Implementing a mobile campus using MLE Moodle

Mobile learning is considered the next step of online learning by incorporating mobility as a key requirement. Indeed, the current wide spread of mobile devices and wireless technologies brings an enormous potential to e-learning, in terms of ubiquity, pervasiveness, personalization, flexibility, and so on. For this reason, Mobile Learning is attracting significant research efforts covering a fairly variety of learning settings, from schools and universities to workplaces and cities. This research has evidenced that mobile technology can offer new opportunities for learners to learn inside and beyond the traditional instructor-oriented educational paradigm. However, mobile technologies are still in its infancy and many challenges arise. In this paper we analyze, from both learning and technological perspectives, the development of learning applications using mobile devices. To this end, proxy and proxy less architectures are considered as way to extend traditional virtual campuses with mobile clients. The objective is twofold: to access learning materials and to support learning activities. A prototype of a Virtual Campus is developed using MLE-Moodle -the Mobile Learning module of Moodle. The proposed Virtual Campus enables mobile clients to perform online learning activities and is a step towards achieving the “anytime, anywhere” paradigm.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version