Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Planning a mobile learning project ALPS Conference March 2010 Robert Campbell ecommnet - Managing Director Tamsin Treasure-Jones ALPS - Mobile Technologies Project Manager

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Be aware of the risks How to get the best out of new technology – “never be an early adopter” Understand the risks of innovation and early adoption – manage expectations Understand the speed of change in this market Build upgrades into your spending plans

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Provide structure and support Don’t assume the students are digital natives Don’t underestimate the need for early support & structure Provide multiple reasons for using the technology Be clear about the purpose and benefits of using the technology Tutors need support – consider tailored one-to-one support Use champions – with excellent communication skills

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Setting up shared IT services Identify key people (central IT) Involve them from a very early stage Keep in regular contact Doing this across 5 different institutions is very difficult! Difficulties created by varying work schedules

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Think big – start small Consider launching activity with small projects Consider starting small and building out Consider using an iterative development approach as: people have commenting on paper specifications specifications are likely to change feedback on a system in use is more meaningful Don’t underestimate the time involved in testing Desk-based testing by the developers is not enough Involve the users

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Handing over to the users Use a phased delivery approach and manage students’ and tutors’ expectations Minimise the work that the student has to do to set-up Training should involve hands-on use of the technology

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © How did we do? Identify who you will need to convince to take up the technology at the end of the project Identify the measures / outcomes that will influence key decision makers Take meaningful baseline measurements Use both qualitative and quantitative evaluation

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Where did the time go? Keep key staff involved during the gap between the bidding process and the project start Size matters - extra time involved in organisation It takes time to establish trust in a collaborative project Decision-making can take a long time in a collaborative project A central co-ordinating team can help

Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) © Have fun and keep smiling!