Vodcasting: A case study in adaptability to meet learners' needs and preferences

With the rapid development of wireless networks and mobile technologies, the widespread use of mobile learning has raised the need for 'anywhere, anytime and any device' access to information and has influenced the design of learning objects. The newly emerging IMS AccessForAll and Dublin Core adaptability and accessibility standards and the proposed profiles of needs and preferences (PNP), present significant challenges to learning designers. This paper responds to these challenges for an accessible relationship between the learner and the resource and suggests a learning object adaptation framework which allows for flexibility and personalisation to learners' needs and preferences. The concept of a transformation, augmentation and substitution framework (TAS) is described by discussing a specific case study, which investigates the adaptations required for existing learning objects delivered as vodcasts (videos downloaded to an MP3 player). The case study is examined in the context of a larger research project which aims to contribute to the requirements specification for the development of an adaptable learning object authoring tool. This paper explains the rationale behind the case study, describes the research methodology and outlines the main findings of the evaluation of the learning vodcast.