Going Mobile – The University of Northampton approach to supporting

mobile access to the VLE and other key systems

Rob Howe

The University of Northampton

Nov 2012

Drivers

Why mobile?

– Strategic planning and pedagogy

– Marketing

– Demand?

Challenges or opportunities?

Why not?

1.Inclusion (device and connectivity)

2.Accessibility (choice, personalisation, control)

3.Usability and training

See the Learntech blog for more on this

What are the needs?

Different audiences (students, staff, prospects)

What’s possible?

• In-house or external?

Choosing a supplier

Major updates to Apple and Android Mobile OS, Jan 2010 – Mar 2012Add in Blackberry and Mobile Web versions to this…

Choosing a supplier

• ‘Most of the people, most of the time’... Audiences, platforms and the pace of change

• Creating learning opportunities

• Works ‘out of the box’ and customisable

• Cost

Creating a one-stop shop

Jpg files Flickr Youtube

Marketing

Talis integration

LibrarySystems

Blackboard Learn

LearnTech

Course info

Staff directory

Events listings

News feeds

Web team

Mobile web page

CIS (Timetabling)

Creating mobile learning opportunities

• Putting Mobile Learn through its paces

– Lots of in-house testing

– Blackboard support resources

– Getting help from external experts

Creating mobile learning opportunities

• Introducing Mobile Learn to staff

– course design considerations

– support resources

– inspiration / case studies: http://bit.ly/uonmobileart

Launch & promotion

Welcome weekend (21st and 22nd September 2011)

• Print marketing

– Posters

– Door hangers

– Stands

• Web promotion

– University website

– Blackboard

– Facebook

– Twitter

Is it working? Measuring adoption

3178 unique users of Mobile Learn (≈32.5% of downloads)

Over 22,700 logins to date

Analytics:

1000 downloads of iNorthampton one week after launch

Around 14,000 downloads to date

Is it working? Feedback from users

• Twitter (#iNorthampton)• Email• Blog• Spot surveys• Focus groups• Pilots

Can access NILE when ever I need to and if I need to

check something quickly I can do. Also comes in handy

if can’t see properly in lectures as can bring them

up on my phone.

Can access NILE when ever I need to and if I need to

check something quickly I can do. Also comes in handy

if can’t see properly in lectures as can bring them

up on my phone.

@UniNorthants now have their own app. Snazzy.

@UniNorthants now have their own app. Snazzy.

Am not tryna gas but thank God for the Northampton app because now I left my timetable at home, I would have been lost.

Am not tryna gas but thank God for the Northampton app because now I left my timetable at home, I would have been lost.

Bloody good idea!Bloody good idea!Being able to post

via a mobile means work in progress can be recorded in situ

and shared spontaneously.

Being able to post via a mobile means

work in progress can be recorded in situ

and shared spontaneously.

Recent Student Update (Oct 2012)

• Based on 295 responses from new students during induction October 2012.

• 82% own a smartphone (4% are planning to get one this year).

• 35% had used the app within the first 3 weeks of starting. (31% of these students indicated that it influenced their choice of University !) – more (and earlier) promotion needed ?

• Timetables, Maps and access to the VLE were the most popular elements at this stage.

Top five tips

1. Identify needs (and decide which ones you can meet)

2. Bring together a project team with range of experience

3. Find a provider who can satisfy the immediate need and

provide extensions for the future (SDKs)

4. The app stores are your friends (?)

5. Stay in the loop

Questions?

Contact details:

Rob Howe

Rob.Howe@northampton.ac.uk

01604 892483

Access the presentation:http://www.slideshare.net/LTatUoN/going-mobile-15409460

References etc.

Useful links

•More about the iNorthampton project:http://www.northampton.ac.uk/mobile

•Guidelines on accessibility for the mobile web:http://www.w3.org/Mobile/ 

•TechDis on mobile learning: http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/techdis/investinyourself/freeresources/accessiblemobilelearning

•Traxler, J. (2010) “Students and mobile devices.” ALT-J Research in Learning Technology [online] 18.2, p149-160. Available from: http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/10759 [Accessed 10th February 2012]

•More info on JADU MyAPI (presentation by Steve Martin): http://speakerdeck.com/u/s2martin/p/inorthampton-and-jadu

Image credits

•Photography by Rob Farmer, University of Northampton

•3d characters from http://www.canstockphoto.com/3pod

With thanks to Julie Usher (Solutions Engineer, Bb Mobile) for original work on this presentation