Mobile Education - A Glance at the Future: 1 Introduction

1 Introduction

“God meant us to be wireless. The last cord we were connected to was cut at birth”
- Frank Sanda, Motorola

1.1 Background
Education is the cornerstone of economic development in any nation. Traditionally, formal education has been offered in a classroom setting where the teacher and students interact with each other face-to-face. This form of learning is group-based, and technology acts as a supplement to the teacher. For the student, this means that their physical presence and participation in group discussions forms an integral part of the institution’s curriculum. The teacher has the challenge of meeting classroom schedules as well as the preparation and assessment of course materials. Despite these challenges, the traditional classroom offers a unique opportunity for teachers and students alike, to interact with their peers. However, there is a problem that not everyone has the opportunity to get to school. For instance, they may be living too far away, may be physically handicapped and the like. These limitations called for other forms of education that had the capability of reaching out to a larger audience. Distance learning (dLearning), electronic learning (eLearning) and mobile learning (mLearning) offer solutions that address the shortcomings of the traditional classroom.

1.1.1 Distance learning (dLearning)
The technologies – especially communications and transport - developed during the industrial revolution in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, paved the way for dLearning (Keegan, 2002). dLearning stands for distance learning, and it means offering tutorial services at a distance.

A more detailed definition of distance education, often referred to as dLearning follows:

”Distance education is education where teacher and pupils/students are separated by space and/or time. Technical media are used to impart knowledge and to make possible real to-way- communication, in support of the process of teaching…” (Stortingsmelding nr. 43, 1988- 89).

A remark to Stortingsmelding nr. 43 is that distance education need not necessarily include the use of technical aids. Norsk Kunnskaps- Institutt (NKI), for instance, has offered Internet-based teaching since 1987. Previously, communication between the teacher and student was done by regular mail or phone.

Keegan (2002) characteristics distance education by:

1. “The separation of the teacher and the learner;
2. The separation of the learner from the learning group;
3. Technology being used as a media to communicate with the tutor or educational institution.”

Distance learning offers students the opportunity to work or stay at home and study course materials when they find it convenient. Course materials took the form of printed material sent by post. This called for improved road and rail transport especially to marginal areas. Advancements in information technology in the 80s, lead to the introduction of audio-visual aids, cable and satellite that further enhanced the learning experience. Through the application of these new technologies, it then also meant that it would be possible to link several geographically dispersed locations simultaneously, and create a virtual classroom. Technology thus extended the dLearning experience from one that was solely individual to one offering group-based, face-to-face teaching at a distance (ibid.). Group-based dLearning is not limited to part-time students. It can be used for the simultaneous dissemination of didactical content to full-time students at several locations. By providing the teacher with an array of technological tools it became possible - among other things - to be joined by experts from a remote location who would further enlighten students on various subjects (Chen, 2000). Such educational moments provide students with a better understanding of a given area, and aims at motivating the use of dLearning. dLearning has also allowed teachers to have a more flexible time schedule (ibid.) as all teaching sessions could be stored on visual-audio aids and dispatched or broadcasted.

1.1.2 Electronic learning - eLearning
The electronics revolution in the 80s also marked the era of personal computing. Since then, we have witnessed technological advances in processor speed, and significant drops in the price of personal computers. Each new chip from AMD? and Intel? brings with it an increase in the performance to price ratio. Personal computers are now a ubiquitous commodity in homes throughout the developed world, and are increasingly gaining ground at institutions and homes in the developing world. Catalyzed by the introduction of the World Wide Web in the 90s, dLearning took a new dimension – eLearning. Klaussen (2002) attributes the “main change-over” from dLearning to eLearning as having taken place at that time.

The term eLearning analogous to online education. Paulsen and Keegan et. al. (2002, p. 23) provide the following definition of this form of education:

“Online education is characterized by:
• The separation of teachers and learners which distinguishes it from face-to-face education
• The influence of an educational organization which distinguishes it from self-study and private tutoring
• The use of a computer network to present or distribute some educational content
• The provision of two-way communication via a computer network so that students may benefit from communication with each other, teachers, and staff”.

One great advantage of the World Wide Web is that it is platform independent and supports several media types, for instance, audio and video. It is also available globally. From an educational perspective, it meant that teaching could now take place both synchronously and asynchronously (Keegan, 2002). The impact on students is that they may study course content from their computer screens, and thus are not dependent on being physically present at school. Time and place are no longer restrictions as the learning experience can be tapped anywhere one has a computer and access to the Internet. The teacher’s role is made more flexible in that they can now tutor from the confines of their offices or homes. Student-teacher / student-student interaction in eLearning is mediated through the use of e-mail, discussion forums, chat rooms and the like. The model in Figure 1 1 below illustrates how eLearning works: The screen is the computer screen where the students receive course content, student support services, have access to the web and other materials. The student may also communicate with the teacher or peers from here via e-mail, or a chat session, for instance.

Figure 1 1 Wired virtual learning environment of today, Keegan 2002

eLearning, which includes online learning, web-based training, virtual universities and classrooms, digital collaboration, and technology assisted distance learning (ibid.), depends on the availability of a wired network connection to the Internet. This restricts its use among students and corporate professionals who are constantly on the move. However, with the current popularity of wireless networking technologies, the concept of learning at anytime, anywhere is slowly beginning to take shape. Keegan (ibid.) notes that the move from wired to wireless was already evident as we entered the new millennium. On the one hand, it may be argued the eLearners can overcome the “anywhere” limitation of eLearning by printing course content, and taking it along with them (Klaussen, op.cit.). On the other hand, they are still handicapped by the fact that they cannot access additional course content on-demand (ibid.).

1.1.3 Mobile learning - mLearning
This is where wireless technology comes in. Coupled with the use of a hand-held wireless device and software / hardware solutions that make it possible to access educational content, students are exposed to a new educational experience, mobile education or mLearning. Experts in the field have offered different definitions for this form of education. The following quotes are obtained from “The future of learning: From eLearning to mLearning” (Keegan, 2002):

“The ability to receive learning anytime, anywhere and on any device” (Chabra, Figueiredo, 2002).

“The point at which mobile computing and eLearning intersect to produce an anytime, anywhere learning experience” (Harris, 2001).

mLearning – “it’s eLearning through mobile computational devices: Palms, Windows CE machines, even your digital cell phone” (Quinn, 2000).

Based on these definitions, and for purposes of this report, we offer the following definition of mLearning:

mLearning is learning that can take place anytime, anywhere with the help of a mobile computer device. The device must be capable of presenting learning content and providing wireless two-way communication between teacher(s) and student(s). Typically, an educational organization administrates both the course content and the communication services.

A mobile device is by our definition a hand-held, wireless device that is capable of showing web pages. The device may be a PDA, mobile phone or a hybrid.

Figure 1 2 below illustrates how mLearning works. The phone symbolizes a WAP enabled phone, smartphone or PDA. By means of a wireless Internet / intranet connection, students can receive course content located on a remote server, student support services and other material that constitute the overall educational package. The hand-held wireless device allows for student-student and student-tutor interaction. The main difference in this model compared to eLearning is that all communication is wireless.

Figure 1 2 Wireless learning environment of to-morrow, Keegan 2002

mLearning not only breaks barriers, but also presents new challenges in the educational arena. It is with this in mind that this report has been written.

1.2 The problem - little is known about mLearning
Research on mLearning is sparse. Little has been done in the way of providing comprehensive, full-time courses taken at institutions of higher learning using mLearning as an important ingredient in the overall learning experience. In particular, studies on its impact in higher education are not conclusive. What we do believe is that its potential as a tool in our quest for life long learning is great. This report looks at the enabling mobile technologies currently available and future trends. It addresses the challenges faced in connection with the provision of education using mobile devices, as well as its impact on distance students and teachers.

1.2.1 Problem formulation
Based on the problem specified above, we have come up with the following problem formulation:

Working situation refers to the social and environmental surroundings that a distance student or teacher engages in an educational moment.

By distance student we mean a student that is seldom or never physically present at the institution where he or she is enrolled. The definition does not prevent the student from taking exams or participating in formal gatherings at the institution’s premises.

A distance teacher in this context is one who is trained to teach, or has several years of experience teaching distance students.

1.3 Our research questions
The questions posed in our research were:

Which technologies (both existent and non-existent) and / or factors will have the biggest impact on the adaptation of mLearning?
Which properties of the mobile device will have the biggest impact on how fast mLearning is adapted?
How will mLearning change the work situation of a student?
How will mLearning change the work situation of a teacher?

1.4 Target group
The target group of this report is anyone interested in or working with mLearning. Primarily, the audience for this report is the internal and external examiner at the Norwegian School of Information Technology.

1.5 Why is this problem interesting?
There are three main reasons we find the problem we have defined interesting.

Firstly, the theme mLearning runs throughout this report. It marks a new era in additional ways of gaining access to educational content. As such, it offers several avenues for research, of which we have opted to look at its impact on the working situation of both students and teachers.

Secondly, we have written this report as an assignment from NKI distance education (no: NKI Fjernundervisningen). NKI distance education is one of the partners in a larger European Union (EU) project called “Leonardo da Vinci II – From eLearning to mLearning”. The project looks at how mobile devices can be used in education. Our report will form part of NKI distance education’s contribution to this project. Other partners in the project are: Ericsson Irland, FernUniversität Hagen and University of ROMA TRE (Università degli Studi ROMA TRE).

Thirdly, in the course of writing this report, we will interact with both national and international e- and mLearning experts. The knowledge we gain in the course of taking part in interviews and discussions with them will not only broaden our perspective, but also equip us with state-of-the art skills that give us as a competitive edge when seeking for new career opportunities in the information technology, educational and telecommunications sectors.

1.6 Public interest
By “public interest”, we mean something that affects a large number of people. In this context we mean Europe in particular and the rest of the world in general.

1.6.1 World wide
Education has a strong impact on our daily life. It affects the level of a country’s economy and welfare. We believe that mLearning could contribute towards better student results. Research conducted by the EU in September 2001, which indicates that there will be an increase in the number of universities offering eLearning (Keegan, 2002), leads us to believe that mLearning will be of public interest.

1.6.2 Day-to-day life
We also believe that mLearning will influence families’ day-to-day life as one is not dependent on being physically present at the learning institution. It might even influence a family’s economy. If you could study during breaks, while on the train or at home the need to take a study leave is reduced. In this manner the household does not suffer from reduced income.

1.6.3 Psychological well-being
How is mLearning going to affect people’s psychological well being as we move away from the traditional classroom setting? Will individuals be more isolated, self-centered and lonely? There are some contradictions on this theme. Some say the Internet isolates people; yet others are of the opinion that it provides people an open forum to communicate (CNN, 2000a). One also has the option of being anonymous. Communication with people that have a low self-esteem is thus improved. Research done by Ole Kristen Solbjørg at NTNU indicates that people using internet on a daily basis have better contact with friends and are more open than the ones who do not (Pedersen, 2002).

1.6.4 Public health
On matters concerning public health, we ask if the use of mobile units will lead to increased cases of cancer and other ailments. There are conflicting views on this issue. Some researchers have indicated that there is a link between health disorders such as headaches and memory loss to an extended use of mobile phones (CNN, 2000b). Yet, other studies suggest that such a link is absent (ibid.). Is it possible that wireless equipment based on the IEEE 802.11standard or newer releases will lead to health problems?

1.7 Delimitation
We look at higher education in this report. This is mainly because most research on mLearning has previously focused on primary, secondary and high school levels. We are of the opinion that mLearning students ought to have adopted a good self-study technique before being equipped with a PDA and mobile phone if mLearning is to be an alternative and not just an addition or a supplement to other forms of education.

The self-study techniques we have in mind include the ability to work in groups, assimilate new knowledge, engage in intellectual discussions and have a good reasoning ability. These are techniques we believe are better learned in a traditional classroom environment.

To the Theoretical foundation for mobile education