SHORT PAPER MOBILE COLLABORATIVE INFORMAL LEARNING DESIGN: STUDY OF COLLABORATIVE EFFECTIVENESS USING ACTIVITY THEORY Mobile Collaborative Informal Learning Design: Study of Collaborative Effectiveness Using Activity Theory http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v6i3.2090 Hasnain Zafar Baloch, Aziziah Abdulrhaman, Noorminshah A Ihad University of Technology Malaysia, Malaysia Abstract—Smart Mobile Devices (SMD) are there for many years but using them as learning tools started to emerge as new research area. The trend to merge collaborative learn- ing methodology by using mobile devices in informal context is important for implementation of Learner Centric Learn- ing (LCL). Survey and numerous studies show that more than 95% of students in colleges are users of these smart mobile devices in developed world. Developing counties are also catching up and we can see this percentage is almost same in university level in these countries. Students are us- ing SMDs for learning in some form. Higher education Insti- tutions also try to embark their E-learning to Mobile learn- ing (ML). The aim of this paper is to do propose operational framework for designing Mobile Collaborative Informal learning activities using SMDs. Show results of experimental and case study done to study the Mobile Collaborative In- formal learning using Activity Theory (AT). Core Compo- nents of framework are Mobile Learning Activities/Objects, Wireless/Mobile Smart devices, Collaborative knowledge and Collaborative learning. The research mention here is its infancy stage. Index Terms—Mobile Learning Design, Mobile Collabora- tive learning Objects, Collaborative learning, Informal learning. I. INTRODUCTION The Collaborative learning is the most researched method of learning of 21 century. With the popularity of social media and their availability to Smart devices make collaborative learning more interesting. Collaborative learning is when learner shares the learning activities with the team members and with the share of information learn- ing takes place. Mobile Collaborative learning (MCL) is when learner is using Mobile and Wireless Smart Devices (MWSD) or simple say Smart devices (SD). MCL is ex- tended form of Computer supported Collaborative learn- ing where learner try to use SD to collaborate mostly in informal learning outside of normal class room or teacher supervision. Currently MCL can be seen in the form of formal learning in face-to-face Collaboration. Attention need to pay for the time learners spend on these smart devices and outside the classroom. Laurillard’s definition of mobile learning incorporates the critical pedagogical design input of the teacher: “Mlearning, being the digital support of adaptive, investi- gative, communicative, collaborative, “cooperative”, and productive learning activities in remote locations, pro- poses a wide variety of environments in which the teacher can operate.” The research paper provides review within the field of Mobile Computing and Collaborative Learning using Activity theory and smart devices (SD). The E-Learning guide defines mobile learning as “any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting with or creating information mediated through a compact digital portable device that the individual carries on a regular basis, has reliable con- nectivity and fits in a pocket or purse” [1]. M-Learning actually complements E-learning. Putting the power of knowledge literally in the hands of today’s society, in particularly students by enabling them to have 24/7 access to acquire and ascertain study materials via a mobile device, takes away the constraints of always hav- ing to be in a “classroom environment” for learning to be effective. According to Social constructive learning meth- odology the learner should involve and socially connected with the contents, members and learning activities. A. Mobile Learner In mobile-learning, the two primary concepts are mo- bile people and learners. Smart learners are supported by their will of mobile-learning and objects. While learning used to be measured in hours or days, these smaller chunks of learning are now being measured in minutes [2]. This is largely due to the massive amounts of informa- tion that we are now consuming or learning just-in-time to complete our daily tasks and the approaches or techniques used by the Mobile learner today. B. Mobile Collaborative Learning Object There are many successful approaches in E-learning and one of them is introduction of Learning Objects (LO) [3, 4]. LO as an entity that should be self, interoperable, reusable, and describable, characteristics. Evolution of Learning Objects theory leads to Mobile Learning Object (MLO)[5, 6]. The inclusion of the mobile part came from the approaches of m-learning, where the primary idea is to provide learning situations using as a means of communi- cation and control mobile devices. The convergence be- tween these two paradigms has resulted in mobile learning objects. According to Quinn [3] the MLO are described as independent entities and customizable allowing extended learning activities through mobile technology in an educa- tional certain context. There are some studies where MLO does the Coordination and Collaboration among the learn- ing activity as mentioned [7]. A new and emergent area within CSCL is that of mobile computer supported col- laborative learning, MCSCL, [6] With the availability of 34 http://www.i-jim.org