The Personalization Challenge: Context and Culture Metadata for Mobile Learning In this keynote, we addressed m-learning adaptation based on a standardized context description. The context description contains cultural, organization and individual factors as a base for adaptable and adaptive systems. This is used on the openscout project which is about adaptation of learning resources also in the international context.

1. The Personalization Challenge:
Context and Culture Metadata for
Mobile Learning
Prof. Dr. Jan M. Pawlowski
Keynote Speech, MMS / MKWI 2012
March 2012

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3. …Jyväskylä, Finland…
Source: [http://www.jyu.fi/, http://www.jyvaskyla.fi/]

4. Global Information Systems, University of Jyväskylä
(JYU) - The Team
Denis Kozlov
Kati Clements Philipp Holtkamp
Henri Pirkkalainen
Jan M. Pawlowski
My background
Ph.D. Business Information Systems, University of Essen
Habilitation ―Quality Management / Integration of Knowledge
Management and E-Learning‖
Professor in ―Global Information Systems‖
Chair CEN/ISSS Workshop Learning Technologies
ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 Project Editor

5. JYU: Global Information Systems
Focus areas Projects
Global Information Systems OpenScout: OER for
Supporting globally distributed Management
workgroups TELMAP: Technology
Open Educational Resources Forecasting
Reference Modeling NORDLET: Nordic Baltic
Network for Learning,
Education and Training
E-Learning
COSMOS, Open Science
Supporting international Resources: Exchange of
education settings Scientific Content
Cultural adaptation ASPECT: Open Content
Standardization & Quality and standards for schools
Management iCOPER: New standards for
Mobile & Ambient Learning educational technologies
Innovative tools and solutions LaProf: Language learning
in ICT and agriculture

6. What is context all about…?

7. Sauna: German instructions

8. Sauna: American instructions

9. Sauna: Finnish instructions

10. M-Learning around the world…

11. Where is m-learning going…?
Mobile devices: Smart phones, tablets
– New forms of flexible, 24/7 accessible learning
– Multi-modal scenarios (touchscreens, movements,
haptic feedback, …)
– Adoption: high
Learning apps
– Specialized learning applications (eg vocabulary
training, …
– New business models
– Adoption: low
Mobile access to social networks
– Learning aspects in social networks
– Connection of leisure, work and learning
– New forms of informal learning
– International collaborations
– Adoption: high

12. Where is m-learning going…?
Personal Learning Environments
– Adaptable / adaptive learning scenarios
including mobile devices / scenarios
– Tailored to individuals’ needs
– Adoption: medium-high
Location based scenarios
– Contents and services based on the location
(eg library services, lecture notes in
auditorium, …)
– People identification (eg fellow learners)
– Adoption: low-medium
Augmented reality
– Embedding (situative) learning applications in
real contexts
– Learning about objects, scenarios, places
– Learning in real world scenarios
– Adoption: very low

13. The challenges
Applications should be usable… Adaptation
– …on different devices
– …in different contexts
– …for different preferences
Current main approaches
Convergence
– Content adaptation to devices / screen
size
– Context adaptation to location Integration
– Some adaptation to user behaviour
Necessary to understand the context
– External aspects / factors influencing a
learning situation
No current standards or specifications, only for
parts (learner preferences, device
specifications, protocols)!
So what is context?
How can we capture context?

14. Some context categories
Places
– Coordinates
– Landscape
– Artefacts
– Noise level
– …
People
– Location
– Interests
– Purpose
– …
Culture
– Organization
– Ethnic (region, country,
origin, …)
The context contains factors
which influence m-learning
scenarios but are not directly
influenced by the design
process
– External
– Long-term

15. What is needed?
A clear description and representation of the context to
– Allow adaptable and adaptive solutions
– Allow re-use of context descriptions in different systems
and environments
Consensus process amongst experts
– Researchers (what are the influence factors and how do
they influence design processes?)
– Practitioners: designers, developers, users, …
– Learners, educators
Instruments
– Free text descriptions
– Formal models
– Ontologies
– Metadata
– …
– Standards

16. Metadata specification process
Include stakeholders
Define possible metadata candidates
Reduce
Negotiate and agree
Test and validate
Improve
Many specifications, many candidates, no
clear understanding yet…

17. Context Metadata (Pawlowski,
Richter, 2007)
Internet Culture Demographical
security development
Learner
Religion
satisfaction
Geography &
Technical
education
infrastructure
infrastructure
Information &
Companies
Knowledge Rights
Rules,
standards and
Systems History
agreements
Human actors Politics
Financial State of
aspects Media richness development

18. Contextualized Attention Metadata (CAM)
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/camschema/

19. Our approach
Action in the CEN
Workshop Learning
Technologies
(European
Standardization Body)
Based on
– Context Metadata
– Contextualized
Attention Metadata
Application / guidance
for M-Learning

20. European Initiatives:
OpenScout
Continuous learning in management …
Development of management skills essential
Growing need for learning materials
– Diverse topics, up-to-date, high-quality, inexpensive
– Easy to access, skill-specific, adaptable, re-usable
Open educational management content available, but
many usage barriers
… utilizing openly accessible learning materials
Easy-to-use web services to access open content
Support all phases of using open learning materials
Validate
Re-use / Validate
Search re- Re-publish
adapt solution
usability
20

21. Background: OpenScout project
Creating access to OER for business and management
– Adaptation for multi-national and multi-cultural use
– Tool and resource recommendation based on a
metadata specification
– Providing interfaces to mobile search and to mobile
contents
Portal at learn.openscout.net
– Single access point for business and management
content
– Finding learning materials around the globe
– Providing simple tools to use and adapt these
materials
– Creating a social environment where communities
can collaborate
– Integrating the services and tools to existing
solutions of organizations (LMSs, KMSs, Social
networks etc.)
21

22. Background: OpenScout project
M-Learning @ OpenScout
– Finding M-Learning contents
– Identifying adaptation needs by
using the context and culture
specification
M-Learning Opportunities
– Access to OpenScout repository
using iOS application
– Embedding widgets in mobile
PLE
– Social network discourse
(facebook, linkedin, twitter)
22

23. Raw specification input
Candidate metadata models for
– Culture
– Organizations
– Individuals
– Technologies
– Situations
– Problems
–…
What do you consider as useful? Which context
attributes have you used? Which aspects should
be cut?

24. Specification: Culture
General General profile Name, Creator, Date of creation, Type
description (organizational, individual, national)
General: References to other Vcard reference, LIP reference, e-
Reference profiles portfolio reference, Europass-
reference, other references
Culture: General Description of the Society type, individualism,
cultural context masculinity, power distance, rituals,
language, gender differences,
behavioral norms,
Culture: Legal Description of legal Intellectual property rights, internet
background security
Culture: Historical influences Historical milestones, symbols, heroes
Historical
Culture: Political Political situation Political system, parties, persons
Culture: Religion Influence of religion System, confession, group, religious
leaders, influence on society
Culture: Status of development Infrastructure, GNP
Development

25. Specification: Individual aspects
Individual: Individual attributes Competences, educational
General preferences, media preferences,
accessibility requirements, devices,
…
Individual: Culture related Country visits, situations, conflicts,
Experiences experiences attitudes, cases
Individual: Description of Common pedagogical approaches,
Educational educational teaching style, relation to teachers /
preferences fellow learners, group work
Individual: Description of Electronic communication, face to
Communication communication face communication, communication
preferences in groups, feedback preferences
Individual: Description of mobile Device name, operating systems,
Mobile device attributes language,
Individual: Social interactions Reference to CAM (attention
Behavior metadata) records
Individual: Situations in which the Environment, location, actors, noise
Situation context is used level, connectivity, …

26. Using the Spec: M-Learning Design Implications
Culture: General Didactical design Adaptation / change of didactic
Mobile interface design strategy (depending on collaboration
Mobile devices patterns, preferences)
Collaboration Adaption towards cultural preferences
(colors), language, terminology
Acceptance / trends of mobile devices
in different countries / cultures
Adaptation of how people
communicate and collaborate (e.g.
Metadata Influences on M-Learning different communication paths, group
Sample adaptation steps
Design work strategies)
Culture: Mobile devices Identification which devices are
Development Mobile interface design available / usable (e.g. bandwidth,
Mobility connection types, networks)
Which locations can be used for mobile
scenarios
Organizational: Mobility Adaptation based on aspects such as
Technical network speed, bandwidth, operating
systems,
Adaptation where and for whom mobile
devices are used

27. Using the Spec: M-Learning Design Implications
Individual: Didactical Adaptation of learning strategy according to
Educational Communication and preferences (e.g. individual vs group learning,
collaboration learning style, …)
Mobility Adaptation where mobile scenarios take place
Individual: Communication and Provision of preferred communication tools
Communication collaboration (e.g. social network, messenger used by
Didactical learner)
Different communication networks and paths
Adaptation of social interaction
Individual: Mobile Mobile interface design Adaptation to operating system and device
Mobility characteristics
Media types Adaptation of contents according to display size
Adaptation of mobile scenarios according to
available location-based services
Adaptation of media according to available
display options
Localization to preferred language
Individual: Behavior Collaboration and Adaptation based on previous (successful)
communication scenarios
Didactical Collaboration with previous learning partners
Mobility Recommendation of contents
Individual: Situation Mobility Adaptation based on situation of media types
Collaboration and (e.g. no audio in noisy environments, no
communication graphics in bright sunlight)
Didactical Adaptation of collaboration depending which
potential collaborators are available near the
learner or online

28. Using the Spec: Culture Profiles
Culture Profile Instance
(Nation / Region)
Learner Profile E-Portfolio / ELM
•Identification Culture Profile Instance •Organizations
•Goals Instantiation
(Group) •Identification
•Qualifications •Resources
•Activities
Culture Profile •Products
•… Instance (Actor) •…
•…
Culture Profile •Experience 1: Study
Specification Netherlands Contains
•General •Experience 2: Project Characteristic
•Reference Korea
•Educational •Native Culture: Germany
•Culture •…
•Communication
•…
Contains
Product
Presentation
Defined Culture
Competencies
INLOC
•Competency description
•Evidence
•…

29. Summary
Context metadata are necessary to design
adaptable / adaptive systems
Context metadata are useful for design
processes
Many aspect covered, not all explored fully
(e.g. cultural adaptation)
More research necessary for automatic
adaptation
Forthcoming standardization will lead to a
broad consensus process

30. Join the process!
Let’s discuss 

31. Contact Information
Prof. Dr. Jan M. Pawlowski
jan.pawlowski@jyu.fi
Skype: jan_m_pawlowski
Office:
Telephone +358 50 443 2389
http://users.jyu.fi/~japawlow