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OMLETH II: Development of a broader application for the platform for location-based mobile learning at ETH

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In the previous Innovedum project “OMLETH”, a platform for location-based mobile learning was developed and used for teaching in an architecture course. Based on the findings of this course the platform will be enhanced in the proposed follow-up project. Part of the project is also the use of OMLETH with larger student numbers based on new collaborations within ETH.

Abstract

 
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OMLETH - The platform for location-based mobile learning www.youtube.com

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The platform OMLETH (Ortbezogenes Mobiles Lernen an der ETH / Location-based mobile learning at ETH) was developed as part of an Innovedum project. OMLETH supports lecturers in the preparation of location-based mobile learning units through a browser application, which students can then access using the mobile OMLETH App. For example, OMLETH can be used in architecture courses to communicate digitally or in multi-media to support a city survey using Smartphones or Tablets to convey information on on-site aspects of the city’s building history, architectural history and materials history in front of the building itself or in a city quarter. The first time use of OMLETH in spring semester 2015 demonstrated the strengths of this innovative teaching and learning method, but also identified the challenges and the further development needed.

Building on this awareness in the requested follow-on project, the platform should be further developed technically, its application should be evaluated with larger student numbers and beyond architecture, and the results documented in the form of best practice guidelines for location-based mobile learning. In addition, the experience gained should flow into an interactive assistance function in the OMLETH Editor App for lecturers. In OMLETH II, new cooperation with the D-USYS and the Material Archive of the BAU Library are planned, as well as an investigation of a possible use in additional divisions of ETH, among others.

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OMLETH Trailer www.youtube.com

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Success factors

• Great feedback and user groups of new fields (students) through an OMLETH introduction course offered at didactica (Training courses for university instructors of UZH/ETH)
• Better usability of OMLETH’s editor and learner interface
• Establishment of a learning video platform to publish success stories of location-based mobile learning samples.
• Embedding best practice experiences as an interactive assistance function in both OMLETH interfaces, the editor and the learner.

Innovative elements

• Element for student group cooperation over distance due to the ability to embed third party communication channels
• Learning analytic prototype based on learners› movement data
• Video platform with successful, educational methodologies for lecturers based on findings from the application in several courses

Room for improvement

• Making the learner interface available through the app stores as a native app
• Providing offline support for the learners› interface

Opinion of students

• The great advantage of this learning application consists in the availability of historical and contemporary planning material, which enables the student to analyse and to understand the urban as well as the architectural qualities of an urban space or a building in a much better way. This added value could only be achieved with great effort for both – students and lecturers.
• Self-regulated city tours, which one could do individually at any time
• Picture-based contents and maps as support to compare the surrounding situation with past or future perspectives

Tips for lecturers

• Caution when organizing a learner-directed field trip based teaching programme as the time factor can become a great issue, within the learning stations as well as regarding the larger walking distance between the stations.
• Development of an educational and didactical concept linked to the format of the location based mobile applications
• A didactic meaningful implementation of the learning contents to ensure that the activity with the smartphone and visual attention on the display (head down rate) stays low while the constructivist experience (action) w.r.t. the built environment remains high

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