Nick Scerbakov

A Study on the Compatibility of Ubiquitous Learning (u-Learning) Systems at University Level

Graz University of Technology has a long tradition in the design, development and research of university wide Learning Management Systems (LMS). Inspired by the iPhone Style, the available system has now been extended by the addition of a mobile viewer, which grants the student mobile accessibility to all available online content. In this paper, we report on the lessons learned within a study on user experience with this specially designed LMS mobile viewer. The User Experience (UX) was measured by application of a 26 item questionnaire including the six factors Attractiveness, Perspicuity, Efficiency, Dependability, Stimulation and Novelty, according to Laugwitz et al. (2008). The results showed high rates of acceptance, although the novelty of our approach received a surprisingly low rating amongst the novice end users.

EduPunks and learning management systems - conflict or chance?

The term Edupunk coined by Jim Groom defines a do-it-yourself concept of using the most recent Web tools available for teaching, instead of relying only on commercial learning platforms - it is the information, the content, the knowledge which matters. Technology itself does not make education valuable per se, it is the creation of individual knowledge which is of paramount importance. However, today, so much free technology is available, which can be used as hands-on tools to enhance learning and teaching of students. However, in this article, we demonstrate that such issues can also be included in a large university wide LMS, which has been developed at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) during the last years. The development was initiated by the necessity to emphasize and implement three crucial factors for learning: communication, active participation and social interaction. We assess the potential of current Web 2.0 technologies for implementing such factors. We show that the development process was not technology driven; on the contrary, end user requirements of all end user groups engaged into university learning (students, teachers and administrators) were thoroughly investigated and mapped onto functional components of the LMS. Finally, we provide an overview of the platform functionalities with an emphasis on Web 2.0 elements and EduPunk concepts.