Athabasca University's Innovation in Mobile and Flexible Learning: From M-Library to Mobile ESL presented at the 2008 International Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare and Higher Education in Las Vegas, NV, November 17-21, 2008

Colin and I have presented our paper entitled “Athabasca University’s Innovation in Mobile and Flexible Learning: From M-Library to Mobile ESL” on the 21st of November, 2008. The paper is very well received by the audiences. We have more than 15 audiences to attend our presentation. In our presentation, we have covered the following topics: AU support for mobile learning, AU mobile library project, AU mobile ESL project, AU mobile workplace project, challenges and future direction for AU mobile learning projects. We have received positive comments from the audience. They are interested in our innovative mobile learning technologies, especially the auto-detect function for mobile devices. They would like to know if AU can make the source codes available for their project use under the Creative Common Licenses. In addition, we have also generated some interesting discussions with regard to the use of voice recognition for accent reduction. Overall, The audiences have provided favorable response to our presentation. They are impressed with our mobile learning project. They are looking forwarded to reviewing the outcome of our pilot testing which will be held in January, 2009. We see this conference as a good opportunity for us to promote our institution and showcase AU’s excellence in mobile learning research and scholarship.With the rapid evolution of technology today, distance education is about to shift to Mobile learning where e-learning materials are being delivered through mobile devices. Wireles and mobile technology provides flexibility: in time and location of study; in availability of information and resources; and in forms of communication. Our University has initiated a Mobile Library (M-library) project. Due to the success of the M-library, our library has continued to innovate and support our students on mobile devices. The mobile ESL (English as a Second Language) website allows students to read lessons and then do exercises that provide instant feedback. This project is expanding further with a new Workplace English website that will bring richer multimedia (video/audio) content to mobile devices such as the iPhone. Making resources and lessons available to increasingly popular mobile devices ensures that we will be able to meet the growing demand for flexibility from our students.Academic & Professional Development Fund (A&PDF