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M-learning for PDAs:Enhancing the Flexibility of Distance Education – Designing and Trying out a Learning Environment for Mobile Distance Learners

”Life Long Learning in the Networked World”

Hong Kong, 18-21 February 2004

Truls Fagerberg, Systems Developer

Torstein Rekkedal, Professor, Director R & D

NKI Distance Education

Norway

M-learning for PDAs: Overview

NKI Distance Education and Online Education

Basic philosophies when developing system for m-learning

Developing the environment for m-learning

The two courses developed and trialled

Experiences

NKI

The NKI Group – a non-profit foundation in education:

NKI Distance Education: Each year around 15,000 active students 100 programmes and 400 courses 60 programmes and 380 courses on the Internet

The Norwegian School of Information Technology (NITH) The Business Training Centre (NA) NKI Publishing House NKI Distance Education

NKI and Online Education

NKI Distance Education/NKI Internet College Online distance teaching since 1987 In continuous operation Integrated research/educational development/technological

development ’Mainstream’ technology

5800 students in 40 countries

  380 courses/60 study programmes  

Distance Learning – Flexibility and Mobility D-learning, e-learning and m-learning

“E-learning is the collection of teaching – and information packages – in further education which is available at any time and any place and are delivered to learners electronically. They contain units of information, self-testing batteries and tests, which allow a quick self-evaluation for quick placement. E-learning offers more lower level learning goals. Higher order goals like understanding, reasoning and (moral) judging are more difficult to achieve. They require an individualised interactive discourse and can hardly be planned” (Dichantz 2001)

“The term ‘mLearning’ has lately emerged to be associated with the use of mobile technology in education. It seems, however, that it is used in commercial purposes rather than as an educational concept. We wonder if the term is a commercial trick to market technology and educational services or if it is an emerging concept that educationalists should take seriously.” (Sariola et al. 2001)

Flexibility in distance education

Models of teaching and learning Distance Education:

Individualised Flexible Teaching

or Teaching in ’The

Extended Classroom’

NKI basic philosophies concerning distance learning

Student autonomy and flexibility

Flexible and individual distance teaching with the student group as social and academic support for learning

Views of knowledge and learning

The result of learning is a change in the student’s perceptions Learning is a qualitative change in understanding Learning is an active process Learning is a socially supported individual process

Designing the Environment for Mobile Learners

Studying online and offline

Technology: Content and communication:Pocket PC/PDA Learning content to be downloaded

Mobile phone Online access to forums for reading/writing

Portable keyboard E-mail communication with attachments

Technical solution:

Students’ and tutor’s use of technology when mobile

When mobile the students must be able to:

Study the course materials Make notes Write assignments Access Forum to read Access Forum to submit contributions Send e-mail to fellow students Receive e-mail from fellow students Submit assignments by e-mail including attachments Receive assignments corrected and commented on by the tutor

The trials

The courses:

 1. The tutor in distance education (Norwegian version)

2. SPICE 603 Online Teaching and Learning

The trials

Experimental conditions:

First trial: Simulated learning situation

Evaluation methods and procedures:

Field study

Qualitative process evaluation

Final ’quantitative’ questionnaire

Second trial: Real course with real students in real setting

Results

The participant’s study situationStudents and tutors working with the course at home, at the office and on

travel Downloading and synchronizing learning content

Technology: Broadband, LAN, modem, ISDN and mobile – few problems

Reading and studying on the PDA:E-book version preferred before HTML

Contribution to Forum via PDA and mobile phone:Direct access to Forum, preprepared message, fast connection

Assignment for submission via mobile technology:Few problems, acceptable costs

Tutor on the move

The tutor commenting assignments and writing to the course forum from the Düsseldorf Himmelturm Restaurant

Conclusions

Mobile technology may increase the flexibility of distance teaching The technology functioned according to expectations Participants’ views varied – from enthusiastic to quite reserved The students expressed very different views concerning reading from a small screen Institutional challenges for systems development to cater for mobile and not mobile learners Technical problems exist, but are continuously reduced through software and hardware developments Portable keyboard is necessary for efficient use of the PDA as a teaching and learning tool We need better solutions for browsing web pages Mobile communication is still expensive – especially from abroad We are uncertain whether a future solution for mobile learning is solved by

Mobile phone and pda Hybrid (pocket phone/computer) Laptop with mobile connection Other solutions (?)

The New Project

M-learning – the next generation of learning

NKI main goal: Research solutions to increase the flexibility of online distance education

The main challenge is to design solutions for learners who are users of mobile technology and wish to study also when on the move, that also allow other students to apply standard technology.

The solutions must be designed in ways to allow both groups to participate in the same course. We must look for solutions that are optimal for distributing content and communication in courses, independent on whether the students and tutors apply mobile technology or standard PC and Internet connection for teaching or learning.

There is no doubt that NKI Distance Education faces a large challenge in further developing server side solutions and methodology that include the use of mobile technology for serving our mobile distance learners more efficiently.

Thank you!

NKI Internet College: http://www.nettskolen.com/

Powerpoint Presentation: http://home.nettskolen.com/~torstein/m-learningICDE2004.ppt

Presentation http://home.nettskolen.com/~torstein/ICDE2004finalpaper.doc

Torstein Rekkedal home page: http://home.nettskolen.nki.no/~torstein/