Contextualised Mobile Media for Learning

De Jong, T. (2011). Contextualised Mobile Media for Learning. June, 10, 2011, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University in the Netherlands, CELSTEC. SIKS Dissertation Series No. 2011-09. ISBN 978 90 79447 47 3The research reported in this thesis was carried out at the Open University of the Netherlands in the Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies as a part of the MACE project and the TENCompetence project. The European Project MACE is funded by the European Commission’s eContentPlus project, ECP 2005 EDU 038098 (portal.mace-project.eu). The TENCompetence Integrated Project, is funded by the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning, contract 027087 (www.tencompetence.org). The research reported in this thesis has been carried out under the auspices of SIKS, the Dutch Research School for Information and Knowledge Systems

Location-based and contextual mobile learning. A STELLAR Small-Scale Study

This study starts from several inputs that the partners have collected from previous and current running research projects and a workshop organised at the STELLAR Alpine Rendevous 2010. In the study, several steps have been taken, firstly a literature review and analysis of existing systems; secondly, mobile learning experts have been involved in a concept mapping study to identify the main challenges that can be solved via mobile learning; and thirdly, an identification of educational patterns based on these examples has been done. Out of this study the partners aim to develop an educational framework for contextual learning as a unifying approach in the field. Therefore one of our central research questions is: how can we investigate, theorise, model and support contextual learning

Widening access to higher education: admissions (SPICe Briefing; 11/07)

"This paper describes the recruitment and selection processes of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and explains what is meant by 'contextualised admissions'. It summarises existing research, reports on the use of contextual data for the development of admissions processes and explains the roles of various bodies in developing good practice for HEIs admissions policies. Finally, it provides a brief overview of current Scottish Funding Council activity related to contextualised admissions and 'Widening access to the Professions'." - Cover

Connecting key competencies and social inquiry in primary social studies pedagogy: initial teacher education students' planning decisions and reflections.

Over 2007-2009 we have worked with the national curriculum's key competencies to establish their place and purpose in the social sciences learning area. As a result, our initial teacher education (ITE) primary social studies programmes involve pedagogy that conceives key competencies as analogous to social inquiry thinking and skills processes. Our team was keen to research ways ITE students identify and embed key competencies in their social inquiry planning decisions. The research also sought student reflection of how engagement with key competencies might influence their future social studies teaching and learning. The article offers a storying of ways the curriculum element of key competencies has been developed, implemented, researched and reflected upon within ITE primary social studies curriculum

Context at the Crossroads of Language Learning and Mobile Learning

Contextual learning is the next step in the development of pedagogy in relation to mobile and ubiquitous technologies. The question addressed in this paper is whether research on 'context' within second language learning, and in the language sciences more broadly, can inform the development of the notion of context in research on technology-enhanced learning and mobile learning. As researchers in mobile assisted language learning, we stand at the crossroads of these disciplines. In this paper, we indicate the main sources and research directions that inform our work; we share our observations and propose some tentative conclusions

“Why bother?” Learner perceptions of digital literacy skills development - learning design implications

Digital literacy skills are essential for today’s citizens. These skills are expected for everyday personal use, learning and effective performance at work. The UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (HE) and employers therefore require graduates to be able to demonstrate these skills. However, the cost of UK university education is rising substantially and cash- and time-poor learners must decide what to prioritise. In this context they may favour subject-specific learning rather than skills development. How therefore can we engage learners in developing their digital literacy? The UK’s Open University is a distance learning institution. Its Faculty of Health & Social Care (FH&SC) has evolved different approaches for digital literacy skills development using technology-enhanced learning, based on skills resources that are either generic (usable by any FH&SC module) or are context-dependent and module-specific. Our Evaluating Approaches to Developing Digital Literacy Skills (EADDLS) project is exploring learner experiences of digital literacy skills development to identify their needs and preferences, to inform how we can optimise learning designs to better engage and support learners. Furthermore, since skills activities are widely required across different programmes, there is keen interest in the pedagogical and resourcing implications of using generic activities, as opposed to module-specific activities that are more challenging to share and maintain. We therefore also explore the influence of design features such as generic or module-specific contexts. We gathered data from online questionnaires (n=298) and interviews (n=18) involving learners from three modules. Focusing on the qualitative interview data, we explore what learners value and why, including links between attitude, motivation, and preferred learning designs. We identify reasons for certain findings from our quantitative data, e.g. a preference for integrated, module-specific activities over separate, generic activities and suggest a framework for managing activity complexity based on familiarity with the skill and the context