Information services provider McGraw-Hill Companies, US, and technology solutions provider Wipro, India, have announced that both companies will work together to develop 'mConnect', an open-standard mobile learning platform designed to bridge the skills gap in emerging markets.
Initial pilots in India will focus on test preparation for entrance into universities and English-language training, seen as an increasingly essential skill in the global economy. The aim is to extend this programme later to other countries in Asia and in Africa.
mConnect will offer low-income, rural or otherwise underserved students and workers personalised, adaptive education and assessment programmes that can provide direct feedback in multiple modalities through cell phones, laptops and other mobile devices. For English language training students, for example, mConnect will provide opportunities to hear conversations, review new vocabulary delivered via SMS and get personalised instruction that customises the pace and presentation of material to match their learning needs.
India is seen to provide an important development ground for mConnect. The country is observed to be home to a growing, young workforce hungry for access to high-quality education to improve their career prospects. According to mobileyouth.org, by 2012, one in five of all mobile phones in use worldwide will be owned by a young person in India. Currently, one hundred million mobile phones are owned by youth in rural areas, who use them an average of 5.5 hours per day.
Specifically, mobile learning offers the ability to bring learning directly to the student, thereby bridging the geographic distances between students and their schools. It is also said to allow learners to study anywhere and at anytime, improving their ability to balance work and study. Also, it seeks to personalise and customise instruction by providing a means for teachers to provide relevant, individualised feedback to every student according to his or her ability to receive it both personally and technically. Further, mobile learning is seen to encourage feedback and early intervention by teachers; centralise curricula and ensure that content is continually updated; and create a more engaging, interactive experience, which has been shown to foster better learning outcomes.
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