Context‐aware and LBS learning systems using ubiquitous teaching assistant (u‐TA): A case study for service‐learning courses

Abstract

A ubiquitous teaching assistant (u-TA) system is developed using software agent techniques to facilitate teaching purposes and often used for a virtual classroom or virtual laboratory. In these kinds of virtual learning environments, u-TA is often used to assist learners by using desktop computers or laptops. With the development of u-learning, u-TA should consist of good mobility for guiding students and answering students' questions on mobile handheld devices. Therefore, the mobility of u-TA should be enhanced. This study proposes a system that uses the u-TA framework to construct a context-aware and location-based service (LBS) guiding system to introduce the essence of Service-Learning courses to students and help them browse the content of the course resources on campus. We gave a case study for using our proposed system to promote the Service-Learning courses in Feng Chia University, Taiwan. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system. The experimental results show that the proposed system can help students enhance understanding on Service-Learning courses in school and encourage students to participate in these curricula.

Location-Based Learning through Augmented Reality

“…AR can be utilized to create rich information applications by using the geographical position of a mobile device. Researchers have designed applications to provide students learning content based on their real-time locations (Dow & Huang, 2011;Novak, Wang, & Callaghan, 2012).…”

Design and Development of a Platform for a Ubiquitous Calculus Teaching Assistant

“…The availability of wireless broadband, third-generation mobile Internet, and relevant mobile devices (i.e., smartphones and tablet computers) combine to form a diverse mobile learning environment. Recently, numerous researchers worldwide have used satellite positioning, Bluetooth networks, third-generation mobile Internet, Wi-Fi Internet, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), and Google Map technologies to develop network-learning systems that can track the location of learners and actively provide information that is suitable for their ability overcoming barriers to ubiquitous learning [4], [5]. Several researchers have emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge and personal experiences, participating in cooperative learning and interactive activities through ubiquitous mobile learning applications, and providing correct and useful information to maximize the effectiveness of ubiquitous mobile learning environments [6]- [8].…”