From an e-Learning platform to m-Learning environments: Design issues and guidelines

Mobile learning is a field in which considerable research results have been presented, regarding the network and middleware infrastructure, terminal devices, content management, user modelling and pedagogical aspects. In this paper, an overview of important and converging principles and guidelines that refer to m-Learning systems design and evaluation, as interrelated in particular with the learning application/content, user modelling and pedagogical/instructional factors triad is presented. We propose an m-Learning design methodology that integrates the mobile user model criteria and attributes into a generic instructional development framework that we have devised in the SLIM-VRT E.U. research project. Our methodology is formulated as regards in particular ubiquitous learning systems development in support of professionals' life long learning and on the job training needs.