An Open Mobile App to support Practice-Based Learning [671] Members : OER15

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Public Group Active 9 years ago

Authors: Christine Davies, Simon Gibbon, and Darren Green

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Learners are increasingly using Mobile apps for general academic support (eg. TED), and sometimesfor tasks such as audio assessment and feedback (eg. ‘Open Voice’). Practice-basedlearners may additionally turn to Mobile apps to support their specific learningneeds and contexts, and there are several reported examples of this includingthe MOBILearn project (Lonsdale et al., 2004), and in specific fields such as medicine(for example, the iDoc project; Hardyman, 2013). Over the past year, a project at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), partially funded by a HEA small grant, has involved the production of an app to support trainee science teachers – specifically, to provide ‘justin time’ information relevant to the assessment of pupils’ science skills. This project has involved academics and Technology-Enhanced Learning staff, and is animportant development in the context of providing useful resources to busy,practice-based learners. The app is undergoing further development before imminentrelease, and during Winter 2014/Spring 2015 will be evaluated by groups of UWTSD trainee science teachers. A Welsh-medium version will subsequently beproduced. Unlike many mobile apps, both versions of the app will be made freelyavailable to the educational community, and at an appropriate point the impactof this resource will be estimated for both trainee and qualified teachers in Wales. It is envisaged that the projectwill subsequently lead to further app development for other aspects of work-and practice-based learning, and in principle could be valuable to many professions.References:Hardyman, W., Bullock, A., Brown, A., Carter-Ingram, S., Stacey, M.(2013) Mobile technology supporting trainee doctors’ workplace learning andpatient care: an evaluation. BMC MedicalEducation, 13 (6). [online] Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/13/6. (Accessed 12.10.14)Lonsdale, P., Baber, C., Sharples, M., Byrne, W.,Arvanitis, T. N., Beale, R.(2004) Context Awareness for MOBIlearn: Creating an engaging learningexperience in an art museum. In Attewell,J., & Savill-Smith, C. (Eds.), MobileLearning Anytime Everywhere: A Book of Papers from MLEARN 2004, p.115–118.London: Learning and Skills Development AgencyOpen University (2014) Downloads. OpenVoice. [online]. Available at: http://appstore.open.ac.uk/downloads/ (Accessed 12.10.14)TED Conferences (2014)TED. [online]Available at : http://www.ted.com/ (Accessed 1.11.14)

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