CrowdSMILE: A Crowdsourcing-based Social and Mobile Integrated System for Learning by Exploration

Abstract

Lifelong Learning (LLL) can be enabled by Personal Learning Environments (PLEs), which are usually composed of a mixed set of loosely coupled tools, applications and systems. In such a mixed environment, managing learning content across the PLE can often be challenging and lead to disorganized content and as such, makes content reuse difficult while also possibly causing learners to lose content over time. In this paper, we propose an integrated system, called CrowdSMILE, using web, social and mobile technologies to provide a unified system that allows for easy organization, accessing, and reuse of learning content within a social and collaborative environment to support LLL. Content in the CrowdSMILE system is authored and organized by crowdsourcing the task to users of a Social Networking Service (SNS) platform. The learning content will then be organized according to location-based contexts so that any learner may easily find and retrieve it. Content may then be searched and accessed via an outdoor exploratory activity using a mobile phone application that employs an intuitive mobile augmented reality (MAR) user interface. The system usability of the CrowdSMILE is evaluated by applying the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ). The results show that the proposed system received high scores throughput which indicates positive attitude and usability of the proposed CrowdSMILE system.