropriate under which situations. Two validation studies were conducted. The first one was an online experiment utilising Java learning objects. Participants of this study were suggested appropriate learning objects to study with, based on their amount of available time, current motivation level for learning and their proficiency level of Java. The second validation study was an investigation into high-quality Java learning objects available in the public domain. Finally, a technical design of the framework was carried out to determine whether the framework at present could realistically be implemented using current mobile technologies. The data analyses of the feasibility studies show that (a) a learning schedule approach is successful to an extent in obtaining location and available time information to indicate accurate values of these contexts, (b) different learners may require different personalisation strategies when selecting appropriate learning materials for them in mobile environments, and (c) the mCALS framework is particularly well-suited for self-regulated students. I also proposed a set of suggestion rules which can be used to recommend appropriate Java learning materials to students in different contexts. The validation studies show that 1) the proposed suggestion rules are effective in recommending appropriate materials to learners in their situation, in order to enhance their learning experiences, and 2) there are a sufficiently large number of high-quality LOs available in the public domain that can be incorporated for use within my framework. Finally, the development of mCALS has been considered from three perspectives – pedagogical, usability and technical. These perspectives consist of critical components that should be considered when developing and evaluating mobile learning software applications. The results demonstrated that the mCALS framework can potentially be used by students in different locations and situations, and appropriate learning materials can be selected to them, in order to enhance their learning experiences.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo