The design and implementation of a meaningful learning-based evaluation method for ubiquitous learning

  • Authors:

  • Yueh-Min Huang;Po-Sheng Chiu;Tzu-Chien Liu;Tzung-Shi Chen

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan, ROC;Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan, ROC;Graduate Institute of Learning & Instruction and Center for Teacher Education, National Central University, Taiwan, No. 300, Jhong-da Rd., Jhong-li City 320, Taiwan, ROC;Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National University of Tainan, Taiwan, No. 33, Sec. 2, Shu-Lin St., Tainan City 70005, Taiwan, ROC

  • Venue:
  • Computers & Education
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

If ubiquitous learning (u-learning) is to be effectively developed and feasibly applied to education, it is necessary to evaluate its effectiveness. Yet to achieve a sound evaluation, a particular paradigm must be employed to fit the problem domain. Toward this end, the authors of this study have adopted a meaningful learning paradigm. Meaningful learning is often regarded as the ultimate learning status for a learner, regardless of the learning environment. Interestingly, several characteristics of u-learning are also linked to attributes of meaningful learning. For example, both u-learning and meaningful learning emphasize the authentic and active of the learning activity. Therefore, it is important to investigate the applicability of a meaningful learning paradigm for evaluating the efficacy of u-learning. The method proposed here evaluates u-learning along both macro and micro aspects, and in an effort to make u-learning more sustainable. By employing a case study, we demonstrate the feasibility of our approach by showing the advantages and disadvantages that are common to both u-learning and meaningful learning. Moreover, we also provide suggestions for instructors and designers so that they can promote the quality of u-learning.