Presenters: Sophie Sturup (Urban PLanning and Design) & Hai-Ning Liang (Computer Science and Software Engineering)

Key words: Mobile learning, Guided exploratory site visits

In this presentation, we describe our experiences with the design, development, and deployment of a mobile learning (m-learning) application for urban planning and architecture students. M-learning is gathering significant pace and can have a big impact for learning and teaching environments in the next decade. The m-learning tool is intended to encourage students to experience, observe and critique aspects of the city Suzhou as part of their formal and informal learning, especially outside of the classroom. In this project we are also exploring how to use an app to bring hands-on learning to students in a large class and promote active learning both within the class and beyond. We see this project as having two distinct goals: the creation of an educational urban tour app, reflecting best practices in tour and tour app development; and the testing of the value of teaching with such an app to students’ understanding and engagement with urban theory and urban space. In this presentation we present some results of using the app for the first in S2 of 2014/2015. Our findings appear to show that an m-learning application to be provided to supplement classroom teaching can be a worthwhile investment to enrich students’ experiences in tomorrow’s universities.