The Development of Courseware for Smartphones

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The Development of Courseware for Smartphones

• Judy Nix
• Ericsson Education Ireland

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Based on Research for the EU Leonardo Funded
ProjectMobile Learning the Next Generation of
Learning
Fernuniversitat
Corvinus University of Budapest
Distance Education
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Mobile learning is the provision of education and
training on hand held devices PDAs, smartphones,
mobiles and MP3 players

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Why develop courseware for mobile devices?

• 664.5m mobiles phones shipped in 2004
• 50 of all employees in the developed world spend
  half their time outside the office
• Nearly all higher level education students in
  Europe use mobile phones in their everyday lives
• It is predicted that multi-purpose handheld
  devices will outsell laptop and desktop computers
  this year
• 3G networks will provide the infrastructure
  through its always on environment

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The Approach

• To mirror existing eLearning development methods
  by employing the same tools and technologies to
  ultimately facilitate adaptability.

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How? Development Tools

• Macromedia Dreamweaver
• MX Version 1.0
• - Site definition Wizard
• - Validator
• - Previewing facility

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Development Tools

• Opera Browser 6.31
• - Supports XHTML
• - Supports Cascading
• Style Sheets (CSS)
• - Describes what the
• content looks like

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Development Tools

• Adobe Photoshop 5.5
• - Images can be save in GIF
• - Transparent areas can be
• included
• - Web colour palette can be
• specified.

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Technologies

• The Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML)
  1.0 Transitional

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Technologies

• Cascading Style
• Sheets (CSS)
• Levels 1 2
• - CSS enables authors to separate
• presentation type from
• document content
• Style rules define presentation
• formatting can be contained
• in a single files.
• Facilites the implementation of
• well structured, maintainable
• xhtml documents.

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Technologies

• Java Script
• - a scripting language for creating simple code
  to control the behaviour of web document objects
• Document Object Model (DOM)
• - the ability to change the appearance of a web
  page dynamically

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Design Development

• Web Based Design
• A user interface screen was created with a column
  container that holds all the content
• The container holds a table element and the
  course material iframe.
• The user-interface page was designed to behave
  dynamically
• At any one time, one specific icon or heading is
  displayed at each location.

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Design Development
Challenge of how to present diagrams in a
concise, uncluttered way. Key colour codes were
employed in some areas A scaled down , simplified
image-map version with different clickable areas
was used to provide links to separate full size
sub section view of the original graphic.

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Student Evaluation
post-secondary education.  

 
 
 
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Student Evaluation

• 78 found the equipment easy to use.
• 56 agreed that the experience was fun,  
• 45 agreed that m-learning increases the quality
  of e-learning.  
• 50 agreed that learning objectives can be met by
  m-learning.

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Recommendations

• Research is needed to ensure a fun experience for
  everyone within mLearning
• Design and graphics are very important
• Communication functionality and how it can be
  built into the overall package
• Feedback and assessment needs to be developed
  further

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Conclusion

• Through the use of web based technologies,
  courses can be developed and adapted for mobile
  devices
• 3G with its on all the time evironment will
  improve the background environment
• More research is need
• Students have the devices lets give them
  something to learn on them!!

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