Summary:
This article describes a project (MOBILearn) to develop a context aware system for mobile phones by the authors, who argue that the awareness of context is essential for mobile learning, as the environment of the user is changing and unconnected to the mobile device itself. The paper points out an overemphasis on the part of the industry on simply increasing the technology in mobile devices rather than the user experience. As mobile devices require more context awareness than their desktop counterparts given the limitation of resources such as processing power and display size available to them, the authors claim that a context aware mobile device will benefit the learning experience in three major ways:
1. Service is related to time and location, and to the learner's needs and interests.
2. More effective use of resources
3. User can focus less on the technology and more on their actual environment.
To put this into practise a context hierarchy was created with the definition of context as 'a dynamic process with historical dependencies.'
A Context Awareness System (CAS) goes through the following basic cycle of operations:
1. gathering and input - of context metadata
2. construction - of context substate
3. exclusion - of unsuitable content
4. ranking - of remaining content
5. output - of ranked list of content.
User Trial
A user trial had participants using mobile devices with the context awareness system implemented in Java. They were divided into groups of 2-4 and told to play the roles of art history students following a study guide in an art gallery. The basic functionality of the system was explained to them and they were given a demonstration of how it works beforehand. The study took place in an art gallery with six paintings while the participants moved around trying to find the answers to 8 questions. Their locations to specific paintings would affect the recommendations. Feedback from the study seemed to suggest that while the system worked, there were some confusions on part of the users in the ultimate aim and relevance of this context sensitive system.
Powerful Ideas
The authors bring a up several important points, one is that there is an inordinate emphasis on technology as opposed to interface for mobile devices. Another is that given the mobility of these devices, context is very important. How might this affect distance learning through cell phones? A context aware system would be needed if the study initiated by Islam (2004) is to be successful. As a software architecture that is cognizant of a learner's history of answers in the class is necessary if it is to be used intelligently increase long distance participation. Other uses may involve progressive feedback to the professor about the difficulty of ease of questions to the instructor.