Proposing a new design approach for M-learning applications

As Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are developing frequently, new learning approaches have been introduced to facilitate teaching and learning processes. Mobile devices are growing in popularity and there has been an increasing interest in their potential as innovative tools for learning. Mobile learning or shortly (M-learning) is a new learning approach intending to use mobile devices such as laptops, smart phones and personal digital assistant (PDA) in learning process in any place and at any time. M-learning application needs to be designed in a way that considers the special features and constraints of mobile devices such as screen size, available storage, processor speed and battery life. This paper explores the existing design approaches for M-learning and highlights their main limitations. As a step forward in this direction, this paper also proposes a new design approach for M-learning applications focusing mainly on three main aspects: learner, learning content and technology. The approach consists of three phases: starting dimensions (SD) phase, M-learning Development (MLD) phase and Learning Content Design (LCD) phase. Finally, this paper provides a case study scenarioto demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.