SCORM Player WP7: a Software Solution for Review and Presentation of the Learning Content on Mobile Devices Milos Bogdanovic 1 , Leonid Stoimenov 1 1 University of Niš, Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Aleksandra Medvedeva 14, 18000 Niš, Serbia Abstract – The purpose of this paper is to present a portable pocket PCs, MP3 players, etc. [1]. M- software solution we have developed in order to enable learning is characterized by spatial independence. download, review and presentation of the learning Also, this type of learning is adapted to the way of content on mobile devices. This Windows Phone 7 life in urban areas where the number of mobile solution, named SCORM Player WP7, uses SCORM device users increases on daily bases. Thus, the reference model because of its ability to provide the benefits of m-learning lie in taking advantage of user transfer of learning content from one system to capabilities including user mobility (user can access another, storing, sharing and reuse of the learning data anytime, anywhere), content exchange and content. Application development is based on the usage collaborating with other users. of Microsoft .NET C # programming language and modern technologies such as the Silverlight. The development of new methodologies in learning leads to emerging of new questions and Keywords – e-learning, m-learning, software, SCORM. problems which need to be solved. Although learning management systems (LMS) offer various possibilities, the most commonly used functionality 1. Introduction of these systems is a static visualization of the learning content. Future development should provide E-learning, distance learning, e-education and an answer to the question of how to increase the other related concepts are now widely used both in efficiency of learning e.g. how to deploy interactive formal education (primary, secondary, tertiary), and and intelligent features that will make the learning in non-formal education (learning while working, process more advanced in achieving knowledge? retraining for new jobs, etc.). These terms are used to Moreover, there are still major problems in the form refer to “a particular form of learning with the use of of merging and linking learning content from information and communication technology, different sources, methods of creating content that especially computers and the Internet, where users can be reused and separated from each other, access content independently without spatial and/or methods of creating vendor-independent and temporal constraints” [1]. In order to improve the e- technology-independent content. learning process, computer network, as well as different types of satellite and mobile networks, In order to make the learning process, such as m- interactive TV etc., can be used for user interaction learning, successful, it is necessary to introduce and information delivery. Communication appropriate standards to ensure the quality of the technologies thus enable the use of electronic mail, management, transmission, organization and control discussion groups and systems for collaborative of information and knowledge, as an end product of learning. the learning process. In this paper we will present a short analysis of Sharable Content Object Reference Ongoing progress in the development of Model (SCORM) standard that answers the question communication technology such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, of how to create and structure educational content, wireless LAN and global wireless technologies how to develop software solutions in which these (GPS, GSM, GPRS, 3G) is providing new activities occur and how they can be managed in the capabilities to users. Once combined with mobile learning process. The reason for this analysis and the devices, these technologies have led towards the main contribution which will be presented in this creation of mobile learning or m-learning as one of paper is the development of mobile phone the e-learning sub-areas. This type of learning is application which enables users to download, store present in cases when knowledge is distributed using and visualize SCORM packages. mobile devices such as smart mobile phones, 226 TEM Journal – Volume 1 / Number 4 / 2012
2. E-Learning Standards institutions; this institution emphasizes two goals: Standards play an integral role in the development o defining technical standards for the of software applications. They ensure interoperability interoperability of applications and and integration of systems and indicate a certain level services in distributed learning of software maturity. This is the case with the environments, and development of learning materials and learning o providing support for the usage of management systems also. Until the emergence of IMS specifications within different standards, learning materials were often tightly products and services worldwide coupled to the LMS. Because of this, generated • Aviation Industry CBT (Computer Based materials could not be reused on other systems so e- learning systems had to be acquired from a single Training) Committee (AICC), www.aicc.org vendor in entirety. In this type of development – founded in 1988, this committee represents one of the earliest attempts at introducing e- environment, learning materials were developed separately which resulted in lack of possibility to learning standards. Although primarily integrate materials from different sources or move focused on the needs of the aviation industry, AICC has led to the development of a materials from one system to another. particular learning specification named The main goal of the standardization of e-learning Computer Managed Instruction (CMI), which is widely used. process is to develop standardized data model and standardized educational content structure which will enable the usage of the generated materials regardless Often, some of these organizations collaborate with other companies to promote standards for of the tools used for their creation and the environments in which they are used. It is necessary electronic learning technologies. All proposals to ensure that the e-learning content is easy to find, generated as an output of the efforts of these reuse and transfer between different systems. This organizations is submitted to the designated necessity raises a question - how to ensure the standards body IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (IEEE LTSC). Based on the creation of learning content according to the specifications which ensure the reusability of the received proposals, the IEEE LTSC tries to develop learning content and its exchangeability between specifications and industry standards, which are then submitted to ISO for formal internationalization. different learning management systems? In this context, the usage of standards in the field of e- Eventually, some of these proposals become learning is essential in preventing the situation where accredited standards [2]. Prominent researches in the area of e-learning learning content becomes unusable for a number of reasons: a software company has left the market, content standardization indicate that the work of incompatibilities between tools used to create various standards organizations has resulted in two prominent e-learning standards [3]: SCORM Content learning content and LMS used to manage it etc. Hierarchy and AICC Content Hierarchy [4]. The There are currently few standards used for the SCORM Content Hierarchy consists of content aggregations, shareable content objects (SCO) and exchange of educational content between platforms which manage the process of learning and assets, whereas the AICC Content Hierarchy consists appropriate software tools used for content creation. of courses, instructional blocks and assignable units These standards are developed by different (AU) [3]. Therefore, SCOs and AUs can be observed international organizations and institutions. as the digital learning objects in these standards [3]. • Advance Distributed Learning (ADL) 3. SCORM Initiative, www.adlnet.org – an organization founded in 1997 by the U.S. government SCORM can be generically described as a set of with the support of the Ministry of Defense technical standards for e-learning software [5]. Since with the aim of providing high-quality SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object educational materials adapted to individual Reference Model, it can be observed as a reference user needs and available anytime, anywhere. model for shared content objects. Shared content • IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS objects indicate that SCORM deals with creating and GLC), www.imsproject.org – international manipulating shared units of online training materials institution whose members are government that can be recycled and used in different systems members, financial and educational and contexts. A reference model is something that TEM Journal – Volume 1 / Number 4 / 2012. 227
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