Using paper prototyping as a rapid participatory design technique in the design of MLCAT - a lecture podcasting tool

Podcasting has permeated the developed world higher education environments. Despite this, there is inadequate research published to explore podcasting in developing Higher Education Institutions. In areas with limited electricity, never mind the internet, how can podcasting succeed? This paper describes Participatory Design activities with university lecturers in sub-Saharan Africa (University of Cape Town and Makerere University) to design a podcasting tool. We postulate that by involving them in the design, we can identify specific requirements and they will accept and use the tool. Academics have heavy workloads and tight schedules and conducting design sessions with busy professionals demands preparation, improvisation, and clarity of purpose. Therefore, this paper presents the use of paper prototyping technique during the two hour Participatory Design sessions with lecturers in the design of a horizontal MLCAT prototype. In addition, we present formative evaluations that reveal insightful results which will be used in the further implementation of the tool

Mobile Learning Content Authoring Tools (MLCATs): A Systematic Review

Mobile learning is currently receiving a lot of attention within the education arena, particularly within electronic learning. This is attributed to the increasing mobile penetration rates and the subsequent increases in university student enrolments. Mobile Learning environments are supported by a number of crucial services such as content creation which require an authoring tool. The last decade or so has witnessed increased attention to tools for authoring mobile learning content for education. This can be seen from the vast number of conference and journal publications devoted to the topic. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to review works that were published, suggest a new classification framework and explore each of the classification features. This paper is based on a systematic review of mobile learning content authoring tools (MLCATs) from 2000 to 2009. The framework is developed based on a number of dimensions such as system type, development context, Tools and Technologies used, tool availability, ICTD relation, support for standards, learning style support, media supported and tool purpose. This paper provides a means for researchers to extract assertions and several important lessons for the choice and implementation of MLCATs

A preliminary study of podcasting in developing higher edcuation institution: A South African case

Purpose - The goal of our work is to report on Podcasting experience by faculty and students in a South African Higher Education Institutions, identify issues, limitations and discuss implications for the design of future tools. Design/methodology/approach - This work consisted of two parts: semi-structured interviews with lecturers, content/curriculum developers and a student survey. Findings - Rogers‟ diffusion of innovations theory provided the framework for this research including determining how new innovations are disseminated, their rate of adoption, the five stage decision making process for adoption and the characteristics an innovation must possess to be attractive to adopters. The methodology used relied heavily on descriptive and qualitative data analyses in order to determine the current podcasting practices and experiences. Results reveal that by assuming some of the respondents are “Innovators” or “early adopters”, they are still in the early stages of the decision making process. Research limitations/implications - Some instructors who are identified as “early adopters” are experimenting with Podcasting as an add-on to existing lecture resources. However, innovations and their subsequent adoption require an understanding of lecturers‟ and students‟ perceptions, opportunities and challenges. Originality/value - Podcasting in developing HEIs and the tools therein to support the process has not been given much attention. The context of this study is the first kind of empirical research in this area. The findings from this exploratory research will be valuable for podcasting users

Mobile Learning Content Authoring Tools (MLCATs): A Systematic Review

Mobile learning is currently receiving a lot of attention in the education arena, particularly within electronic learning. This is attributed to the increasing mobile penetration rates and the subsequent increases in university student enrolments. Mobile Learning environments are supported by a number of crucial services such as content creation which require an authoring tool. The last decade or so has witnessed increased attention on tools for authoring mobile learning content for education. This can be seen from the vast number of conference and journal publications devoted to the topic. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to review works that were published, suggest a new classification framework and explore each of the classification features. This paper is based on a systematic review of mobile learning content authoring tools (MLCATs) from 2000 to 2009. The framework is developed based on three broad dimensions i.e. Technology, Pedagogy and Usability and a number of features such as system type, development context, Tools and Technologies used, tool availability, ICTD relation, Multimedia support, tool purpose, support for standards, learning style support, intuitive Graphical User Interface and accessibility. This paper provides a means for researchers to extract assertions and several important lessons for the choice and implementation of MLCATs

Using Paper Prototyping as a Rapid Participatory Design Technique in the Design of MCLAT – a Lecture Podcasting Tool

Podcasting has permeated the developed world higher education environments. Despite this, there is inadequate research published to explore podcasting in developing regions, particularly African Higher Education Institutions. In areas with limited electricity, never mind the internet, how can podcasting succeed? This paper describes Participatory Design activities with university lecturers in sub-Saharan Africa to design a podcasting tool. We postulate that by involving them in the design, we can identify specific requirements and they will accept and use the tool. However, academics have heavy work loads and tight schedules. Therefore, we employ the use of a paper prototyping technique during the Participatory Design sessions because it is fast and relatively cheap. We conduct two hour participatory design sessions with academics from two African universities. Results from our formative evaluations reveal interesting results which will be used in the further implementation of the tool

A preliminary study of podcasting in developing higher education institutions: A South African case

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on podcasting experience by faculty and students in a South African higher education institution (HEI), identify issues, limitations and discuss implications for the design of future tools. Design/methodology/approach – This work consisted of two parts: semi-structured interviews with lecturers, content/curriculum developers and a student survey. Findings – Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory provided the framework for this research including determining how new innovations are disseminated, their rate of adoption, the five-stage decision-making process for adoption and the characteristics an innovation must possess to be attractive to adopters. The methodology used relied heavily on descriptive and qualitative data analyses in order to determine the current podcasting practices and experiences. Results reveal that by assuming some of the respondents are “innovators” or “early adopters”, they are still in the early stages of the decision-making process. Research limitations/implications – Some instructors who are identified as “early adopters” are experimenting with podcasting as an add-on to existing lecture resources. However, innovations and their subsequent adoption require an understanding of lecturers' and students' perceptions, opportunities and challenges. Originality/value – Podcasting in developing HEIs and the tools therein to support the process has not been given much attention. The context of this study is the first kind of empirical research in this area. The findings from this exploratory research will be valuable for podcasting users