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Mobile authoring of open educational resources for authentic learning scenarios

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Abstract

The proliferation of smartphones in the last decade and the number of publications in the field of authoring systems for computer-assisted learning depict a scenario that needs to be explored in order to facilitate the scaffolding of learning activities across contexts. Learning resources are traditionally designed in desktop-based authoring systems where the context is mostly restricted to the learning objective, capturing relevant case characteristics, or virtual situation models. Mobile authoring tools enable learners and teachers to foster universal access to educational resources not only providing channels to share, remix, or recontextualize these, but also capturing the context in situ and in time. As a further matter, authoring educational resources in a mobile context is an authentic experience where authors can link learning with their own daily life activities and reflections. The contribution of this manuscript is fourfold: First, the main barriers for ubiquitous and mobile authoring of educational resources are identified; second, recent research on mobile authoring tools is reviewed, and 10 key shortcomings of current approaches are identified; third, the design of a mobile environment to author educational resources (MAT for ARLearn) is presented, and the results of an evaluation of usability and hedonic quality are presented; fourth, conclusions and a research agenda for mobile authoring are discussed.

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Notes

  1. ARLearn desktop-based authoring environment. http://streetlearn.appspot.com/.

  2. MAT source code branch in ARLearn repository: https://code.google.com/p/arlearn/source/browse/?name=MobileAuthoring.

  3. ARLearn in Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.celstec.arlearn2.android.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Global Open Educational Resources Graduate Network (GO-GN) and The Netherlands Laboratory for Lifelong Learning (NELLL) for their support in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Welten Institute – Research Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6401 DL, Heerlen, The Netherlands

    Bernardo Tabuenca, Marco Kalz, Stefaan Ternier & Marcus Specht

Authors
  1. Bernardo Tabuenca
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  2. Marco Kalz
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  3. Stefaan Ternier
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  4. Marcus Specht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernardo Tabuenca.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Authoring tools in mobile context

Mobile Author [26] is a one of the very first mobile authoring tools. This tool contemplates the implementation of only text resources. Moreover, Mobile Author includes tutoring features to track student progress and provides advice adapted to the needs of individual students. This tool was designed assuming that there are two roles, namely the instructor and the student. In this case, the instructor is the one who authors the lessons and broadcasts them to the students in the form of multiple-choice questions, exercises to fill in the blank spaces, and texts, so they can carry out the tasks.

The Remotely Accessible Field Trips (RAFT) project [7] is a framework for mobile authoring of learning content in context. The authors discuss the relevancy of contextual metadata for flexible access to learning objects and describe approaches for extending current metadata schemas with context metadata. RAFT makes use of context data to find appropriate use for adaptive learning on demand and personalized learning experiences.

StoryKit [27] is a framework for mobile authoring with which children can create original stories or modify sample stories with their own photographs, drawings, and audio. Stories are presented in the form of books. Books can be shared with teachers or colleagues by sending an e-mail (through the mobile application) with the URL of the book in the server, so that the book can be later visualized in a web browser.

Multimedia Presentation Authoring System (MPAS) [28] produces multimedia e-learning content for mobile environment. MPAS makes possible to create multimedia presentations that integrate diverse media types including images, video, sound, and text for mobile devices. This proposed system provides an integrated authoring environment that enables authors to produce e-learning content from media objects and edit or reconstruct existing presentations.

Mobile Authentic Authoring in IMS (MAAIMS) [29] captures authentic learning examples with the mobile device sensors (photo camera, video camera, and microphone) which can be supplemented with location-aware GPS coordinates and other descriptive metadata following IMS Metadata specifications. MAAIMS encapsulates these authentic learning examples and employs them as standardized learning objects (IMS Content Packages) and, optionally, as standardized learning activities (IMS Learning Designs).

Quizzer [30] enables users to author quiz games in context. Quiz games can be created from scratch or based on existing ones. Users can extend or modify quiz games created by others, which will result in separate new games. Optionally, the user can set the location and orientation context for the question. This can be done manually by pointing on a map and adjusting the orientation value. It can also be done automatically by letting the GPS sensor determine the current location and using the compass for capturing the orientation. In Quizzer, user collaboration is based on exchanging quizzes, scores, ratings, and comments.

mProducer [31] enables everyday users to perform archiving and editing digital personal experiences from their camera-equipped mobile devices. It features sharing option. Nevertheless it does not feature remix and recontext.

MoVie [32] is a social media service that enables users to create video stories using their mobile phones. The staff of a Jazz festival used it for documenting arrangements. The aim was to use the videos for learning how to do things better next year. It supports video sharing and remixing. Moreover, it supports tagging videos by collecting contextual information based on the location of the device.

Appendix 2: Mobile authoring tools classification according to the ten features for universal access to educational resources

 

1. Share

2. Remix

3. Recontext

4. Edit

5. Search

6. License

7. Standards

8. Open app markets

9. Sensors

10. Interoperability

MAT for ARLearn

X

X

X

X

X

X

–

–

X

–

 Mobile Author

–

X

–

X

–

–

–

–

–

–

 RAFT

–

–

X

X

–

–

X

–

–

–

 StoryKit

X

–

–

X

–

–

X

X

–

–

 MPAS

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

 MAAIMS

–

–

X

X

–

–

X

–

–

–

 Quizzer

–

X

X

X

–

–

–

–

X

–

 mProducer

–

–

X

X

X

–

–

–

X

–

 MoVie

–

–

–

X

–

–

–

–

–

–

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Tabuenca, B., Kalz, M., Ternier, S. et al. Mobile authoring of open educational resources for authentic learning scenarios. Univ Access Inf Soc 15, 329–343 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-014-0391-y

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