OU VLE ProgrammeMobile Learner Support Project

Faculty Stakeholder session

Wed 13th Dec 2006

Session Aims• Further define project strands• Refine a set of questions for IET to include in a Student

Survey• Establish the next set of requirements input

Project OverviewUse cases:

• Offline and sporadic access• Synchronising to desktops• Connected, on-the-go

Project OverviewProject strands – initial scope• ‘Offline Moodle’• SMS alerts and interactivity• Instant messaging link to MSG• Podcasting• Course news via RSS• m-Assessment• eBooks• ‘Mobile Learning Environment’

Offline Moodle• Parallel activity working with Intel as announced to the

Moodle community at MoodleMoot 2006• To benefit offline users in the OU and worldwide where

connectivity is unreliable or at a premium• Consultation expected, particularly with Students and

ALs, from May 2007

SMS and Alerts• Central announcements• Reminders/prompts from:

– OU ‘Central’– Regions– Tutors

• Enabling peer support via free SMS

SMS and Alerts• Widespread work in HE sector

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning_innovation/eli_melas.aspx

http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/telecoms/smstextservice/

http://library.curtin.edu.au/contact/sms.html

• Possibility of offering more interactive services (c.f. Banking Services ‘USSD’)

http://www.firstdirect.com/textmessagebanking/text_message_banking.shtml

• Could tie in with Calendar synchronisation to mobile devices

http://stadium.open.ac.uk/berrill/

http://www.gcalsync.com/

SMS and AlertsStudent survey

• How useful would you find:– Notification of start of course– Prompts on deadlines– Prompts during residential schools– Prompts for tutorials & revision workshops– Tips during course– Notification of TMA scoring– Course results

Instant Messaging• Enabling connected mobile learners to chat via MSG

– Mobile phone provider IM– MSN, Yahoo, Jabber

• Exploring future possibilities of converging electronic communications under ‘Messaging’

Instant Messaging• Mobile phone service providers providing linkages to

established chat serviceshttp://mobilecentral.ninemsn.com.au/mcmobilehotmail/demo.aspx

• Instant Messenger platforms sharing information on ‘telepresence’ and federating services

http://www.jabber.com/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=832

Instant MessagingStudent Survey

• Would you find it helpful to be able to– Chat with fellow students who are online from your

mobile device– Chat with your friends on-the-go, linking with your

existing chat service

Podcasting• Reusing existing chunked material for new blended

learning opportunities• Extending availability of audiovisual content on the web

to include:– Channels Series Episodes

• Ensuring an intuitive web-based solution to assembly and publication

Podcasting• Examples of approach

– Handcrafted - Open2 http://www.open2.net/society/education/talking_languages_podcast/index.html

– Blog - T&L http://conclave.open.ac.uk/TaLGuestLecture/

– Moodle module http://playpen.monte.nsw.edu.au/course/view.php?id=11

• Issues– Creation – Audio Recording Tool– Publication– Access – free/protected/paid-for– Publicity – iTunes iTunesU ‘iTunesOU’?

PodcastingStudent Survey

• Would you like to be able to– Subscribe to a channel of audiovisual content to be

delivered to your mobile player• Should each course/programme series of episodes

available to you be:– In a single OU channel– Separated by subject area/programme– Separated by course title

Course News - RSS• RSS – Really Simple Syndication• Providing another way for students to elect to receive

news updates, prompts – subscribing and viewing on a news feed ‘aggregator’

• Allowing for:– Course level news– Programme level news– Personal news from blogs

Course News - RSS• Examples

– BBC / media http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3223484.stm

– Personal blog syndication http://vledemo.open.ac.uk/blog/index.php?filtertype=user&filterselect=94&edit=0

Course News - RSSStudent Survey

• Would you like to be able to– Subscribe to a feed delivering news updates on your

course• What kind of information would you like to receive by this

method – urgency etc.

m-Assessment• Providing short, formative exercises in the form of

learning objects for students to try on the move• Creating (multimedia/new media) assets that can be

used on a variety of platforms

m-Assessment• Examples

– Flashhttp://www.teachandlearn.open.ac.uk/secondary/ped/tl/1000005058/id_1000005058_1_3_16.cfm?passthrough=1

– Javahttp://www.java.com/en/mobile/crackenglish.jsp

m-AssessmentStudent Survey

• Would you find it helpful to be able to– Complete short exercises and quizzes to aid in your

understanding of course material– Interact with multimedia clips on your device

eBooks• Providing electronic documents with improved

readability, annotation and highlighting options• Addressing the challenge in producing content for a

variety of preferred formats automatically

eBooks• Current OU provision – PDFs – Adobe Reader• ‘Mobile eBooks’:

– DEEP: Microsoft Reader, eBook Reader

eBooksStudent Survey

• Would you find it helpful to be able to– Annotate and personalise electronic documents for

revision purposes– Make use of ‘auto-reader’ and ‘read aloud’ functions

Mobile Learning Environment• Deciding what students can access from their homepage

on various devices• Allowing for user-generated content on devices to be

uploaded to myStuff

Student survey: mobile usageExisting use of mobile tools and methods - please indicate which technologies/features you currently use:

PDAs/Handhelds:Pocket PC (legacy)

Windows Mobile Palm

Linux/other

Mobile phones:‘Standard’ (12.5G)

Video (3G) ‘Smartphone’

Other:iPods/equivalent Gaming devices

Tablet PCs Ultra-mobile PCs

Audiovisual (digital):Voice/audio recording

Photography Video capture

Field work:Expert Systems/Classification

Data logging Surveying

GPS

Internet/mediated:Browsing/researching

Networking/sharing Collaborating

Quiz/voting

Use of Applications - please indicate which tools you currently use:

Word processor Spreadsheets

Presentation Email

Messaging Calendar

Task manager Memos/notes

File/Document storage

Media (AV) player Photo album Audio books

Podcasts News reader

eBook reader Dictionary

GPS Navigation Games

Web Browsing:Pocket Internet Explorer

Opera Mini/Mobile Blazer (Palm)

NetFront Other

Flash Lite

Wider consultation• 31st January 2007 @ 2PM-3:30PM - Podcasting,

Course News and Alerts• 7th February 2007 @ 2PM-3:30PM - Mobile Course

content• 14th February 2007 @ 2PM-3:30PM - Social and User

Generated content

Contact: Rhodri.Thomas@open.ac.uk – VLE Mobile Learner Support Project Leader