Mobilizing The Open University: case studies in strategic mobile development

This paper presents an overview of many activities undertaken in the Mobile Learner Support project area in The Open University (OU). Please note that while many of the project strands involve strategic development that is embedded in the OU’s institution-wide teaching and learning systems, some of the data and findings we hope will be of use to others undertaking work in related areas. In addition to the core work in implementing a Mobile VLE and associated resources, an overview of related mobile audio eAssessment and eBook format development project strands are given, leading to development of a blend of web application software and native or client applications. The OU delivers significant proportions of online content and collaboration as part of its supported open learning distance education model to over 200,000 part-time students at any given time. In particular, over the past 4 years, adapting open source technologies for around 600 course websites has delivered the requirement to support course activities for up to 4,700 students per course cohort with a corresponding 250 variations of a single course to provide online tutorial spaces. The OU has also throughout its history adapted to increasingly flexible and personalised modes of delivering and interacting with multimedia and audiovisual content as part of a blended approach, most recently aiming to disaggregate content and allow remixing through its open educational resources initiative. For updates on the Mobile Learner Support project, please visit http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/mLear

mLearning: the classroom in your pocket?

This paper reports the findings of a 1 year project which focussed solely on the potential of handheld computers for teacher professional development. The paper considers the fit between theory and practice, viewing the developing literature on mLearning as it might apply to teacher professional development, in the light of research evidence from project teachers using handheld computers. The teachers themselves used the analytical framework for teacher professional knowledge developed by Banks, Leach and Moon to consider their own experiences with the handheld computers. The study finds that handheld digital tools hold a number of pedagogic and pragmatic advantages over laptop or desktop computers for teachers, especially in rural communities; however, further technical development is required to fully orient the devices to classroom rather than office practices

Mobile Digiquest: Developing rich media reflective practitioners

Mobile technologies, well-established as business tools, have now become more educationally-appropriate through integration of improved multimedia functionality. User-generated content and related activities have encouraged a transition from academic content creation to greater student collaboration across a range of platforms, which are increasingly mobile. With a greater awareness of 'citizen journalism' approaches, our students are becoming more familiar with using mobile technology in recounting their experiences. Our own staff surveys have indicated that these techniques are not commonplace internally, and while the greater majority of staff use their camera phones, few feel confident in transferring their rich media elsewhere. Within a wider framework of institutional knowledge-sharing, the OU's Digilab and educational professional development have included opportunities to explore m-learning further. Supported by device loans and emulation tools, the Digilab has provided a range of self-exploratory facilities which have been leveraged by increasing numbers of guided sessions and hands-on Digiquest activities. Other project work in the university has explored capturing local environments and language in residential schools, and a framework for remote fieldwork. Through offering sessions using commonly available technologies, including participants' camera phones, MMS and online mobile-blogging tools, our activities have demonstrated the ease with which rich media can enhance group work and reflection. Building on case studies from other institutions and related research in the field we have constructed two main themes: * Location-based approach, making use of existing physical trails around the campus, integrating with GPS/geocaching activity; * Scenario-based approach, working within a teaching and learning context, capturing practice through use of participant role-play. A number of considerations have arisen for further exploration. Technically, it is difficult to filter content and transcode/modify media sent by MMS so that all participants can access the same material. In creating the activities it was essential to take a more guided peer-learning approach, pairing, where possible, a more adept participant with novice users. The activity worked better when blended with a purpose e.g. creating practice-based course activities. Participants were able to reflect and extend their experiences after the face-to-face session through the mobile-blog. In this presentation we aim to outline the steps taken in providing these staff development opportunities and our future expectations of providing a return path for user-generated mobile rich media

OU Mobile VLE: extending the reach of studying through the mobile web

This poster illustrates the enhancement of the ‘OU Mobile VLE’, originally delivered through highly-customised Moodle v1.9, through to release of a more standardised approach for Moodle 2.x. This case study builds on student feedback, both unsolicited and in student surveys. Combining with usage analysis, key features were refined and optimised for delivery and contribution via the mobile web. Support for distance education requires more narrative, signposting and scaffolding of the learning design to be available. A package of discrete resources and activities structured through a ‘study planner’ approach, coupled with ‘alternative formats’ covers the on/offline blend. Formative self-assessment was extended – from reflection in course texts through to simple quiz question types

Open Mobile: institutional responses to mobile learner support

This poster will outline some of the steps that The Open University is taking in providing a range of learning services and materials to an increasingly mobile-aware student body. In particular, providing a mobile VLE or LMS through customised Moodle templates and modules will be illustrated, alongside more subject-specific content packages and applications. Further enhancements and interventions are listed, where the university is adopting strategic cross-institutional solutions to work with our mobile learners in addition to subject-specific trials and pilots

Mobilising The Open University

This paper follows the moves by The Open University (OU) to build on a number of internal and external research and development projects, by initiating an institution-wide programme of activities to better support our mobile learners in our teaching and learning provision. Working at a distance and delivering a supported open learning model brings different challenges in supporting mobile learners than for campus institutions able to mediate by face-to-face interaction. The OU also needs to address technologies and devices that students already have, so while there may be a large degree of appropriation, there may not be a corresponding awareness of device capabilities and methods to support learning while mobile or away from familiar study environments. At a top level, work has begun in providing a ‘Mobile VLE’ through Moodle, tailoring services in response to student surveys, the details of which will be shared in the associated presentation. Subsidiary projects include research into formative audio eAssessment as part of DVD-ROM adaptation, particularly leading to structured conversation via a voice response system, to inform further work in incorporating user-generated content. Development in open educational resources and electronic formats now include eBooks allowing student annotation in addition to conversion to synthetic voice implementations. Related work is also underway in exploring, prototyping and evaluating mobile applications, initially for touch-based devices, but aiming to be device-agnostic in future. Underpinning the research and development work is an ongoing educational and professional development programme to promote mobile learning methodologies and familiarise staff with current and aspirational technologies. The OU now has a plan of activities which also include more in-depth consideration as how to best leverage mobile learning methodologies in courses, practice-based areas, fieldwork and residentials as well as for peer support

British scientists and soldiers in the First World War with special reference to ballistics and chemical warfare

This thesis asks how the Great War affected physical science in Britain. It examines how graduate scientists and army officers worked together in the War, concentrating on the two fields of ballistics and chemical warfare. In these fields many previous accounts have discussed only the civilians. This study gives an outline of the various military institutions where soldiers in the technical corps (Artillery and Engineers) were trained, and where the state made, tested and stored arms. It argues that these corps had a characteristic technical culture, in which science was not studied for its own sake, but always with an end in view that would benefit the state: mathematics, astronomy and geodesy for survey, geology for public works, and so on. This was quite different from the professional values of pure science and mathematics. The thesis sees the effects of the War on science on two levels, the personal and the structural. Those engaged in war-work responded very variously: some had the directions of their interests greatly changed, so that the ballistics work accelerated the growth in numerical analysis; for others the War was simply an interruption, either a destructive one, or one that was rewarding but little related to the scientist’s academic career. Several of those who had done war-work maintained their links with the military for the rest of their lives. Structurally, the state increased its support for applied science with military applications, at the National Physical Laboratory, Famborough, Porton, and Woolwich. The scale of academic experiments, however, did not grow correspondingly after the War. After the War, the Army significantly increased its research activities (though constrained by limited budgets), and incorporated university teaching in the training of its engineering personnel, initially as a stop-gap, but then by choice.Open acces