Aislamiento

Gallery

The second case study was conducted to evaluate and improve the design and functionalities of MOBIlearn2 application (Fig. 4.4), which had been developed based on the findings of systematic review as discussed in Chapter 3 in effort to support students' learning activities across settings including informal context. To meet this objective, Metalwork Collection exhibition in Sheffield Millennium Gallery was chosen for the study, as it provided an appropriate authentic informal learning environment for students and it was located near Sheffield Hallam University. "The gallery contains 13,000 items mostly in the form of cutlery, flatware and tableware that have made Sheffield famous, as well as beautiful

84

objects collected from every continent" (www.museums-sheffield.org.uk). The research questions guiding this case study were:

1. How does MOBIlearn2 app supports students to learn in a gallery visit?

This question assessed and evaluated the current version of the app used by participants to suit their needs to learn in an informal setting and examined the advantages of each feature used.

2. What improvements can be made on the MOBIlearn2 app in order to better support the students learning in a gallery?

This question attempted to discover errors and find any issue in the app in order to enhance the participants' experiences for their learning. It also tried to identify new requirements or any modification needed on each component so that it would be more suitable and supportive for informal learning.

85

4.5.1 Recruitment of participants

From October 2015 to February 2016, 12 participants who took part in this case study had been provided with the MOBIlearn2 application running on their mobile devices. The study also provided three mobile devices (two smart phones and a tablet) for them in case they preferred not to use their own devices for personal reasons. Due to limited time and lack of resources, it was believed that this sample was sufficient as it provided meaning from data and in-depth inquiry in naturalistic setting (Patton, 1990). As the space in the exhibition was not to accommodate all of them at the same time to do the task comfortably, they were placed into three equal groups of four according to their course level and background. The first group (Group A) represented students from design-based courses such as Product Design and Interior Design, while the second group (Group B) represented students from diverse courses (Forensic Accounting, Biotechnology, Architecture). The last group (Group C) represented undergraduate students also from diverse courses (Accounting and Finance, Business Studies). This allowed the study to determine if there were any difference experiences of using the application between the groups. Figure 4.5 show some of participants used their mobile devices to collect data and information during the visit.

Prior to the visit, participants were asked to learn about the items displayed in an hour with the support of the application and to present one of the best items that they found to their peers when they returned. During the visit, they were free to walk around the gallery, inspecting the metal works displayed, and use the application to collect and record data and information about the objects. Following the visit, each of the participants was asked to talk about the item that he or she found interesting in the gallery to his or her friends for 5 to 10 minutes.

86

Figure 4.5: Some of participants seen collecting information of exhibits during the visit

(Metalwork Collection, Millennium Gallery, courtesy Museum Sheffield).

4.5.2 Data collection methods

Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and field observation. The participants were interviewed in a focus group session separately. The interviews were recorded on a mobile device using audio recorder application and transcribed into text. As presented in Appendix D, the interview questions were focusing on the two research questions mentioned previously. Specifically, they were asked:

• what features they used during the visit and why they used them • what useful features they believe can support their learning in gallery • what errors or issues they encountered

87

• about interface design of the app

• how to improve the app for better version.

Observational field notes were created during the gallery visit. The notes were analyzed and then compared with the interview transcripts to identify commonalities and patterns.

4.5.3 Data analysis technique

To analyze data, this case study used thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) as follow:

1. Familiarization with the data - The data from semi-structured interviews for each group (Group A, B and C) and observational field notes were transcribed into texts. The data were read a number of times in order to properly organize the data and get broader understanding of the data set.

2. Generating initial codes - During reading, the data were coded based on the five interview questions for each group. These pre-selected categories of question form the basis for the patterning of the data. The study then collated all relevant data with the code in tabular form for further stages.

3. Searching for themes - The study then examined the data tables to identify significant patterns and meanings. Each theme is coded with different color to allow a quick visual way to identify the themes in the data.

4. Reviewing themes – This study refined, split, combined and discarded the data and then checked them to make sure they have connections and relationships. 5. Defining and naming themes – This study conducted a detailed analysis on each

88

what was interesting about the data. In this stage a theoretical construct is developed to establish the identified themes.

6. Producing the report – This study reassembled all the meaningful themes and data extracts to understand what was going on within the data and contextualized the analysis and discussion to the existing literature.

4.6 Non-formal learning context - Final design of MOBIlearn2 application: A case study