U-learning

U-Learning

• U-Learning

• emphasizing “learning can be proceeded at any place and in any time.”
• An ideal case of learning

• M-Learning

• A kind of learning using mobile technologies to facilitate students to learn
• emphasizing the use of mobile technologies or the mobility of students in the learning process.

• M-learning is a way to achieve the aim of u-learning (via using mobile technologies).

Some researchers have tried to conduct m-learning or u-learning activities with sensing technologies (e.g., GPS, RFID, or QR-codes).

• Some researchers have tried to conduct m-learning or u-learning activities with sensing technologies (e.g., GPS, RFID, or QR-codes).

• Context-aware ubiquitous learning- the approach that uses mobile, wireless communication and sensing technologies to support real-world learning activities (Hwang, Tsai , & Yang, 2008)

The learning system is able to guide the students in the real world via detecting their locations

• The learning system is able to guide the students in the real world via detecting their locations

• The learning system can more actively provide learning supports (e.g., hints, warnings or supplementary materials) to the learners if necessary

• Warn the students before something goes wrong in a dangerous chemical experiment

Personal context in the real world: learner’s location, time of arrival, body temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure, etc.

• Personal context in the real world: learner’s location, time of arrival, body temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure, etc.

• Environmental context : the learning target’s ID and location, the environmental temperature, humidity, air ingredients, and other parameters of the environment around the sensor

• The data collected by the students in fields, e.g. PH value of water.

• Personal data in the database : learner’s profile and learning portfolio, such as the predefined schedule, starting time of a learning activity, the longest and shortest acceptable time period, place, learning sequences.

• Environmental data in the database : equipment in the lab, the rules of using the equipment, the time table of using the lab

Proposing new strategies or tools for supporting m-learning or u-learning activities

• Proposing new strategies or tools for supporting m-learning or u-learning activities

• Developing adaptive or collaborative m-learning or u-learning environments

• Investigating students’ real-world learning status from different aspects, such as

• learning achievement and problem-solving skills
• learning style and cognitive style
• cognitive load, learning motivation and attitudes
• learning behaviors and learning patterns

• Re-examining some well-recognized e-learning issues, such as TAM

In the Natural Science courses of elementary schools in Taiwan

• In the Natural Science courses of elementary schools in Taiwan

• the students need to learn to observe and classify some learning targets (e.g., plants on school campus, butterflies in the ecology garden)

• Such abilities (i.e., observation and classification) are important learning objectives of science education.

A teacher usually needs to train 10 or more students at the same time.

• A teacher usually needs to train 10 or more students at the same time.

In such a one-to-many instruction mode:

• In such a one-to-many instruction mode:

• It is difficult to provide personalized instructions or feedback to the students or to record their learning status.

Students are guided by the u-learning system to learn to identify different types of butterflies based on the appearances of the butterflies.

• Students are guided by the u-learning system to learn to identify different types of butterflies based on the appearances of the butterflies.

The Butterfly Ecology Garden consists of 25 ecology areas for raising host plants of butterflies.

• The Butterfly Ecology Garden consists of 25 ecology areas for raising host plants of butterflies.

Advantages of the u-learning approach

• Advantages of the u-learning approach

• Providing a personalized guide for individual students in the real world
• Providing supplementary materials and hints in the right place and at the right time
• Motivating the students to learn

• To engage students in higher order thinking, more effective learning supports or knowledge construction tools are needed

Jonassen (1999, p9) described Mindtools as “a way of using a computer application program to engage learners in constructive, higher-order, critical thinking about the subjects they are studying.”

• Jonassen (1999, p9) described Mindtools as “a way of using a computer application program to engage learners in constructive, higher-order, critical thinking about the subjects they are studying.”

Grid-based Mindtool (i.e., repertory grid)

• Grid-based Mindtool (i.e., repertory grid)

• Helping students organize the information for identify and differentiate a set of learning targets based on the features of the targets

• Concept maps (a graphical tool)

• Helping students identify the relationships between what they have observed in the field and their prior knowledge learned from the textbooks

Identify a set of plants in school campus

• Identify a set of plants in school campus

1st stage- creating the objective repertory grid by teachers

• 1st stage- creating the objective repertory grid by teachers

• 2nd stage- using the objective repertory grid to help students develop their repertory grids

Subject unit : “Knowing the plants on school campus” of the Natural Science course

• Subject unit : “Knowing the plants on school campus” of the Natural Science course

• Comparing the u-learning performance of the students who learned with/without the Mindtool

Participants: 61 fifth graders

• Participants: 61 fifth graders

• Control group: 29 students, learned with a conventional tour-based u-learning system that provided location guidance and supplementary materials
• Experimental group: 32 students, learned with the Repertory Grid-oriented u-learning approach

The students needed to determine the features for identifying the learning targets when developing repertory grids.

• The students needed to determine the features for identifying the learning targets when developing repertory grids.

After the field trip, they can share their findings to peers via a knowledge-sharing interface.

• After the field trip, they can share their findings to peers via a knowledge-sharing interface.

It was found that, with the help of the Mindtools, the students’ learning achievements, motivations and attitudes were significantly improved in comparisons with traditional in-field learning or tour-based u-learning.

• It was found that, with the help of the Mindtools, the students’ learning achievements, motivations and attitudes were significantly improved in comparisons with traditional in-field learning or tour-based u-learning.

• This implies the importance of providing learning supports for u-learning activities.

Development of a context-aware u-learning system for training the “Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction” procedure in a Chemistry course.

• Development of a context-aware u-learning system for training the “Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction” procedure in a Chemistry course.

• It is the most effective method for analyzing 3D structure of compound materials.

• The learners are graduated or PhD students in chemistry or material departments.

• It is time-consuming to train a new researcher (usually 6 months to 1 year)

• The operations could be dangerous, and hence the learner requires full-time guidance during the training process

based on the responses from 5 researchers who had 6 months experiences and the system logs of 5 new learners

• based on the responses from 5 researchers who had 6 months experiences and the system logs of 5 new learners

Develop several u-learning systems for clinical nursing courses .

• Develop several u-learning systems for clinical nursing courses .

Learn to operate scientific devices with the help of the u-learning system

• Learn to operate scientific devices with the help of the u-learning system

Link the functionality of the device to the knowledge learned from the textbook

• Link the functionality of the device to the knowledge learned from the textbook

Students are asked to operate the devices and record the data shown by the device to complete their learning tasks

• Students are asked to operate the devices and record the data shown by the device to complete their learning tasks

If the students fail to correctly operate the device, a tutorial is given.

• If the students fail to correctly operate the device, a tutorial is given.

All of the experiments have been conducted by arranging experimental groups and control groups.

• All of the experiments have been conducted by arranging experimental groups and control groups.

• It is found that the u-learning approach is able to assist students in improving their learning achievements, motivations, attitudes if proper learning supports are provided.

The popularity of mobile, wireless communication and sensing technologies has brought us some new aspects for perceiving education.

• The popularity of mobile, wireless communication and sensing technologies has brought us some new aspects for perceiving education.

• It is worth re-examining or re-defining many e-learning issues (e.g., TAM, personalization models)

• New learning strategies or tools can be developed.

Hung, P. H., Hwang, G. J., Lin, Y. F., Wu, T. H., & Su, I. H. (in press). Seamless connection between learning and assessment- applying automated scoring for constructed response tasks in mobile ecology inquiry. Educational Technology & Society. (SSCI)

• Hung, P. H., Hwang, G. J., Lin, Y. F., Wu, T. H., & Su, I. H. (in press). Seamless connection between learning and assessment- applying automated scoring for constructed response tasks in mobile ecology inquiry. Educational Technology & Society. (SSCI)

• Hsu, C. K., Hwang*, G. J., Chang, Y. T., & Chang, C. K. (in press). Effects of video caption modes on English listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition using handheld devices. Educational Technology & Society. (SSCI)

• Tsai, P. S., Tsai, C. C., & Hwang, G. J. (2011). Developing a survey for assessing preferences in constructivist context-aware ubiquitous learning environments. Journal of Computer-Assisted Learning. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00436.x (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., Wu P. H., Zhuang, Y. Y., & Huang, Y. M. (2011). Effects of inquiry-based mobile learning model on cognitive load and learning achievement of students. Interactive Learning Environments. doi:10.1080/10494820.2011.575789 (SSCI)

• Hung, P. H., Hwang, G. J., Su, I. S., & Lin, I. H. (2012). A concept-map integrated dynamic assessment system for improving ecology observation competences in mobile learning activities. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 11(1), 10-19. (SSCI)

• Wu, P. H., Hwang, G. J., Su, L. H., & Huang, Y. M. (2012). A context-aware mobile learning system for supporting cognitive apprenticeships in nursing skills training. Educational Technology & Society, 15(1), 223-236. (SSCI)

• Wu, P. H., Hwang, G. J., Tsai, C. C., Chen, Y. C., & Huang, Y. M. (2011). A pilot study on conducting mobile learning activities for clinical nursing courses based on the repertory grid approach. Nurse Education Today, 31(8), e8-e15. (SSCI)

• Shih, J. L., Hwang, G. J., Chu, Y. C., & Chuang, C. W. (2011). An investigation-based learning model for using digital libraries to support mobile learning activities. The Electronic Library, 29(4), 488-505. (SSCI)

Hwang, G. J., & Tsai, C. C. (2011). Research trends in mobile and ubiquitous learning: A review of publications in selected journals from 2001 to 2010. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(4), E65-E70. (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., & Tsai, C. C. (2011). Research trends in mobile and ubiquitous learning: A review of publications in selected journals from 2001 to 2010. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(4), E65-E70. (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., Wu, C. H., Tseng, Judy C. R., & Huang, I. W. (2011). Development of a ubiquitous learning platform based on a real-time help-seeking mechanism. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(6), 992-1002. (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., Shi, Y. R., & Chu, H. C. (2011). A concept map approach to developing collaborative Mindtools for context-aware ubiquitous learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(5), 778–789. (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., Wu, P. H., & Ke, H. R. (2011). An interactive concept map approach to supporting mobile learning activities for natural science courses. Computers & Education, 57(4), 2272-2280. (SSCI)

• Hsieh, S. W., Jang, Y. R., Hwang, G. J., & Chen, N. S. (2011). Effects of teaching and learning styles on students’ reflection levels for ubiquitous learning. Computers & Education, 57(1), 1194-1201. (SSCI)

• Shih, J. L., Chu, H. C., Hwang, G. J., & Kinshuk. (2011). An investigation of attitudes of students and teachers about participating in a context-aware ubiquitous learning activity. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(3), 373-394. (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., Chu, H. C., Lin, Y. S., & Tsai, C. C. (2011). A knowledge acquisition approach to developing Mindtools for organizing and sharing differentiating knowledge in a ubiquitous learning environment. Computers & Education, 57(1), 1368-1377. (SSCI)

• Hwang, G. J., & Chang, H. F. (2011). A formative assessment-based mobile learning approach to improving the learning attitudes and achievements of students. Computers & Education, 56(4), 1023-1031. (SSCI)