MOOC on mobile learning at OUM
Mobile learning at OUM started with the formation of an research team on m-learning in August 2008. Its first task was to determine how ready OUM learners would be for mobile learning. We surveyed almost 3,000 learners throughout Malaysia and found that more than 80 percent of the learners said they would be ready for learning through their mobile phones. We first experimented with podcasts and moved on to using sms to support the blended mode of learning at OUM and found that the latter worked extremely well.
For more information on the m-learning project at OUM, three papers have been uploaded at:
http://www.scribd.com/collections/3238724/MOOC-on-mobile-learning-at-OUM for your reading.
More than 21,000 learners have benefited from m-learning at OUM and the SMS for selected courses continue to be sent for free (burned by the university) to the targeted group of learners.
For more information on the m-learning project at OUM, three papers have been uploaded at:
http://www.scribd.com/collections/3238724/MOOC-on-mobile-learning-at-OUM for your reading.
More than 21,000 learners have benefited from m-learning at OUM and the SMS for selected courses continue to be sent for free (burned by the university) to the targeted group of learners.
Comments
http://www.frontlinesms.com/2011/09/13/a-powerful-combination-radio-and-sms-promote-open-social-dialogue-in-chad-and-niger/
However, my skepticism regarding the studies at this point remains to be whether there are or will be more objective measures, other than student satisfaction, to measure the effectiveness of the SMS technology. The studies reported that “56.5% of the students agrees that they “remembered facts easily (Content), 67.8 percent implied that they got useful hints/strategies on how to proceed with their learning (Tips), 63.9 percent felt encouraged after reading the motivation quotes (Motivation) and 77.9 percent reported that they were reminded of important details related to the course (Course Management).
However, compared to previous courses without the use of the SMS technology, does the support system provided by such technology indeed
a) improve learners' academic performance;
b) increase the amount of discussion board participation;
c) promote persistence (lower dropout rates);
d) lead to a decrease in late assignments or etc?
Louise Lee
Sorry for the delayed response. I'd been on the road and missed seeing this before today.
You pose some very interesting and relevant questions. To answer them, we'd have to be able to control a number of variables. For example, we typically have 1,500-2,000 students enrolled for one of the courses supported by mobile at any one time. They are spread over 50+ learning centers throughout the country and each learning centre may have different tutors providing the f2f sessions. Other factors could also contribute to persistence or dropout rates and may not necessarily due to the SMSes received. Discussions are also managed by different tutors at any one time. It would be challenging indeed. If you have suggestions, we'd be glad to receive them.
In Swaziland, we are slowly moving towards e-learning and m-learning. The latter should be implemented, I feel, because, as in so many other African countries, the majority of students have cellphones and love social networking. We haven't done much research on m-learning here, time and resources are definitely lacking. Having a full-time colleague in these areas would help, but seen the financial constraints we are experiencing, that will probably not happen soon.
Thanks!