An Evaluative Analysis of 'U-KNOU Campus' System and its Mobile Platform

Abstract

This paper is an overview of key elements of Korea National Open University's smart mobile learning system, and an attempt to evaluate its main services relative to the FRAME model and the Mobile Learning Development Model for distance learning in higher education. KNOU improved its system architecture to one based on xMOOC e-learning content delivery while also upgrading its PC-based online/mobile learning services to facilitate an easier and more convenient access to lectures and for better interactivity. From the users' viewpoint, the upgraded 'U-KNOU Campus' allows for a more integrated search capability coupled with better course recommendations and a customized notification service. Using the new system, the students can access not only the school- and peer-issued messages via online bulletin boards but also share information and pose questions to others including to the school faculty/officials and system administrators. Additionally, a new mobile payment method has been incorporated into the system so that the students can select and pay for additional courses from anywhere. In spite of these advances, the issue of device usability and content development remain; specifically U-KNOU Campus needs to improve its instructor-learner and learner-to-learner interactivity and mobile evaluation interface.

1. Introduction

"Internet in the palm of your hand" is no longer just somecatchy slogan. Advance in technology has literally made the concept a reality, its applicability and ubiquity extending t of ar reaches, including in the educational sphere where smart, mobile learning environment is now taken for granted. The concept of such smart learning technology encompasses the crucial role it plays in creation of efficient learningenvironments that can provide personalized content [1]. With stunning advances in device technology, mobile/portable smart device use is climbing rapidly across all sectorsof academiaincluding higher education. Distance learning in particular hasexperienced an especially profound impact with the introduction of mobile technologies that affect teaching and learning methods. So it is no surprise that mobile learning, which exists within the framework of smart, blended, content delivery system, has been adopted by distance educationinstitutions worldwide.

Mobile learning by definition is educational content delivered and supported in a wireless setting via equipmentsuch as smartphones, tablet computers or laptop PCs [2]. It also refers to a learning process using any portable computeras well as hybrids of these devices [3]. Key characteristics of mobile learning are access from nearly anywhere, robustsearch capability, rich interaction, powerful support foreffective learning, and e-learning independent not only oflocation but also of time and space [4]. From the learner & rsquo;sperspective, mobile learning has distinct benefits such asownership, informality, mobility, and context that is absent inconventional e-learning environment [2].

Beginning in 2009, some of Korea’s cy ber-based universities and distance education entities began providing mobile learning platform to its students. Korea National Open University (KNOU), the biggest and the oldest distance highereducation university in Korea, also began offering mobile-learning service on March, 2009, called ‘U-KNOU’ which was then upgraded to ‘U-KNOU Plus’ in 2012.

However, its original e-learning platform (Massive Open Online Courses, xMOOC), despite being a system that allowed for an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills and which delivered quality educational experience at scale, was not a system which could effectively support a learning managementsystem (LMS) [5]. One of the problems was that the online and mobile web services did not function seamlessly this, when the majority of students were already utilizing PC and mobile devices (Android or iOS) interchangeably to interface with different course formats. A survey by Institute of Distance Education reported that as of 2018, 108,822 students wereenrolled at KNOU, with 75.9% students utilizing smart devicesin the course of their school work or related activity. About 55% of the mobile device users answered ‘satisfied’ or ‘verysatisfied ’ when asked about U-KNOU Plus’smobile learningusability. The reason cited by the students for most dissatisfaction with KNOU’s then mobile learning platform was that seamless access to lectures via both PC and mobile was impossible [6].

KNOU subsequently launched a smart portal platformnamed ‘U-KNOU Campus’, adding features of advanced LMS to both PC and mobile web environment, thereby making it more suitable for an improved smart learning paradigm. Since KNOU’sadoption of smart mobile learning system and the development of e-learning content optimized for the ubiquitouslearning in 2009, majority of its students have migrated tomobile-learning in lieu of web-learning. Students, rightly, prefer and perceive that content optimized for mobile learning system would be highly advantageous to accessing lectures anytime and anywhere.

In this context, this study was an attempt to assess KNOU’scurrent mobile learning system, usingthe FRAME model and Mobile Learning Development Model as basis, and to examine how KNOU developed its mobile learning system to improveeducational services in a distance higher education setting. Thestudy also analyzed the key constructs of a mobile learning system for a mega-university like KNOU with more than 100,000 in enrollment. Two main questions were: What keyelements constituted ‘U-KNOU Campus’ mobile learning system? and, How has its mobile learning system improved LMS in terms of learning method and mobile learningenvironment?

2. The Frame Model and Mobile Learning Development Model

According to the Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) model, mobile learning can be defined as a process that culminates from technological and social convergenceinvolving mobile technologies, humanlearning capacities, and social interaction. Such a FRAME model incorporates not only the technical specifications of therelevant mobile devices but also personal and social aspects of the learning process [7]. In the FRAME model, mobilelearning experiences are considered as existing within the collective as well as individual contexts of informationcreation. As such, mobile learners can and do consume and create information for him/herself and for the group, all the while the interaction with information being mediated throughtechnology [8]. The FRAME model, then, can be represented as an intersecting set of three circles representing deviceusability, learner, and social aspects of learning (see figure 1)[9].

(Figure 1) The FRAME Model

The three circles represent device(D), learner(L), and socialaspect(S). By assessing the degree to which the various areasof the FRAME model are utilized within a mobile learning situation, educators and practitioners may be able to designmore effective mobile learning experiences.

First is the Device Aspect(D) which refers to the physical and technical aspects of various mobile devices. In short, itrepresents the medium with which mobile learners and generalusers interact. Second is the Learner Aspect(L) which refers to the individual learner’s cognitive abilities, memory, and prior knowledge as well as situations and tasks in which alearner attains his goal. Lastly, Social Aspect(S) refers to the process of social interaction and cooperation among mobilelearners, with the basic theme of social constructivistphilosophy as its anchor [9]. According to Bruner(1996), the constructivist learning theory encompasses the socio-culturalaspects of learning which underline learning processes and italso can be incorporated inthe mobile learning format [10]

(Figure 2) Mobile Learning Development Model

This FRAME model can be useful in assessing various types of mobile learning/teaching process whether or not they actually facilitate smart-learning in terms of device usability, interaction learning and social aspect.

Meanwhile, Peng et. al. suggested a Mobile Learning Development Model in 2011 that could be implemented inconjunction with the mobile learning model of the Open University Malaysia. The model(figure2) shows the threeped agogical considerations that formed the basis for plan and design of the mobile learning content. According to Quinn(2011), mobile learning capabilities could becharacterized in terms of 4C’s: content, compute, capture, and communicate[11]. Documents, audio and video contents deal with the ability to store, or access, content on a device. Capture, on the other hand, has to do with the individual producing content rather than accessing it. Mobile learners can capture images of texts and videos and take notes while in the field. Mobile learning also provides learners with computing ability so that learners could input observed parameters such asquantity and area then calculate its density. Lastly, mobilelearning lets us fulfill our natural tendency to communicate, and it supports synchronous and/or asynchronous interaction. Communications can occur with fellow learners, instructors, teaching or research assistants, experts or anyone else within or external to the institution. The researchers also considered several important criteria in considering appropriate technology for mobile learning; accessibility, mobile device, and platform [12].

The model emphasizes that a variety of mobile-enabled courses should be executable in different mobile devices used by students, and that the course materials should be designed to automatically change to the format when they download them onto their personal computers or mobile devices [13]. Similarly, U-KNOU Campus was designed and developed to improve the e-learning mobile services and to make its LMSmore efficient. In order to achieve this purpose, building anew portal platform was a must.

3. Evaluation of U-KNOU Campus' Mobile System and Services

KNOU, the largest distance education university in Korea, initially adopted xMOOC system of learning which is based on a more traditional teacher-student knowledge transfermodel. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provided anaffordable and for that time, a flexible way to learn new skills, advance one’s career and receive quality educationalexperience at scale [10].

The xMOOC(the "x" stand for "eXtended") was a system geared toward providing traditional university courses to the broadest number of university-level students possible. Its major shortcoming was that student-teacher interaction as well asstudent-to-student interactions were very limited[14]. It was a unidirectional online system that broadcasted to massive audiences through internet course content [15].

Despite its limitations, mobile based xMOOC e-learning didafford enhanced collaboration capability among learners, ready access to subject information and related resources, and adeeper contextualization of learning [9]. Given that the LMS(Learning Management System) was a commoncomponent of the campus infrastructure even before 2010, mobile learning platforms provided by Blackboard, Desire2Learn and Moodle have developed apps for iPhone and iPad, Android, and Blackberry. These companies have provided, thus far, the best open-source higher education Mobile LMS [16].

In the past, KNOU’s undergraduate e-learning program was not supported by learning management systems(LMS). KNOU’s e-learning system was based on xMOOC (xMassive Open Online Courseware) from the early 2000s, but it has failed to offer compatibility between online and mobile webservices each other. Even though a majority of KNOU studentsutilized both PC and mobile devices for taking different courses, KNOU has been offering its content via different types of media (TV, multimedia, web, and audio) which were designed and developed according to the ped agogical considerations shown on Fig.2. Thus, in order to assess & lsquo;U-KNOU Campus’ system and its improved mobile services, the overall system connection diagram of U-KNOU Plus andits push system flowchart should first be examined (Figure 3, Figure 4).

‘U-KNOU Plus’ was an upgraded smart mobile platform which enabled only KNOU students to view and download courses and receive push data services as Fig.3 illustrates. However, the problem was that the mobile e-learning formatwas different from that of the PC version, and thereforestudents were not able seemlessly to view lectures from the PC environment to the mobile environment, and vice versa. Another problematic aspect was that it was a complex and inefficient system, the system operator having to run and manage a dual e-learning system for PC and mobile. Not only very costly to maintain, the dual system also meant muchinstability in mobile-learning content transmission/ reception, which resulted in the students complaining about the system ’sbias against mobile learning.

(Figure 3) Overall System Connection Diagram of U-KNOU+

(Figure 4) Push Service System Diagram of U-KNOU+

The present ‘U-KNOU Campus’ portal, however, providesstudents with identical content and information across both PC or mobile enviornment. In order to resolve the inefficiency and to enhance mobile-facing service, the new platformintegrated the dual system into an open knowledge portal that can be used by those with the site access. In the new portal system, integrated login was required of students to attendlectures, utilize school resources, and to receive feedback and consultation. Those students accessing the system primarily viamobile could now search for various lectures by category and also get more recommended content as well as importantacademic notices during the school term. Enrolled students alsobenefit from customized ‘push messages’ generated by the new service such as the registration date, sit-down class schedules and information regarding exams.

Moreover, users can read school- and student- issued messages on the online bulletin board as well as sharing their thoughts/information with their peers and posing questions to the school faculty/officials and system administrators. They canalso use the new interface to purchase and pay for additional courses using a mobile payment system. Table1 details how U-KNOU Campus improved its LMS and upgraded learning method and mobile learning environment.

(Table 1) U-KNOU+ System vs. U-KNOU Campus

What is unclear, however, especially in relation to the FRAME Model, is whether or not the latest U-KNOU Campusportal system has helped to increase the dialogue between the students and the school, and whether or not there was anotice able increase in the learners’ autonomous desire formobile learning. Although the new portal system integrated the PC and mobile operating systems to increase informationavailability and to improve and enhance the device usability and system connectivity, it failed to meet the criteria posed by the interaction learning intersection (LS) regarding learnerto learner interaction, learner to instructor interaction, and learning communities based on the FRAME Model.

More specifically, KNOU’s mobile applications stilllacksynchronous interaction services for both instructor and learner. This is problematic as mobile tools should facilitateinteraction while supporting not only convenient access butalso coordination and communication regardless of location[7].

Viewed from a learner’s perspective, U-KNOU Campus system could improve in being more aware of and senstive to the student’s cognitive abilities, experiential capabilities, andeven motivation. According to the Learner’s Aspect(L), suchintrinsic and inherent elements residing within the learnermight have a crucial effect upon the learning process as they relate to encoding, retaining, and transferring information [8].

However, as Knowledge-Construction menu illustrates in Fig. 5, U-KNOU Campus for the learners(portal users) was not fully able to promote self-directed interaction amonglearners, not to mention between the instructor and learner. To motivate self-directed learning and adaptive e-learning, more synchronous activity options need to be recommended per subject and learner.

(Figure 5) Future Knowledge Portal System Construction Menu (U-KNOU Campus)

Lastly, U-KNOU Campus also needs to improve socialtechnology (DS) and interactive learning(LS). To do so, it needsto allow for more system flexibility for learners trying tointeract with instructors the system also needs to be able to better promote social learning, as social learning can empowerlearners to collaborate on assignments with other mobile-using peers stretched across the internet, for real power in sociallearning comes from learner-learner interactions[9].

Mobile learning environment, in particular, accomodates the user & rsquo;s natural urge for active communication. What’s more, it supports both synchronous and asynchronous interaction. Seen thusly, it would be desirable for collaborative forums ordiscussion tools to be added to the system’s menu since it could help to enhance more communication among the students while also leading to the growing well of collective intelligence.

Communication can also occur among fellow learners, instructors, teaching or research assistants, experts or any oneelse within or external to the institution. Mobile devices furtheroffers unique property of awareness of local context via capture of GPS and local signals [17]. Which is why the interactivity of the service is paramount to the success of a portal/platformsuch as U-KNOU Campus.

Despite its limitations and needed improvements, the factis, the U-KNOU Campus is a system used widely by KNOUstudents. According to the Institute of Distance Education & rsquo;s2018 survey, 95.3% of the students matriculated at KNOUduring the survey period regularly logged onto U-KNOUCampus to access their school assignments and related activities. Of these, freshmen students were the most active users. Also, approximately 2/3 of the survey respondents said that they were either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the U-KNOU Campus, with only 7.4% of them saying ‘unsatisfied ’about the mobile service platform. With regards to needed improvements, the students said that U-KNOU Campus ‘allow customization of school calendar,’ ‘increase learner supportinterface, ’ and ‘actively promote the use of U-KNOU Campus & rsquo; to the enrolled students [18].

4. Conclusions

This paper was a case study on KNOU’s mobile learning system in distance higher education. U-KNOU Campus, the most recent internet portal system for Korea National Open University, integrated separate PC and mobile operating systems into one in order to produce an efficient learning management system and to meet the needs and expectations of the students who access the system by mobile connection.

Users of the new, smart, learning system began with the integrated login interface. From there, the mobile learners could take lectures, utilize lecture/site resources, and get subject consultation as well as academic notifications. U-KNOUCampus & rsquo;s mobile homepage also lists recommended contenttailored to individual students and allows them to search any content by topic or organization.

Mobile learning has now become an integral part ofe-learning. It allows an even more innovative use of the latesteducational smart technologies in the realm of education. Mobile platform also offers the possibility of greater access, interaction and collaboration among all users including faculty, administrators and most importantly, the students. The success of mobile learning system, then, can be measured by the benefits which learners gain from using the mobile learning materials and resources [13]. Furthermore, smart device-enabled teaching and learning activities should be more geared toward enhancing problem solving possibility, as use of such devices has already been shown to be effective for learners [19]. An advanced mobile learning system would allow for a more personalized educational delivery, enabling the teachers to check students’ queries in real-time and provide customized ans wers accordingly [20].

It’s true that U-KNOU Campus was successful inintegrating the previous, disparate information portals into asingle system to help enhance student’s learning experience. However, its menu construction was not fully optimized to take advantage of the smart mobile platform which can support robust interactive learning. The optimized mobile learning model suggests that mobile educational content and its access should be geared to allowing for more collaborative learning so that there is a bigger and more beneficial impact on learning. To become more effective at developing better mobile contentand online services, KNOU’s operating platform for mobilelearning should be further developed with the help and feedback of those users who access the system primarily by mobile connection.

There are some limitations to the current case study. First, its scope was limited in elaborating the specific developmental steps of ‘U-KNOU Campus’ mobile learning. Second, although the FRAME model was useful in assessing KNOU’s mobilelearning system, the analysis of social aspect on mobilelearning management system of KNOU was not executed. Lastly, it would have been desirable to delve more into pedagogical considerations of ‘U-KNOU Campus’ as well as into the content design and development process. Mostimportantly, related future studies should continue to focus onmeasurable achievements of integrated mobile learning systemin light of its social and learning environment.