ERIC EJ1099248: Web Services Architecture for M-Learning

2004·0.29 MB·English

by  ERIC

Web Services Architecture for M-Learning
Sushil K. Sharma and Fred L. Kitchens
Miller College of Business, Ball State University, USA
[email protected]
[email protected]

Abstract: The academic environment is undergoing a major shift, as increasing numbers of schools are ready to
offer courses using mobile technology for economic and other reasons both from an instructor and student
perspective. The mobile learning (m-learning) approach would necessitate changes in pedagogy, educational
roles, curricular content, and classroom practices. In addition, it would also require different system architecture
because it would demand massive integration of software systems. This paper presents a method for exploiting
web services architecture for m-learning.

Keywords: Mobile education, e-learning, M-Learning, Web services

1. Introduction of students (Abernathy 2001) (Ed 2001).
Educators understand that mobile handheld
Emerging technologies are leading to the
computers and wireless connectivity at schools
development of many new opportunities to
can enrich the learning experience of students.
guide and enhance learning that were
Using mobile devices such as Palm handheld
unimaginable even a few years ago. There are
computers connected to web servers on
already about one million courses on the
campus, students can truly experience the
internet, 30,000 of them compiling with a
freedom and productivity of mobile handheld
scientific definition of online, 22,000 of these
computing (Bunnell 2002). Wireless laptops,
are listed on the telecampus portal, with many
Palm devices and graphing calculators will free
of them making didactic use of the World Wide
teachers and students, turning any place into a
Web (Anonymous 1998). The e-learning
classroom Students can access real-time
includes online learning, web-based training,
information about their class curriculum, school
virtual universities and classrooms, digital
events, after school sports and even test
collaboration and technology assisted distance
scores. An m-learning architecture based tool
learning. The WebCT kernel alone was used
would enable students and teachers to quickly
by 5 million students in more than an hundred
and easily access course curriculum and data
thousands courses, developed by 40,000
whenever and wherever they need to. Time-
university and college faculty at over 1,000
crunched students and professionals place
institutions in 50 countries. The acceptance of
high value on the ability to access data
e-Learning or web-based learning is due to
anytime anywhere -- and wireless access is
growing availability of commercially available
the future for all types of data transmission
Learning Management Systems (LMSs) such
(Daniel and Cox 2002). Palm handheld-based
as WebCT, BlackBoard, Learning Space,
learning programs would help students to
IntraLearn , Top Class, eCollege, Click2learn,
solve and submit student homework
Authorware, LearnLinc ,Virtual-U, Web Course
assignments with lot of flexibility and may
in a Box, UniLearn and WebBoard (Abernathy
create a better learning experience in and
2001).
outside the classroom. By the end of 2003,

predicts Stamford, CT-based Gartner, 107
Handheld computers, the wallet-sized
million Americans will own a Web-enabled
organizational devices used by business
cellular phone and 8 million will have a Web-
professionals to keep track of appointments,
enabled PDA (Training 2002) (Guardo, Arjona
contacts, e-mail, and the Internet, have found
et al. 2001).
their way into classrooms. Using m-learning

environment, teachers eliminate the need to
The paper presents the details of web services
write assignments on the chalkboard because
architecture that could be used for m-learning.
they can "beam" instructions to students'
The proposed architecture would provide
handheld devices (Kaasinen, Aaltonen et al.
students and teachers the opportunity to obtain
2000). With the advent of mobile devices such
any and all class related material on their Palm
as portable handheld computers becoming the
handheld computers through a web services
norm in business and in our daily lives, it is
architecture. The paper presents an
inevitable that the educational environment will
architecture that can help to develop “one
realize that using these mobile devices on
stop” oriented integrated software. Integrated
campus would enrich the learning experience
software will provide an access to a central
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Electronic Journal on e-Learning Volume 2 Issue 1 ( February 2004) 203-216 204
home page that allows for synchronous group instructor-facilitated training via laptop
meetings, instant messaging, and a gateway to (Abernathy 2001). M-Learning, allows users to
other real-time audio/video applications such access IT courseware modules via the Palm
as Microsoft NetMeeting, Netscape CoolTalk, operating system. The Microsoft and Cisco
or CU-See-Me. certification courses, covering
telecommunications fundamentals, TCP/IP,
2. M-Learning – A new paradigm in UNIX and JavaScript, are already available in
m-learning format (Report 2000). Mobile
education
technology enables schools to extend learning
As our society is entering a knowledge-based, beyond the walls of classrooms. Palm
Internet/Web-driven economy, college handhelds can be loaded with applications,
education becomes a necessity for any such as financial calculators, reference books,
individual who wants to be competitive and literature books, coursework organizers, and
successful, regardless of his or her age, word processors etc. The schools have already
gender, and race (Fisher, 1997; Holstein, started experimenting with this technology to
1997). Over the last two decades the number develop new ways to enhance the educational
of American college students over age 40 has experience of its students and the teaching
more than tripled. Two-thirds of the older experience for its faculty. Stanford University
students are women; some of them have Law School has recently experimented with
returned to school after their children are Palm devices; other PDA applications are also
grown, giving them time to develop a career in place around campus, with positive results.
(“Older Students,” 1996). Today, most full-time Washington's American University is
college students work part-time; many part- implementing a plan to become the first totally
time students work full time, commute, and wireless university (Reuters 2002). The
often have families to support. Students have University of South Dakota is supplying Palm
found that going to college in the traditional Pilots to first-year law and medical students
way is difficult. They need innovative ways to (Ed 2001)
help them study and work more efficiently in
this competitive world (Zhao, 1999). To meet This technology provides students and
student needs, many universities offer self-, or teachers the opportunity to obtain any and all
i-paced, online courses on the Web with class-related material on their Palm handheld
related technologies and applications software; computers through a simple process of point-
studies indicate that i-paced online learning and-connect using infrared. The intersection of
can be effective (Shea and Boser, 2001). M- mobile computing and e-learning includes
learning is one more step in the same direction anytime, anywhere resources; strong search
(Abernathy 2001). capabilities; rich interaction; powerful support
for effective learning; and performance-based
The evolution in education and training at a assessment (Abernathy 2001).
distance can be characterized as a move from
d-Learning (distance learning) to e-Learning There are two familiar approaches to the issue
(electronic learning) to m-Learning (mobile of mobile learning. The first points out that
learning). With the successful development of since the dominant mode of access to the
Bluetooth, WAP (Wireless Application Internet will soon be through wireless devices,
Protocol), GPRS (General Packet Radio e-learning simply becomes m-learning, without
System) and UMTS (Universal Mobile any particular changes in content. The new
telecommunications System), the technological approach stresses that m-learning will
structures for wireless telephony and wireless characteristically aim at specific kinds of
computing are now firmly in place. M-learning, knowledge, namely knowledge that is location-
or mobile learning, involves delivery of digitized dependent and situation-dependent. The way
content to either wireless phones hooked into e-learning is changing to m-learning is shown
laptops or personal digital assistants (PDAs). in Figures 1 and 2 (Landers 2002).
The wireless technologies of the mobile
revolution have seen the worldwide
proliferation of wireless communication devices
(Landers 2002). The idea behind m-learning is
that it allows on-the-go professionals to
connect to training courses anytime and
anywhere. M-learning can include anything
from job aids and courseware downloaded on
personal digital assistant to Net-based,
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205 Sushil K. Sharma & Fred L. Kitchens

undergone several paradigm shifts over the
last three decades (Bransford et al., 1999). E-
INTERNET learning (learning supported by digital
"electronic" tools and media) and m-learning
(e-learning using mobile devices and wireless
Student Support transmission) have emerged. Handheld
Services Student to Student devices are emerging as one of the most
promising technologies for supporting learning
Course Content Student to Tutor
and particularly collaborative learning
World Wide Web Student to Instructor scenarios; mainly because they offer new
Other Materials opportunities for individuals who require mobile
computer solutions that other devices cannot
provide. M-learning is a new paradigm that
creates a new learning environment. Mobile
learning is unique because learners can
access the course material, instructions, and
other course related applications anytime and
anywhere. This increases daily attention to
learning material, makes learning pervasive,

and may boost the learner’s motivation for
lifelong learning. Moving from stationary to
Figure 1: Wired Virtual Learning Environment
mobile learning allows ad hoc collaboration
of Today
and informal interaction between students
(BRA, 2002, Wierzbicki, 2002). Mobile-learning
is learning supported by mobile devices,
ubiquitous communications technology, and
INTERNET intelligent user interfaces. The unique
elements of mobile learning are; the facility to
communicate with individuals or learning
Student Support
communities, either transient or well
Services Student to Student
established, at any time or location; the ability
Course Content Student to Tutor to provide learning content dynamically
World Wide Web Student to Instructor dependent on a learner’s location, wider
context and the device being used by a
Other Materials
learner, and the ability to record discrete acts
of a learners ‘learning episode’, as they move
through space and time, for later use and to
provide recorded elements of previous learning
episodes at any time or location (Rekkedal,
1999, Sariola, et al.,2001, Szucs, et al., 2001,
Kynäslahti, 2001, Szucs, Wagner, and
Holmberg, 2001). It is envisioned that with m-
learning, the boundaries between the social

arena and the formal learning arena, the
classroom, diminish as students also take
Figure 2: Wired Virtual Learning Environment
mobile telephone into use in classrooms. The
of Tomorrow
teacher is put in a position in which the
The application of new, mostly mobile, information that exists within the four walls of
technologies to distance learning involves new the classroom competes with information from
problems that require new and innovative ‘outside’ the classroom - beyond the teacher’s
solutions from both pedagogical and control. Thus, the classroom culture is bound
technological points of view. The same system to change (Rekkedal, 1999, Koschmann, 2001,
that provides teacher-student communication Bransford, et al., 1999, Gay, et al., 2002). We
provokes an excessive demand on teacher’s also hold the view that learning is an individual
response capacity, thus changing the process that can be supported by adequate
pedagogical tools (Elena, Miguel et al. 2001). interaction and/or collaboration in groups
(Askeland 2001). Mobile learning technologies
2.1 M-Learning - A paradigm shift present a challenge to the school – a
challenge to access and utilize alternative
The use of information and communication
learning arenas (Rekkedal, 1999). Mobile
technologies in education and training has
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Electronic Journal on e-Learning Volume 2 Issue 1 ( February 2004) 203-216 206
technologies are referred to as handhelds, coordinated between places. But even in
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) or Pocket classrooms and training settings with more or
PCs (PPCs) (Quinn, 2000, Sariola et al. 2001, less fixed locations, the use of mobile and
Nyíri 2002). wireless technologies may lead to substantial
changes as this can bring the technology to
Handheld mobile computing devices allow for the background and to set the focus more on
exploratory activities not bound to a special inter-personal relations and on the task at
location, for example field trips, without losing hand (Roschelle et al., 2002). A number of
the potential for taking electronics notes and evaluation studies among distance and online
retrieving information of various types. Such learners demonstrate that students emphasize
notes, ranging from data collections and digital flexibility (Rekkedal, 1998, 1999). The various
images to handwritten annotations, can be other shifts that may take place in m-learning
easily exchanged and downloaded. If environment are illustrated in following tables:
combined with wireless transmission, these
activities can be continuously monitored and
Table 1: Various Pedagogical and other Changes for M- Learning Environment
Pedagogical Changes
Current e-Learning Methods M-Learning (Wireless)
More Text-based and Graphic based More Voice, Graphics and Animation based instructions
instructions
Lecture in classroom or in internet Learning occurring in the field or while mobile
labs

Instructor to Student Communication
Current e-Learning Methods M-Learning (Wireless)
Time-delayed e-mail (students need Instant Announcement of e-mail delivery (As soon as e-mail or
to check e-mails or web sites for communication arrives, students are informed through instant
communication) messaging
Passive communication Instant communication
asynchronous Interactive
Spontaneous

Student to Student Communication
Current e-Learning Methods M-Learning (Wireless)
Face-to-Face Flexible
Audio-teleconference is quite Audio-teleconference and Video-teleconference both would be
common possible
e-mail-to-e-mail 24/7 instantaneous
Private Location No geographic boundaries
travel time to reach to internet site no travel time since wireless internet connectivity
Dedicated time for any group Flexible timings on 24/7 basis
meeting
Poor communication due to group Rich communication, due to one-to-one communication, reduced
consciousness inhibitions

Feedback to Students
Current e-Learning Methods M-Learning (Wireless)
1-to-1 basis
Asynchronous and at times delayed Asynchronous and Synchronous both
Mass/standardized instruction customized instruction
Benchmark-based grading Performance & Improvement-based grading
Simulations & lab-based Real-life cases and on the site experiments
experiments
paper-based less paper, less printing, less cost

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207 Sushil K. Sharma & Fred L. Kitchens

Assignments & Tests
Current e-Learning Methods M-Learning (Wireless)
in-class any location
Dedicated time 24/7 Instantaneous
Restricted amount of time any amount of time
standard test individualized tests
poor feedback Richer Feedback
delayed feedback instant feedback
fixed-length tests flexible-length/number of questions
More text-based tests and More audio and visual animation based tests and assignments
assignments In-Field tests /experiments

Presentations, Exams and
Assignments
Current e-Learning Methods M-Learning (Wireless)
Theoretical and text based Practical oriented exams direct on site hands-on based
Observe and monitoring in lab Observe in the field and monitoring from remote location
class-based presentations 1-to-1 presentations with much richer communication
Auto translation for delivery of instructions in many languages
Use of one language
(languages translator)
Individualized, component-based
Simultaneous collaborative group work
group work
paper-based assignment delivery electronic-based assignment delivery
hand-delivery of assignments at a
E-delivery of assignments at any place and time
particular place and time
Instructor's time used to deliver
Instructor's time used to offer individualized instructions and help
lectures

The convergence of computing and instruction can be delivered. The implications
communication is a process that is turning for the teacher-student relationship, standards,
phones and mobile terminals into powerful assessments, accountability, and traditional
multimedia units. The XML-based geographic boundaries are fundamental issues
Synchronized Multimedia Integration with which state and local boards of education
Language (SMIL), for instance, would be very will have to wrestle (Mioduser, et al., 2000).
useful for the distribution of sophisticated The teacher-student relationship has always
multimedia content. These forms of interactive been, and will continue to be of value. What
multimedia offer new possibilities to learn, will eventually happen in the mobile learning
think, and communicate. The future online model is a 'blended learning' - an intelligent
interactive m-learning based courses will have combination of e-learning and instructor-led
more multi-media based materials, tests and training. The student will have access to
assignments. The present web-based multimedia learning tools, and all the
asynchronous delivery method normally information available on the Internet. The
involves primarily text based material. This teacher will act as a guide to the student on
would change with the new m-learning how best to use these tools to get the
paradigm. It should also be emphasized that information that is required. Constructivism is
we assume that the m-learning students the main pedagogy used in online learning.
normally will have access to a desktop or This approach is used in the form of
laptop computer with Internet connection for discussions, constructivist activity and
offline learning. This means that the equipment conferencing to enable the learner to build an
and technologies used when students are understanding and the meaning of the issues
mobile are additions to the students’ basic and to construct new knowledge on the basis
equipment used when studying at home or at of information (O'Reilly and Morgan, 1999,
work. Mioduser, et al., 2000).

2.2 The teacher-student relationship
For effective teaching in am m-learning
in M-Learning environment
environment, teachers and students both need
Mobile technology is changing the basic to understand the nature of the social relations,
paradigms of when, where, and how school the quality of the interaction, and of
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Electronic Journal on e-Learning Volume 2 Issue 1 ( February 2004) 203-216 208
communication will ensure communicative from the traditional face-to-face instructor-led
competence, which includes the exchange of teaching method. The m-learning model is
information, knowledge, experience, and compared with traditional method of learning
development of skills. Teachers need to and is shown in figure 3 and figure 4. As
understand the complex relationships of shown in these figures, the learning space or
cognitive tasks, socio-emotional aspects of classroom concept of traditional method is
learning, and the social context of learning, in changed in m-learning environment. This
order to create those social spaces for certainly will have effects on student-teacher
reflective learning by students. Online learning relationship and social issues.
and specifically m-learning is very different

SCHOOL
TEACHER CURRICULUM
ADDITIONAL
STU- CONTENT AND
ININTTEERRNNEETT
DENT CURRICULUM
RESOURCES
CLASSROOM
TRADITIONAL METHOD OF LEARNING

Figure 3: Traditional method of learning
SCHOOL
MOBILE PLACE
OF LEARNING AS
CURRICULUM
CLASSROOM
INTERNET
STUDENT
TEACHER
M-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Figure 4: M-Learning model

Learning is a complex activity that puts and curriculum all play a vital role in a
students' motivation and physical condition to students’ learning process. The power
the test. Teaching resources, teacher skills, dynamics of online education and particularly
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209 Sushil K. Sharma & Fred L. Kitchens

m-learning will be altered (Mioduser, et al., "immediate" response to students' emails is a
2000). The 'space' in which the students are major de-motivating factor (Ting-Toomey 1999;
learning is their own space, not a classroom. Carroll, 1987 in Ting-Toomey, 1999). Given
The time of study is the student’s own choice, this, online tutors cannot assume to fully
not the school’s. The major resource for understand phenomenon like "silence" and
generating new insights is not the teacher but other related issues such as humor. It would
the combined intellectual resources of the be wiser to check and ask. This can be done in
student group and the resources available on the online group environment, or behind the
the Internet. Power rests more in the student scenes in individual emails, faxes, or
group than in the teacher (LaRose, and telephone calls. Asking learners to reply, or to
Whitten, 2000). give the reason for their silence, should be
done regularly, but with tact and explanations
Students perceive the benefits of m-learning as to why the subject was raised (quality
as, ease of access to continuing professional control, checking all is well, etc). Learners are
development. The authors conducted a short often not aware of the impact of their silence
survey of teachers and students to know their on other participants in the group or on the
experiences with online- and specifically m- tutoring/learning process. To avoid issues
learning as compared to the traditional face-to- causing a block to learning in an online or m-
face method of learning. The students learning environment, teachers and facilitators
expressed that their experiences with the m- need to address a number of issues
learning environment were more (McKenzie, 2000).
communication-rich and more effective. (cid:131) Teachers should give due consideration
However, the teachers’ perspective of the in designing contents in multiple formats
same experience was very different. The ensuring access to disabled, blind and
majority of teachers opined that teaching the visually impaired students.
online is more time demanding than teaching (cid:131) The learning materials should be based
face-to-face. In addition, teachers miss the on multiple perspectives and ways of
social engineering component of student- doing things.
teacher relationships (Bonk, and King, 1998,
(cid:131) Teachers should making rules, norms,
Higgison, 2000).
expectations, learning content and skills

explicit; explain the reasons for doing
Another aspect of the m-learning environment
things; check to see that students have
will be a shift in the learning paradigm. There
really understood and what is expected
are many aspects of the college experience
of them.
that are significant to the development of a
student into what we consider a well-rounded, (cid:131) Teachers should suggest where
college-educated individual. It is for this reason students could get appropriate help,
that colleges have Student Development and including online resources.
Student Services offices, to provide
educational, cultural, social, and other 3. Web services architecture for M-
activities to complement student learning and Learning
round out the college experience. In a m-
learning environment, building such Web services are the next big thing in
developmental components in a learning distributed computing. Unlike existing
experience is a challenge (Higgison, 2000). distributed technologies (such as CORBA,
J2EE, COM, and DCE), Web services are
From a modal perspective of online mobile descendants of text processing systems rather
delivery, the shift is toward learning than binary communication protocols
communities with less emphasis on the tutor (Mateosian 2002). XML is derived from
as 'sage on the stage' and more on the guiding document processing technologies, not
and facilitative functions. Online distributed computing technologies. Web
communication lends itself to dialogue and services are asynchronous messages that
negotiation as it allows both the student and exchange XML documents across a network.
the teacher to test understanding, which might Web services also are responsible for mapping
be evidenced offline in the form of body the XML documents into and out of executable
language or signs of attention. Online, the programs, objects, databases, and legacy
teacher does not know what a student does or applications. The executable programs are not
does not understand unless they asks. Some part of the definition because they are not
research into email communication for learning included within the specifications that define
purposes has found that the lack of relatively the core Web services technologies. Web
services are not executable. They are instead
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Electronic Journal on e-Learning Volume 2 Issue 1 ( February 2004) 203-216 210
a collection of XML applications mapped into next generation of mobile computing
and out of executable programs. The core applications by providing a thick abstraction
Web services standards - SOAP, WSDL, and layer that masks the operating systems for any
UDDI - have received widespread adoption given device from the developer (Dostan
and generated tremendous interest (Bunnell 2001). Web services architecture is a set of
2002). emerging protocols and standards. It offers a
different approach to enterprise integration and
The rush toward mobile services reflects a shift development. Architecturally, Web services are
in the nature of computing: rather than a typically made available by use of a common
device-centric world with a PC at the center, transport mechanism, namely SOAP, through
the consensus is that we are moving toward a which agreements and binding can be
mobile person- (or identity-) centric universe universally facilitated. The directory, or
where a multitude of devices (PCs, laptops, repository, is accomplished through UDDI. The
PDAs, phones, tablets, etc…) can access interface is described in WSDL, and the
user-specific data from any location transport is managed seamlessly using SOAP,
(Mateosian 2002) (Bunnell 2002). Fortunately, allowing users to communicate with the outside
with the emergence of Web services the task application regardless of what platform,
may become easier. Web services are the next system, or standards are being used behind
wave of distributed enterprise computing. They the scenes (Gottschalk, Graham et al. 2002)
provide a layer of interoperability that allows (Editorial 2002) (Gibbs 2002). This concept is
applications to be described, published, visually represented in Figure 5.
located, and invoked irrespective of underlying
architectures. Web services are driving the

SOAP Listener
Web Service
Desktop Applications
SOAP Request-> Data
<-SOAP Response
Web Server(s)
Web Sites
Other Devices
Other Web Serivces

Figure 5: Logical architecture of a web service built on the flexible services architecture

Developers can build standard interfaces to design such as: encouraging modular system
existing and new systems using SOAP and architecture; changing underlying program
they can describe the process of accessing the logic without greatly affecting interfaces; hiding
data using WSDL. These let each user access underlying system complexity via standard
data in another user’s database without interfaces; extending and enhancing legacy
custom programming on an application-by- systems without changing underlying code;
application basis. The re-use of Web services and offering platform- and vendor-neutral
functionality cuts development time. A applications. Largely due to these many
developer only has to identify the user’s data benefits, web services are gaining momentum
to access and link to the corresponding WSDL (Dostan 2001).
interface, using existing development tools.
Presently, web service models are using four 4. Flexible services architecture for
standards: Soap, WSDL, XML, and the UDDI
M-Learning
protocol. These comprise the basic capabilities
necessary to build the discrete elements of a The designing principle for m-learning
services-oriented architecture (Gottschalk, architecture has to be on the premise that the
Graham et al. 2002). Web services technology and the developing tools had to be
architecture will offer many benefits in systems integrated within the principles of the open,
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211 Sushil K. Sharma & Fred L. Kitchens

component based, modular architecture which to assemble the objects that can be
will permit the reusability of the modules in downloaded and then send them to the
various training scenarios and operations, with handheld device. In addition, e-learning
wide acceptable standards, are to be used to information intended for a handheld unit must
permit the interoperability with the existing be formatted to suit that device. Considering
hardware and software (Elena, Miguel et al. the above principles for designing architecture,
2001). the authors propose the web services oriented
Flexible Services Architecture shown in Figure
In accessing a course from a wireless 6 for an m-learning environment (Miller,
handheld device, the system would know how Sharma et al. 2002).

Service:
Application Service: Service: Service: (Inqsit - Online Service:
(Language
Services (Blackboard) (GDSS) (Library) Tests and
Translation)
Quizes)
Network layer: provides connectivity
for data exchange from one machine TCP/IP
Integration Web Black- to another
through Web Oracle ERP Email My SAP board (Other) Transport layer: the protocol that HTTP,
Services encapsulates the message. FTP, Telnet
Standards Common Interface or e-mail
(Web Site) Packaging layer: makes messages
transportable between platforms and SOAP
services by standardizing the syntax
Description layer: provides the
Web Internet mechanism to describe a service WSDL
Discovery layer: makes it possible for
UDDI
a program to find a Web service
Delivery
Devices
M-Learning
M-Learning
Wireless
PDA Phone
Tablet PC Web TV
S Laptop PC T
t e
er u E-Learning E-Learning a
y
La d c
man ne Desk Top PC Dumb Terminal he
u
H t E-Learning r
s s
M-Learning
Learning Traditional Learning Learning
(classroom)

Figure 6: Flexible services architecture for web services

The goal of many schools is to develop a and global, with plug-and-play capabilities.
student-centered, network-centered, mobile With the goal of creating a plug-and-play m-
computing oriented flexible environment that learning applications environment that
can allow students to access the content supports interoperability among different
whenever they need it, in whatever form they vendor solutions, the framework of the
need it. M-learning can include anything from architecture is an open, standards-based
job aids and courseware downloaded on model (Morgan 2002). A scalable architecture
personal digital assistant, to Net-based delivers appropriate performance as broadly as
instructor-facilitated training via laptop. The possible, while providing the flexibility to
proposed m-learning architecture that is web increase the level of sophistication of the
services architecture based is open, scalable, overall learning solution as it matures. The
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Electronic Journal on e-Learning Volume 2 Issue 1 ( February 2004) 203-216 212
architecture also has the capability to integrate 4.3 The delivery devices layer
with all backend application systems —
The delivery devices layer is used to deliver
including library, various laboratories,
the content using internet enabled multiple
knowledge management, and other
devices a. The flexible services architecture
information resources. The web services
support all-purpose personal communicator
architecture provides modularity that becomes
systems geared to societies "on the go"
an essential element in providing a highly
including multifunction cell phones, e-mail
personalized experience based on pre-
capability, PC, Web surfer, fax, video-
assessments or other selection criteria. M-
television, picture phone, AM/FM radio, and
learning can be as simple as providing a video
global positioning systems. All-purpose
or audio-on-demand for anyone who
devices that are compact, wireless, and use a
immediately needs to know something to
single, lifetime identifier code so that a person
improve his/her knowledge or performance.
can be reached anytime, anywhere, will
The proposed architecture will have four
capture the fancy of communications era
following layers whose details are given below.
consumers. The content can be customized
automatically depending upon the type of
4.1 Application layer
device.
The application layer consist various services
for students and instructors. These services 4.4 The human layer
are; library services, admission services, fee
The human layer consists of learners,
submission, grade sheet and language
administrators and instructors. This layer
translation etc. All different applications. These
signifies that on one hand instructors and
services are created by instructors, and
administrators will be creating services,
administrators for students use. The students
therefore would have interface with application
are receivers of these services. The interaction
layer, and on other side, there would be a
between students and instructors and
direct interaction between instructors and
administrators is at the application layer. The
students for communication, feedback, or other
other layers below application layer will be
learning components, thus there would be
completely transparent to students.
interface through end user layer.

4.2 The integration through web
To implement the above flexible services
services standards layer
architecture for m-learning, the m-learning
At this layer, the integration through web technology environment may include mobile
services would integrate all the contents and device such as; pocket PC, mobile phone, and
applications that may already be available in portable keyboard. This m-learning device will
different formats. Web services architecture have the power of a desktop that gives access
used for this type of purpose would cause the to Microsoft Pocket applications such as
whole integration process to be similar to plug- Internet Explorer, Outlook, Word, Excel and
and-play, and would provide enough flexibility Microsoft media player. Among this software
to allow content independent of devices. The would be Microsoft Reader with a Clear Type
architecture ensures availability, scalability, kind of software. Microsoft Reader with a Clear
and performance, as well as the ability to Type kind of software program would be
simultaneously deliver data, voice and video. It helpful to read e-books or content in *.lit file
also manages security, quality of service and format (MS Reader file format). The software
content distribution. The application integration would also provide opportunity to read e-
layer provides access to all the internally built books, Pocket Dictionaries, etc. to downloaded
systems, authoring tools as well as the third from the Internet and synchronized to the
party authoring tools supported by IT, such as Pocket PC via the PC. One can synchronize
DreamWeaver, Microsoft Word, OutStart, the device with one’s desktop PC to read e-
gForce, or PowerPoint. It enables e-learning mail, view attachments, update the calendar
providers to register entire learning and the device can easily connect to a mobile
applications as binary large objects (BLOBs) or phone via cable, infrared, or wireless
to register structured objects. Structured technology for online browsing. Learning
learning authoring tools enable the author to content and the communication component of
assemble learning objects, including text, a learning environment include resources
graphics, assessment items, executable files, (articles on the web, references to other
videos, etc., into a lesson template. resource materials), online access to the
discussion forum with the possibility quick
access for reading in the Forum and writing
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