JISC

The project has now completed. The final report is available from the bottom of the page.

Overview

WoLF is a Higher Education (HE) in Further Education (FE) project. It investigates how Pocket PCs support portfolio development by teaching assistants (TAs) on foundation degree courses. WoLF develops a model for integrating institutional VLEs and personal mobile devices, for the purpose of learning in work-based settings. Thirty TAs will be involved in the project.

Aims and objectives

WoLF will address two challenges directly concerned with TAs learning:

1. Systematic recording of classroom activities and developing a portfolio of evidence are key aspects of TAs’ learning which occurs in primary school classrooms. TAs rely on pen-and-paper because it is too awkward to use laptops in a hectic classroom. WoLF will examine how Pocket PCs can open up new opportunities for TAs to develop their portfolios and thereby promote reflection in practice.
2. By making access to the VLE on a mobile device will help the TAs to have all their learning resources in their ‘briefcase’, enabling them to integrate learning occurring in multiple spaces, i.e., workplace (classrooms), college, home, and on the move, and to record their classroom observations.

WoLF will inform research in mobile learning in three ways:

1. new ways of recording learning experiences such as reflective logs and personal development profiles
2. designing and repurposing of content compatible with small screen displays
3. developing model(s) for integrating learning with institutional VLEs and mobile learning devices.

Technology development will include:

• developing low-cost PDA version of learning material suitable to be used in classrooms, somewhat similar to BBC Web content for mobile devices, but adapting low cost approaches, using existing software and tools.
• reviewing existing elearning material and, where necessary, redesign for PDA support
• developing wiki and blog features within the Moodle VLE to facilitate TAs to incorporate their reflections from their work-based experiences in their Professional Development Planning (PDP) eportfolios via wireless connections from classrooms over local area networks
• investigating the use of multi-media (text, voice and images) to enhance PDP eportfolios developments and learning content by investigating the use of Mobile 5’s PowerPoint viewer and support for audio files
• developing appropriate training and development materials for use by staff and teaching assistants.

Project methodology

Students will be given Pocket PCs that are synchronised with the College Moodle VLE. They will download relevant tasks and content from the College VLE onto their Pocket PCs via their home computers through the ActiveSync facility and carry this content to the classroom, where they will record evidence for their portfolios based on tasks given by their College lecturer. Students will use Pocket PCs to make reflective notes during their work time in the classroom. Returning home, students will upload the recorded evidence and reflective notes onto respective parts of the VLE via ActiveSync. In summary, Pocket PC technology will act as bridge between the institutional VLE accessed through the home computer and students’ learning in the classroom. Students will also have access to VLE through wireless locations.

The implementation and learners’ use of technology will be researched over one academic year (Sept 07 – Aug 08) to develop a transferable model of learning and Pocket PC integration for similar work-based learning contexts.

Dissemination and sustainability strategies will be built into the project from start. The findings will be disseminated through established regional networks of FE and HE institutions and thorough Foundation Degree Forward in East Midlands, in addition to wider dissemination strategies outlined in the bid.

The project will be sustained for at least a period of 24 months after the end of the funding period.

Anticipated impact

• A ‘proof of concept’ that can be reused and retried in different work-based learning contexts and disciplines.
• The model will be presented in highly accessible diagrammatic form with examples and user cases, available to practitioners to use with feedback, and distributed from project website and through supported workshops.
• Resources for practitioners for designing reflective learning activities based on work-based learning scenarios and using Pocket PCs to capture evidence for portfolios. The project website will offer researched and tested guidelines, based on both positive and negative learner experiences, with downloadable use cases.
• Exemplars and user cases developed from students’ learning experience, highlighting both positive and negative instances of student learning. These will be produced from the start, through the project website and the project blog, feeding from learners’ diaries and blogs. They will also be on the project and BDRA website on project completion, and made available from the JISC website.
• Guidelines for integrating the use of Pocket PCs for work-based learning and into institutional VLEs, including the avoidance of problems, within disciplinary and institutional specific contexts and as part of institutional e-learning strategies.

Lead institution

• LeicesterCollegeDepartment of Libraries & e-Strategy

Project partners

• University of Leicester Beyond Distance Research Alliance