M-LEARNING FOR TRAINING ENGLISH AT WORKPLACE

The poster describes the research project that contributes to Qatar National Vision 2030 by investigating the use of a mobile learning approach to train Qatar residents on workplace English so they can become more effective when communicating in the workplace. Training Qatar residents in English language skills will prepare them for the global workforce and allow them to communicate more effectively in English so they can become more competitive globally. This project is timely since there is limited research on the use of mobile technology in training and education. The project will break new ground toward understanding ways in which mobile devices can be used to train employees in the workplace in Qatar. The target audience for this project is oil and gas employees.
In an attempt to address this issue, the project has achieved the following objectives:
(1) Determine ways in which the use of m-learning can deliver English language training for the oil and gas industry workers so they can improve their efficiency.
(2) Investigate the effective use of learning object repositories in m-learning.
(3) Develop, deliver, and evaluate a pilot model of m-learning objects based on a module of English content used for training by Qatar Petroleum (QP) instructors.
(4) Evaluate the extent to which workers using mobile devices improve their work efficiency when compared to those workers who did not use the mobile approach.
(5) Determine ways in which the m-learning model for English training as suggested in this study can transfer to other industries.
This innovative research is a collaborative project between Qatar University, and the Corporate Training Department at Qatar Petroleum-QP. The English content that is delivered via mobile devices trains oil and gas workers on English Grammar, how to listen and interpret different workplace situations, and drill and practice on oil and gas terminologies.
The use of learning objects can make the learning process more dynamic since instructors and learners will be able to build an instructional plan at any moment by selecting and assembling learning objects from a repository. Instant assembly of learning experiences would facilitate just-in-time learning and training. In addition, students with different learning styles can choose learning objects to cater their individual needs. From a developmental point of view, different authors and develop different learning objects, since learning objects are independent and standalone. Furthermore, each learning object can be revised without affecting other learning objects.
To provide flexibility in the mobile delivery method, this research project involved in developing learning objects and store in electronic repositories for subjects to access the learning materials. Research has also looked at the adaptation of content for m-learning using learning objects and creating appropriate metadat. Learning object metadata for mobile devices is also the subject of research in Europe and Asia. The initial set of characteristics for learning objects that will be developed for this research will be given in poster.