Chee-Kit Looi

Leveraging mobile technology for sustainable seamless learning: a research agenda

Chee-Kit Looi is Head of the Learning Sciences Lab of the National Institute of Education (LSL, NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He has over two decades of experience with educational technology research in research institutes and universities. He is an editorial member of the International Journal on AI & Education and the International Journal on CSCL. Peter Seow is a senior software engineer with the LSL, NIE. He has over 10 years of industrial experience in leading projects, consulting and systems development. Zhang BaoHui is an assistant professor in the Learning Sciences and Technologies Academic Group (LSTAG) and LSL, NIE, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). His current research foci are designing and assessing interactive environments when using computerbased modelling or mobile technologies for inquiry-based science learning. So Hyo-Jeong is an assistant professor in the LSTAG and LSL, NIE, NTU. Her research focuses on designing interactive online learning environments, and students’ scientific knowledge building through collaborative inquiry. Wenli Chen is an assistant professor in the LSTAG and LSL, NIE, NTU. Her research interests and expertise are computermediated communication, virtual learning environment, mobile learning and community of learners. Lung-Hsiang Wong is an assistant professor in the LSTAG and LSL, NIE, NTU. His research interests are information and communication technology-enhanced Chinese language learning, teachers’ professional development, agent technology for learning and mobile learning. Address for correspondence: LSL, NIE, NTU, 1 Nanyang Walk Singapore 637616. Email: cheekit.looi@nie.edu.sg

What seams do we remove in mobile-assisted seamless learning? A critical review of the literature

Seamless learning refers to the seamless integration of the learning experiences across various dimensions including formal and informal learning contexts, individual and social learning, and physical world and cyberspace. Inspired by the exposition by Chan et al. (2006) on the seamless learning model supported by the setting of one or more mobile device per learner, this paper aims to further investigate the meaning of seamless learning and the potential ways to put it in practice. Through a thorough review of recent academic papers on mobile-assisted seamless learning (MSL), we identify ten dimensions that characterize MSL. We believe that such a framework allows us to identify research gaps in the stated area. A practitioner interested in adopting an MSL design or doing a new design can use our analysis to situate the dimensional space where the constraints or parameters of his or her design problem lie, and look at relevant design and research-based evidence of other related MSL systems to refine her own design.

Anatomy of a mobilized lesson: Learning my way

With the mass adoption of mobile computing devices by the current school generation, significant opportunities have emerged for genuinely supporting differentiated and personalized learning experiences through mobile devices. In our school-based research work in introducing mobilized curricula to a class, we observe one compelling mobilized lesson that exploits the affordances of mobile learning to provide multiple learning pathways for elementary grade (primary) 2 students. Through the lesson, students move beyond classroom activities that merely mimic what the teacher says and does in the classroom, and yet they still learn in personally meaningful ways. In deconstructing the lesson, we provide an in-depth analysis of how the affordances of mobile computing enable personalized learning from four facets: (a) allowing multiple entry points and learning pathways, (b) supporting multi-modality, (c) enabling student improvisation in situ, and (d) supporting the sharing and creation of student artifacts on the move. A key property of mobile technology that enables these affordances lies with the small form factor and the lightweightness of these devices which make them non-obtrusive in the learning spaces of the student. This article makes a contribution on the design aspects of mobilized lessons, namely, what the affordances of mobile technologies can enable.

Vocabulary learning by mobile-assisted authentic content creation and social meaning-making: two case studies

In recent years, we have witnessed the concomitant rise of communicative and contextualized approaches as well as the paradigmatic development of the mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) framework in analysing language learning. The focus of MALL research has gradu- ally shifted from content-based (delivery of learning content through mobile devices) to design-oriented (authentic and/or social mobile learning activities) study. In this paper, we present two novel case studies of MALL that emphasize learner-created content. In learning English prepositions and Chinese idioms, respectively, the primary school students used the mobile devices assigned to them on a one-to-one basis to take photos in real-life contexts so as to construct sentences with the newly acquired prepositions or idioms. Subsequently, the learners were voraciously engaged in classroom or online discussion of their semantic constructions, thereby enhancing their understanding of the proper usage of the prepositions or idioms. This work shows the potential of transforming language learning into an authentic seamless learning experience.

1:1 Mobile Inquiry Learning Experience for Primary Science Students--A Study of Learning Effectiveness

This paper presents the findings of a research project in which we transformed a primary (grade) 3 science curriculum for delivery via mobile technologies, and a teacher enacted the lessons over the 2009 academic year in a class in a primary school in Singapore. The students had a total of 21 weeks of the mobilized lessons in science, which were co-designed by teachers and researchers by tapping into the affordances of mobile technologies for supporting inquiry learning in and outside of class. We examine the learning effectiveness of the enacted mobilized science curriculum. The results show that among the six mixed-ability classes in primary (grade) 3 in the school, the experimental class performed better than other classes as measured by traditional assessments in the science subject. With mobilized lessons, students were found to learn science in personal, deep and engaging ways as well as developed positive attitudes towards mobile learning.

Neural network methods in combinatorial optimization

Abstract We describe two basic approaches to using neural networks for optimization. The more popular approach is to formulate a combinatorial optimization task in terms of minimizing a cost function. Neural network models have been developed or interpreted as minimization machines. Before using a network to solve a problem, one must express the problem as a mathematical function that is to be minimized. The other basic approach is to design competition-based neural networks in which neurons are allowed to compete to become active under certain conditions. These approaches suggest neural network methods as an alternative for solving certain optimization tasks as compared to classical optimization techniques and other novel approaches like simulated annealing. Theoretical results on the power of neural networks for solving difficult problems will be reviewed. We provide a list of optimization problems which have been tested on neural networks. In particular, we take a closer look at the neural network methods for solving the traveling salesman problem and provide a categorization of the solution methods. We also discuss the application of neural networks to constraint satisfaction problems. A comprehensive bibliography is provided to facilitate further investigation for the interested reader.

Integrating technology in the classroom: a visual conceptualization of teachers' knowledge, goals and beliefs

In this paper, we devise a diagrammatic conceptualization to describe and represent the complex interplay of a teacher’s knowledge (K), goals (G) and beliefs (B) in leveraging technology effectively in the classroom. The degree of coherency between the KGB region and the affordances of the technology serves as an indicator of the teachers’ developmental progression through the initiation, implementation and maturation phases of using technology in the classroom. In our study, two teachers with differing knowledge, goals and beliefs are studied as they integrated GroupScribbles technology in their classroom lessons over a period of 1 year. Our findings reveal that the transition between the teacher’s developmental states (as indicated by coherency diagrams) is nonlinear, and thus the importance of ensuring high coherency right at the initiation stage. Support for the teacher from other teachers and researchers remains an important factor in developing the teacher’s competency to leverage the technology successfully. The stability of the KGB region further ensures smooth progression of the teacher’s effective integration of technology in the classroom.

Understanding mobile learning from the perspective of self-regulated learning

Cognizant of the research gap in the theorization of mobile learning, this paper conceptually explores how the theories and methodology of self-regulated learning (SRL), an active area in contemporary educational psychology, are inherently suited to address the issues originating from the defining characteristics of mobile learning: enabling student-centred, personal, and ubiquitous learning. These characteristics provide some of the conditions for learners to learn anywhere and anytime, and thus, entail learners to be motivated and to be able to self-regulate their own learning. We propose an analytic SRL model of mobile learning as a conceptual framework for understanding mobile learning, in which the notion of self-regulation as agency is at the core. The rationale behind this model is built on our recognition of the challenges in the current conceptualization of the mechanisms and processes of mobile learning, and the inherent relationship between mobile learning and SRL. We draw on work in a 3-year research project in developing and implementing a mobile learning environment in elementary science classes in Singapore to illustrate the application of SRL theories and methodology to understand and analyse mobile learning.

The Singapore experience: Synergy of national policy, classroom practice and design research

In recent years there has been a proliferation of research findings on CSCL at the micro and macro levels, but few compelling examples of how CSCL research has impacted actual classroom practices at the meso-level have emerged. This paper critically examines the impact of adopting a systemic approach to innovative education reforms at the macro, meso, and micro levels in Singapore. It presents the case for adopting design research as a methodology for CSCL integration that meets the needs of schools, and discusses a specific CSCL innovation that holds the potential for sustaining transformation in classroom practices. Our driving question is: In what ways can the routine use of CSCL practices in the classroom be supported by exploring systemic factors in the school setting through design research? We will explore the synergistic conditions that led to meaningful impact (at the micro level), mediated by systemic approaches to working with teachers in the schools (at the meso level), guided by Singapore’s strategic planning for scalability (at the macro level).

Linking teacher beliefs, practices and student inquiry-based learning in a CSCL environment: A tale of two teachers

The links uncovered by research connecting teacher beliefs to classroom practice and student inquiry-based learning are tenuous. This study aims at examining (a) how teacher beliefs influenced practices; and (b) how the influence on practices, in turn, impacted student inquiry learning in a CSCL environment. Through a fine-grained comparative analysis of two cases, this study explores how two teachers with different collections of beliefs enacted the same mathematics lesson on division and fractions in a CSCL environment premised on inquiry principles, and what the connections between different enactments and students’ progressive inquiry process and outcomes were. The findings suggest that the two teachers’ adherence to different beliefs led to different practices, which in turn contributed to different student learning processes and outcomes. We interpret these differences that shaped the students’ opportunities for progressive inquiry in the CSCL environment. We conclude that the teacher holding “innovation-oriented” beliefs tended to enact the lesson in patterns of inquiry-principle-based practices and technology-enhanced orchestration; these patterns interacted with each other to contribute to student inquiry learning and effective use of technology affordances.