Developing a Platform for Mobile Learning Using mLearn Mohammed Samaka Department of Computer Science and Engineering Qatar University Doha, Qatar Samaka.m@qu.edu.qa John Impagliazzo Emeritus, Department of Computer Science Hofstra University Hempstead, New York USA John.Impagliazzo@Hofstra.edu Abstract—This paper presents preliminary findings of a research study surrounding the development of an integrated architecture for a mobile learning platform. The study builds on prior design specification architecture for mLearn already appearing in the literature. In this development stage, the findings indicate that the use of the mLearn architecture and its approach when applied to a workplace-learning environment suggests benefits to learning. The results are in harmony with experimental expectations. Keywords—Mobile learning, mLearn, mobile services, electronic mobile learning, e-learning I. BACKGROUND AND PRIOR WORK The rapid evolution of mobile learning (also known as m- learning or mLearning) allows the incorporation of new capabilities into mobile devices to enrich the learning process. Users can implement mobile learning as a method for lifelong learning to utilize their time in an efficient manner. Mobile learning also has the potential of bringing benefits to schools in support of classroom teaching including group learning. This new approach could change the way people learn in the future [1,2]. Mobile learning extends e-learning to mobile handheld devices such as with tablets and smart phones. The earlier study focused on the design and a suggested development of a mobile learning platform called mLearn [3]. The platform allows users within a learning situation to participate in electronic learning sessions where they have the ability to share content and to interact with other users in synchronous and asynchronous modes. The prior study showed the ways in which the mLearn platform used extensible mark-up language (XML) content over a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) with the Java 2 platform micro edition (J2ME) on the client [4,5]. This integration allowed the delivery of rich multimedia and interactive content to a wide range of mobile devices using different operating system platforms, enabling the mLearn platform to have a wide and continuous deployment in the future. The mLearn platform uses three short message service (SMS) delivery methods: Push, Pull and wireless application protocol (WAP) Push. The last method combines both SMS and web browsing over the HTTP protocol in one service. The prior study recommended the use of SMS methods in several learning contexts that require short and in-time content delivery where one could use the Push and the WAP Push methods to send multicasting messages to a group of mobile learners with a common interest or involved in a common assignment. In addition, one could use J2ME on the client for large volume of content delivery involving a learning object such as course content, training material or online tests. The mLearn platform supports several learning approaches useable in mobile learning including exposition, exploration, construction and communication [6,7]. Because of the lack of availability on mobile handsets, the former study did not include the construction approach as an appropriate learning model for mobile learning because it involved interactive, high-speed, large memory, large-screen devices. Many applications intended for mobile learning situations support different learning approaches, each having its own strengths and weaknesses [4,5,6,7]. As the power of mobile devices increases, more design options for developing mobile applications become available and user expectations increase. In the prior study, the team investigated several approaches and used them for structuring and developing computer-aided and multimedia-based learning applications. The reason for deciding on the three approaches is that they meet the current resource limitations of mobile handsets and that they support the computer-aided learning method as described by Kerres [6] and by Meisenberger [7]. The team had used only three (exposition, exploration and communication) approaches for the mLearn mobile learning models. The exposition is a computer-based training (CBT) approach requiring a learning path that presents learning objects asynchronously. These mobile learning objects are generally similar to those used for e-learning on a PC. Limitations include the amount of information devices can hold or displayed. Additionally, with mobile learning the user should be able to suspend the learning session and resume it ISBN: 978-1-4673-4969-7 ©2013 IEEE 258