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From M-Library to Mobile ESL: Athabasca University as Advocate
in Mobile Learning
Stella LeeInstructional Media Analyst
Athabasca University
Today’s Presentation
• Introduction – Athabasca University
• Why use M-learning
• Two case studies – M-library, Mobile ESL
• Challenges and opportunities
• Questions and Discussions
About Athabasca University
• Canada’s Open University - distance learning and online learning
• Location: Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
• Learning centres in Edmonton and Calgary
• More than 32,000 students
• Individualized and self-paced studies
Mission Statement
“Athabasca University is dedicated to the removal of barriers that restrict access to, and success in, university-level studies and to increasing equality of educational opportunity for adult learners worldwide.”
http://www.athabascau.ca/
Why Use Mobile Technology in AU?
• Accessibility of audience• Instant delivery and updates• Affordablility/portablility• Novelty of gadget/display
Student Profile
• Average age 29
• Two-thirds women
• 60% of our program students were employed full-time while studying
• 36% undergraduates were visiting students
Two Case Studies at Athabasca
• M-Library: Mobile Digital Reading Room Initiative
• Mobile ESL: learning English as a Second Language Lessons for newcomers
M-Library: Mobile Digital Reading Room
What is a Mobile Library?
• The idea of a mobile library is to provide learners with access to the university library and to course resources using mobile devices
Why a Mobile Library at AU?
• AU students study from a distance
• Quick and efficient access to electronic resources and library services is essential
• Students have even more options for fitting learning into their busy lives. It allows individualization & self-pace learning
• Supports those with special needs
Special Features
• Mobile friendly AU Library site: Supported device: PDA, Palmtop, Blackberry, IPAQ, Smart phones
• The site include mobile friendly:– Digital Reading Room– Digital Reference Centre– Digital Thesis & Project Room– Library catalogue– Search engine
Special Features (ctd)
• Auto-detect and reformat
• Learning object reuse
• Easy web maintain/update
• Podcasting
• Wireless library catalogue
• Federated search
• Mobile content conversion on the fly
Design/Technology
Challenges and Opportunities
• Defining content for the M-library– Define the amount and type of information
• Design of the format – Normal website vs. mobile version– text, images, graphics, tables, location
• Separate the content from the format
• Display models– different display model and stylesheet
Further Information
• Website:
http://library.athabascau.ca/drr/
http://library.athabascau.ca/
Mobile ESL Project
Overview of Project
• Build on success of M-library project
• Develop and test innovative approaches to ESL learning using mobile devices to deliver lessons and allowing practice with feedback using a variety of testing methods
Subjects Involved in Study
The subjects involved were adult learners registered in ESL programs at:
• Edmonton Mennonite Centre for
Newcomers
• Global Community College
• Evangelical Chinese Baptist Church
Mobile Devices Used
• Mobile phones with wireless capabilities (Samsung D807x )
• Desktop access support
Content for Project• The content is based on two of the
best selling Penguin “Introductory English Grammar and Exercise” books
• Consists of 86 lessons and related interactive exercises
• Repurpose for Canadian context
• Downloadable in Word doc & Acrobat pdf format
Evaluation Methods
• The students learn the content of the lesson followed by difference practice exercises and testing techniques.
• The testing techniques used were multiple-choice, jumbled-sentence, true-false, and matching
Results . . .
Student Preference for Question Types
Student opinion poll about whether a question type is suitable for mobile devices
Multiple Choice, 75%
True/False, 93%
Matching, 18%
Word Ordering, 47%
Multiple Choice True/False Matching Word Ordering
Pre-test vs. Post-test vs. Retention
0
24
6
8
1012
14
16
1820
Te
st
sc
ore
s
1 2 3
Tests
A Comparison of the Pre-test (1), Post-test (2), and Retention Test (3)
Flexibility of LearningThe technology provides flexibility for me to learn anywhere
and at anytime
34%
56%
2%
4%
0%
4%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
No Response
Take Other Lessons Using Mobile Devices
I would like to take other lessons using mobile technology
15%
45%
21%
13%
0%
6%
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
No Response
Student Feedback in General
• Reported positive experience with the ESL grammar course and the use of mobile technology in learning ESL grammar
• Liked the flexibility of anytime availability of the ESL materials
• Students indicated that the use of mobile technology for ESL would be a good supplementary medium of learning such as when waiting for an appointment or being on the bus or whenever and wherever there is some spare time
• One concern expressed was the cost of Internet access
Student Feedback in General
Suggestions for Future Delivery
• Use text-to-speech technology to improve the learning experience
• More examples to help students understand the questions better
• Use the mobile device to interact with teachers
• Larger screen size for ease of reading
