Background Information

When one thinks of Kenya, or really any country on the continent of Africa, cell phones are usually not the first thing to come to mind.  Among other problems, economic troubles have prevented many African nations from connecting its people through traditional wired communication systems.  Recently, however, these same nations are finding that bypassing wired systems and installing cell phone towers is not only proving to be a cost effective solution, but one highly in demand by the population.  According to Devarajan (2010) 94% of all “urban Africans are near a GSM signal”.  In Kenya, the cell phone has made a large transformation in society, replacing phones, credit cards, cash, and in some instances bank accounts (Roettgers 2009).  Using mobile devices as a learning tool is a natural extension of their new found role in Kenyan life.

The present case study (Brown, n.d) is based on a teacher-training program at Aga Khan University.  For this particular certificate program, students go through a three-phase process of face-to-face class time, a practicum, and another face-to-face session.  During the practicum, instructors visit the students in their schools, and students also meet up for Saturday sessions in their communities.

Objectives

Because of the rural locations and the great distances between the university and the students, instructors noted that a mobile or distance learning support system was needed.  This system was to replace instructor visits while at the same time retaining if not enhancing the quality of the education.  Students would therefore need a method of receiving instructor and peer support via distance.

Obstacles

Moodle, a popular free and open source LMS, was first considered as a tool to help instructors and IT designers solve the problems they were facing with delivering quality education to rural students.  Designers, however, quickly realized that Moodle would not be sufficient as many students lacked access to and experience with computers.  A mobile learning solution (rather than a distance learning solution) was reached when instructors realized all students had cell phones.

Solutions

The cost of owning and maintaining a computers is high compared with cost of owning a personal cell phone.  This fact, combined with the cultural transformations and widespread usage of cell phones in Kenya led the designers to the conclusion that a mobile learning environment based on SMS would be the best solution.  To ensure quality of education, designers set up two important support systems.  The first was based on SMS.  Students and instructors could text each other, and all of these texts would be stored in a central NokiaBlogs database for retrieval during future sessions.  According to the authors, the messages from the instructors “were about updates on the course, communicating important messages, reminders of meeting dates and more importantly inquiries about different aspects of the action research process” (p. 3).  In addition, monthly student meetings were held, where local students could meet with each other to discuss problems, ideas, and get feedback and support.

Pedagogical Underpinnings

The design and implementation of this mobile learning system falls in line with a number of mLearning theories and practices.  According to the authors, the mobile learning system had to consider a number of important issues including using “readily available technology” and “addressing the isolation for students” (p. 2).  They conceived the process as being part of a three phases: “initiation, implementation, and institutionalization” (p. 2).  They were not only thinking about the present group of students (initiation and implementation phases) but of future students as well (institutionalization).

Conversation theory, described by Sharples, Corlett and Westmancott (2002) best described the current studies approach.  According to this theory, “central to learning is conversation, with teachers, with other learners, with ourselves” (p. 224).  Conversation is also central to the program at Aga Khan, where mobile devices act as a medium of conversation between students and teachers, and students and students.  In addition, the monthly support groups can be seen as an extension of this mobile learning theory, as it is their distance and mobility that puts these students in conversation with one another, and therefore adds to the total learning experience.

Refrences

Brown, O. (n.d.).  Design, implementation and institutionalization of mobile learning in higher education.  Retrieved from http://wikieducator.org/images/e/e4/Brown_Onguko.pdf.

Devarajan, S.  (2010).  More cell phones than toilets.  Retrieved from http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/more-cell-phones-than-toilets.

Roettgers, J. (2009).  Kenya’s mobile banking revolution.  Retrieved from http://gigaom.com/2009/03/11/kenyas-mobile-banking-revolution/.

Sharples, M., Corlett, D., & Westmancott, O. (2002).  The design and implementation of a bobile learning resource.  Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 6, 22o-234.

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