Mobile Learning System

 Web based applications are widely used in many different kinds of organizations such as in education and businesses. However, this limit some people with no access to computers and laptops to access and share information and not all the people can afford computers. Mobile phones are used as one of the primary ways to communicate and exchange text messages. The network cost subsidies the cost of using mobile phones, thus cheaper mobile phone communication. Moreover, the portability of mobile phones allows greater penetration compared to desktop computers. Web learning environments  and mobile phones have been used separately in the past, but nowadays there is a need to integrate both technologies to bridge the digital divide between people with access and no access to mobile phones and computers. 

The SHAWCO K2 Center is a non profit student run organization situated in Khayelitsha, teaching grade 10-grade 12 basic computer skills. The center have no facility to allow students to ask tutors questions after hours. The project investigates the possibilities of using MXIT to improve communication  between SHAWCO K2 Center tutors and students.  In addition,   there is a high need of  a user friendly system due to un-experienced users. 

The main project aims are:

• To integrate a Learning Management System such as Moodle to  develop a Mobile Learning System (MLS) that provide tutors with a facility to notify students of upcoming events by sending text messages using mobile phones.

• To provide students with a forum to ask tutors questions by sending text messages with mobile phones to a central web server and provide a backend to store frequently asked questions. This will allow  students to post question to their tutors after hours.