OMLETH: A Platform for Location-Based Mobile Learning at ETH

Courses in many study programs at ETH Zurich feature learning content which is related to places in the real world. This applies especially to Architecture, Civil Engineering, and System-Oriented Natural Sciences. Teaching this content in the classroom often remains decoupled and distant from the typical working environment of the respective discipline.

From research on location-based mobile learning it is well-known that teaching such content at the respective location with mobile technologies can improve the learning effect by complementing conventional didactical methods. Due to a lack of platforms enabling an easy use of these location-based mobile learning concepts a broad adoption of location-based mobile learning in university teaching has not taken place yet.

In the OMLETH project («Ortsbezogenes Mobiles Lernen an der ETH Zürich»), we are planning to develop a generic platform for location-based mobile learning. This platform will be evaluated during one semester with students and lecturers of one selected ETH course. The platform should enable lecturers to easily create location-based learning modules with a web-based interface. The created learning modules will be available to students in a mobile «App» supporting them during individual learning sessions and excursions.

OMLETH will be built by using the concepts of an existing prototypical, purely web-based e-learning system for location-based content, developed at the Chair for Geoinformation Engineering. It is intended to enable new didactical concepts and should close the gap between the theoretical learning of place-related teaching content, and the direct experience at the respective location.

• Integrated platform for lecturers and students
• Interdisciplinary conception – Low technical barriers for usage
• Long-term maintainability and adaptability to new technologies

• Closes the gap between the theoretical study of place-related teaching content, and the direct experience at the respective location
• General platform for location-based mobile learning in university teaching
• Use of location-based technologies with multimedia capabilities

During the two field tests with a course given by the Chair for the History of Urban Design (D-ARCH) the web-based student app had some problems regarding technology and usability. Technologically, the positioning in urban canyons was difficult for old smart phones, which lead to some learning units being not executable. This problem is not relevant any more for recent and future smart phones. The usability has been enhanced significantly during the course of the project.

Generally, the project has been evaluated as interesting and innovative. The challenges regarding technology were criticized in the beginning, but acceptance was increased significantly towards the end of the project through usability improvements (see section above). Regarding didactics, students requested more audio information than text information since audio allows the user to inspect the environment more closely without the need for looking at the device. The location-based photo collection tasks were evaluated as very innovative, and it has been requested to add more teaching methods of that kind.

Lecturers should have pre-knowledge regarding e-learning and media didactics, as well as be familiar with and able to reflect upon the use of mobile phones. Lecturers should also have experience with leading excursions. Modern teaching forms, such as problem-based learning or social-constructivist learning should also have been implemented during teaching, or at least be known.