Web-based Architecture for Mobile Learning

Abstract

The availability of multimedia web resources and the development of mobile phones are two major factors that have opened the way towards the development of M-learning systems. These systems are designed for nomadic learners; they are designed to deliver learning material that adapts to the learner context. In this research we developed a mobile learning system that exploits existing web resources to generate learning material which fits the actual needs of the learner. The system constructs a personalized learning web for a mobile user who needs to learn about a specific topic. The system manages the gathering, authoring, packaging and delivery of learning material. The architecture of the implemented system uses a set of web services to retrieve information and learning resources from the web. These learning resources are packaged into lightweight learning objects designed according to preset layouts. Besides, the system constructs an ontology-like hierarchical content structure to organize learning objects into a learning web allowing the learner to navigate freely according to his/her needs and constraints. The paper presents the design, implementation and an evaluation of the system.