Introduction

The QR Cache project was developed as a direct response to explicitly stated stakeholder needs at CNA-Q and in the State of Qatar.  Learners have expressed a desire to see more integration of their own mobile devices (Warraich & Dahlstrom, 2012).  CNA-Q has expressed a desire to increase innovative ICT use to promote blended learning (CNA-Q, 2011).  Employers have expressed a desire to integrate mLearning approaches to deliver just-in-time, situated learning for both technical and workplace English training.  The current infrastructural context allows research to focus on pedagogical elements, as opposed to technical barriers (MacLeod, 2011; Metodieava, 2012; Nagy, 2012; Warraich & Dahlstrom, 2012).  This research will contribute to the growing understanding of mLearning issues by examining “what… the various pedagogies (and their cultures and epistemologies) look like once [we’ve] removed the infrastructural and technical barriers” (J. Traxler, personal communication, April 13, 2012).  The QR Cache project uses a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach to explore the iterative development of mobile RLOs to meet stakeholder needs.  TDT (Moore, 1989, 1991) and Koole’s (2009) FRAME model are used to guide the RLO design process, and to evaluate their pedagogical effectiveness. 

The first phase involved the development of a set of mobile RLOs to be used by English Foreign Language (EFL) students enrolled in CNA-Q’s Technical Preparatory Program (TPP).  The RLOs were accessed using learners’ own mobile devices by scanning Quick Response (QR) codes, and were used to learn English computer hardware terminology.  Participants have shown a positive response to the situated mLearning strategy.  It is hoped that future iterations of the QR Cache project will lead to increased adoption of mobile RLOs by college instructors and in the Qatari workplace, as well as to the development of a comprehensive mLearning strategy at CNA-Q.  It is also hoped that future iterations will lead to an increased understanding of how mobile RLOs can improve student engagement and learning by reducing transactional distance and increasing activity between students, content, their peers, and technology itself.  Lessons learned from this, and future iterations of the QR Cache project will be used to help develop a practical mobile RLO design checklist, grounded in applicable learning theory, that can guide instructors in the development of effective mLearning activities and resources.

Background Information: What is mLearning? What is a Mobile RLO? What is a QR Code?  Conceptual Framework Research Questions The QR Cache Project Poster

Main Project Links

• Home
• About the Researcher
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction / Project Overview
• Brief Literature Review
• RLO Design Methodology
• Research Methodology
• Results
• Discussion
• Next Steps?
• References
• DIY Starter Kit