Mobile learning in Higher Education (Nottingham)

Mobile LearningWhat works, what’s next

Mike SharplesLearning Sciences Research Institute

University of Nottingham

www.nottingham.ac.uk/lsri/msh

What works?

http://www.exact-learning.com/en/products/learn-exact-suite/exact-mobile-solution-for-mobile-learning

So what now?

• Creating engaging and effective content– Small screen– Short duration– Interleaved with other activities

• Interactivity• Context adaptivity• Collaboration• Annotation• Standards• Interoperability• Authoring tools• Digital rights management• Business models

And yet...

Mobile learning is more than squeezing

into...

...or delivering...

on...

...or even delivering...

...on an...

Innovations in mobile learning

• University of Birmingham• Wireless pocket PC• 17 MSc Students over one

year• Integrated suite of tools

Communication, Time management, Course content, Note-taking

• Students could add their own software

Student Learning Organiser

• Most use of calendar and timetabling, as well as the communications tools

• No evidence of need for a specific ‘learning organiser’

• Didn’t hinder learning, but nor did it greatly assist

Main Results

Field Trips

Gary PriestnallGemma Polmear

Inquiry-based Learning

• Three year project• University of Nottingham/ Open

University• Aim:

– To help learners engage in effective science inquiries

Low cost inquiry toolkit

• Calculator• Timer• Camera• Audio recorder• Accelerometer• Location tracker• Tilt sensor• Communicator

• Anemometer

Lower cost inquiry toolkit

Inquiry learning cycle

Scripted inquirynQuire Inquiry Guide to provide flexible sequencing of activities

Results• Gain in subject knowledge and knowledge of

the inquiry process, compared to no gains for control group

• Maintained enjoyment of science classes, compared to fall by control group

• How to choose and design personally meaningful inquiries

• How to maintain continuity of learning across contexts

• Role of teacher – framing inquiry in class, orchestrating activity, re-integrating findings

Next stage: nQuire onlinewww.nquire.org.uk

What next?

• Supporting productive learning on student-owned devices

• Access for all – anywhere, anytime, anyone• Inquiry-based learning outside the lecture room• Learning through mobile media creation and

sharing• Connecting learning across contexts• Technology-mediated lifelong and life-wide

learning