Formal learning context Mobile learning in a seminar or workshop: A case study for evaluating MOBIlearn2 basic components and their application

In the first case study, this research project evaluated the basic components of MOBIlearn2 prototype, which are Note, Picture, Audio and Video that appears to be very essential for supporting mobile learners in formal learning activities as shown in Figure 4.2. This initial design was developed based on Table 3.1 and Table 3.2 as discussed in the previous chapter.

The objective of this case study was primarily to test the components in order to make sure all the available functions were working. For that purpose, this case study attempted to find run-time errors or any issue relating to those certain functions in an effort to improve this version of the prototype. In addition, this case study also aimed to get comments and suggestions from the participants on how to enhance the prototype in order to support their learning better.

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Figure 4.2: The components of MOBIlearn2 that were being investigated in this study

Figure 4.3 shows four screens representing the main interface of all the basic

components of the prototype. By using the Note component, learners could write and save note into the device storage. They could also save it into .txt files. The note could be opened, edited and shared with friends (Figure 4.3a). The Picture component provided the learners with the ability to take a new picture, to share it with peers and to save it into device storage. They also could pick a saved picture from gallery to display it on the screen (Figure 4.3b). Meanwhile, the Audio component enabled the learners to record, play, and share audio files with friends (Figure 4.3c). The recorded files would be displayed in a list and could be deleted if needed. With the Video component, the learners could capture, play, share and delete video files (Figure 4.3d). The recorded video files would be displayed in a list to provide easy access for the learners if they wanted to play it back.

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Figure 4.3: Main screens for each of the basic components in MOBIlearn2

To meet all the objectives, this case study was designed to allow learners to bring their own mobile devices to a seminar or workshop of their choice. In this way, the study was able to test the prototype that was running on most recent versions of Android platform and a variety of mobile devices as used by them for their learning in a contextual formal setting. The questionnaire and interview questions were also reviewed in order to prepare for future bigger case studies.

a) Note screen b) Picture screen

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4.4.1 Recruitment of participants

The sample consisted of students from different levels of study at Sheffield Hallam University. A total of 10 student participants took part in this case study. They were currently enrolled on a diverse range of courses or fields (film study, material science, design, culture, communication and media, pharmacology and biotechnology, finance and investment, international business management, nursing and business studies).

Before the case study began, all the participants were briefed on how to use the app and the study objectives were explained. They were free to use any basic component in the app they liked or needed in order to support their learning activities in attending one-hour seminar or workshop of their choice. They were also encouraged to take notes and pictures as well as record audio and video using the tools during the event (seminar or workshop), to capture their learning moments and data, which they believe were useful for reflection and revision.

4.4.2 Data collection methods

At the end of the case study, each participant was given a questionnaire to get his or her feedback on using the app in that learning event. As presented in Appendix B, questionnaire consists of two parts. Part 1 asked about personal information of the participants and Part 2 asked about what components that the participants had used, the errors found and their perception of usefulness of the components. At the end of Part 2 section, participants were free to give their overall comments on or suggestions to improve the prototype.

In addition to questionnaires, three students were selected for interview in order to get deeper understanding of their learning experiences. The interview questions are shown in

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Appendix C. The interviews were recorded by using audio recorder app installed on smart

phone to make sure there was no any point missed.

4.4.3 Data analysis technique

The qualitative data gathered from the instruments (questionnaire and interview) were analyzed based on thematic approach that begins with identifying key points then marking with separate codes for categorization (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Each code was generated based on each basic component in the MOBIlearn2 prototype (Note, Picture, Audio, Video). All the codes were examined to find meaning from the emerged themes in order to achieve the objectives of the case study, which have been mentioned previously. All the responses obtained are presented in Chapter 5 and used to refine the features and functionalities of the prototype as well as to assess the suitability of the data collection instruments used.

4.5 Informal learning context - Improving design and functionalities of MOBIlearn2