The Use of Activity-Oriented Design Methods (AODM) to Guide the Design of Mobile Application for Distance Education Students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology Theme: Reshaping methodologies and techniques for institutional research Theme: Reshaping methodologies and techniques for institutional research Dr Leena Kloppers and Mr Joseph Gandanhamo

Problem Statement Though the Distance Education centre (COLL) at NUST provides the students with the flexibility they need to study and provides a tutorial support system to support the distance students, the distance students perform poorly compared to on-campus students

Problem Statement (contd.) Though all the distance education students at COLL have cell phones, and its role to support distance education students has been documented (Kloppers, 2015), its potential as a tutorial support tool beyond contacting tutors and sending SMS notifications has not been explored.

Objectives of the Study Identify the constraints of the tutorial support system for distance students Identify the system requirements for a mobile app which addresses those constraints

Activity-Oriented Design Method (AODM) Grounded in human-computer systems design research with emphasis on user input and development of useful technologies (Greenhow and Belbas, 2007). Provides researchers with a step-by-step approach which allows for the application of the theory into practice and an analytical tool for studying human activities in the context in which it takes place. By applying this approach, evidence-based insights can be provided for the mobile app designers.

Methodology and Methods Exploratory case study Online questionnaires 218 responses from 1000

Stage 1: Model the situation being examined

Stage 2: Produce an Activity System of the situation Activity System of the tutorial support system

Stages 3 and 4: Decompose the situations Activity System and Generate Research Questions Sub-activity triangle focused on Generation of sub-activity oriented questions Subject-Tool-Object How do the face-to-face tutorials and individual tutoring sessions help the student learn well and pass assessments? Subject-Rules-Object How does the rule of contacting tutors for support and attending face-to-face tutorials help the students learn well and pass assessments? Subject-Division of Labour-Object How does the support provided by the tutors influence the students to learn well and pass assessments? Community-Tool-Object How effective are the face-to-face tutorials and individual tutorials in helping the students learn well and pass assessments? Community-Rules-Object How do the rules of contacting the tutors and attending face-to-face tutorials impact the assistance tutors can give to help students learn well and pass assessments? Community-Division of Labour-Object How does the support provided by the regional coordinators for the face-to-face tutorials impact students’ ability to learn well and pass assessments?

Subject-Tool-Object How do the face-to-face tutorials and individual tutoring sessions help the student learn well and pass assessments?

Stage 5: Conduct a Detailed Investigation Subject-Tool-Object

Stage 5: Conduct a Detailed Investigation (contd.) Contradictions are one of the key principles of Activity Theory. According to Mwanza-Simwami (2009), contradictions are identified when the results of the activity analysis do not match with desired outcomes the subjects are interacting with the tools or other members of the community result of rules and regulations that restrict the subjects from achieving their objective Contradictions in activity systems are seen as agents of change and development (Engeström, 1987)

Contradiction in Subject-Tool-Object sub-activity triangle How do the face-to-face tutorials and individual tutoring sessions help the student learn well and pass assessments? Primary Contradiction 2: Tutors are not always available

Stage 5: Conduct a Detailed Investigation

Functions of Mobile App Provide a platform for communication and interaction which is not bound by time and place Increase time and quality of interaction between students and tutors and between students Reduce delays in response from tutors Provide two way communication Eliminate late notifications of changes to tutorials

Mobile App Design Process Target Deployment Platform Back-End Design User Interface Design

References Engeström, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit. Kloppers, L. (2015). Investigating the potential of cell phones in distance education-A Polytechnic of Namibia case study (unpublished doctoral dissertation). Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK. Greenhow, C., & Belbas, B. (2007). Using activity-oriented design methods to study collaborative knowledge- building in e-learning courses within higher education. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 2(4), 363-391. Mwanza-Simwami, D. (2009). Using activity-oriented design methods (AODM) to investigate mobile learning. In G. Vavoula, N. Pachler, & A. Kukulska-Hulme (Eds.), Researching mobile learning: Frameworks, tools, and research designs (pp. 97-121). Berne, Switzerland: Peter Lang.

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