mLearning on Multiple Devices: A Practical Guide #mLearnCon

Session 502 at #mLearnCon lead by Richard Clark (@rdclark) was focused on 'mLearning on Multiple Devices: A Practical Guide'. From the mLearnCon website the session guide reads:

"Unlike e-Learning on the desktop, where a couple of platforms predominate (Windows and Mac OS X), mobile platforms come in many different forms with differing programming requirements and user interfaces. Unless a developer is going to go for a simplistic “lowest common denominator” approach, he or she will have to find a way to create, test, and maintain the same application on multiple platforms."

Image from Judy Breck

On revisiting my notes for this session they are a little jumbled and scrappy, but here's the best of what I can transcribe in what appears to be doctor-like handwriting:

Key Questions to think about before diving in to mLearning:

1. Comfort level with technology
   
   
   • You?
   • The learners?
   • You will need to provide some kind of introduction and/or a concierge service to coach users
     
     
2. Approach
   
   
   • Direct instruction, performance support, gateway to existing, intro docs then link out to videos
     
     
3. On-line vs. off-line (+ sync issues)
   
   
4. Range of devices
   
   
   • You may find you have to knock plans back to the lowest device you know you'll encounter
     
     
5. Fidelity to device convention

Richard mentioned checking out Instapaper - online / offline reading app for iPhone and iPad

Development Options 1:

• Front-end / Back-end
  
  
  • common data, built-in viewer
  • common data, custom viewer
    
    
• Cross Platform
  
  
  • lowest common denominator
  • no common denominator

If you develop on Mac and test with iPhone / iPad simulators you're probably 90% towards working on all devices.

If you are going to go with cross platform be sure not to favor the logic of one OS over another.

Development Options 2:

• html5 + javascript
• html + graphics + javascript.

Tools:

• Appcelerator: great analytics embedded in the framework, lots of data on use / access of your users
  
  
  • logic in javascript + user interface in html
    
    
• Rhomobile logic in Ruby, programmatic UI in Ruby

Testing:

• Unit testing using javascript, with program for bug tracking,
  
  
• Simulator-based testing - with user interface testing product eggPlant (from Testplant)
  
  
  • Automated test protocol which saves lots of time and frustration
    
    
• Remote device testing - perfecto mobile
  
  
• Manual testing vs. VNC-based tools

@Schnicker