Based on all of the research conducted, a set of final design principles was developed. These design principles were based around the fundamental principle of mobile device compatible delivery (see Figure 19). The conclusive design principles that emerged from the project are:
Mobile device compatible: That on-demand resources should be delivered
via mobile devices to increase accessibility for students seeking to engage with on-demand learning. The use of a mobile phone application to facilitate delivery of these resources provides students with the most immediate way to engage with on-demand tutorials. Students identified during research iteration 1: the pilot study that using mobile devices was their preferred delivery method. This theme continued throughout research iteration two and three, where students continued to support the idea of engaging with on- demand learning through mobile devices. Mobile learning has been
recognised as a learning resource that can have an applicable context in music education (Chen, 2015; Wallerstedt & Hillman, 2015). Technology forecasters have proposed that mobile learning is continuing to grow in relevance to higher education, through enabling learners to engage with building their skills wherever they are (NMC, 2017).
Task-specific: That on-demand resources should be task specific in their
focus. This can be achieved through providing demonstrations related to troubleshooting and basic set-up procedures for the skills involved in popular music production. This design principle recommends that on- demand resources need to support students through commonly experienced issues and unfamiliar situations. The theme of troubleshooting and technical support for student popular music production activities was apparent
throughout all stages of the study. Data collected through the student surveys and focus groups highlighted that students saw task-specific support as the primary function of on-demand resources. Gu et al (2011) propose that mobile learning opportunities need to be practical, while fitting within a useable context. Maintaining a significant focus on task-specific information within on-demand learning resource design, offers practical solutions for the intended user group.
Visual: That on-demand resources should be visual as a fundamental design
principle. This can be in the form of video tutorials to demonstrate the use of music technology equipment or application of popular music production techniques. The theme of visual demonstrations emerged strongly from the staff interviews conducted during the pilot study. Lechler and Hosack (2014) advise that the use of visual information on mobile devices assists with user interaction by communicating information in a more effective way. The use of images also has the potential for sharing on-demand information,
depending on the type of information to be conveyed. This theme was identified during a student focus group.
Contextual: That on-demand resources should consider the context of the
on-demand information and, where appropriate, other forms of information delivery should be considered. Examples of this could be the use of images over video content when images can convey the message more efficiently. There are also situations where instruction lists, could assist with
troubleshooting through providing a list of instructions. Students during a focus group recommended this. The need for applications to be contextual is also a recognised mobile learning design principle. Banga and Weinhold (2014) maintain the need for mobile designers to consider the context that requires the application to be used.
Logical: That on-demand resources need to be grouped appropriately to
make the information easily identifiable. To facilitate this, on-demand resources should be associated with locations, tasks, or types of equipment. This will accelerate searching for information, improving potential response times associated with on-demand learning. This design principle during the academic staff interviews, and was supported by students participating in the focus group. It also demonstrates relevance to mobile application design principles, which suggest the importance of making applications easy to use (Banga & Weinholdt, 2014). This increases user engagement.
Engaging: That on-demand resources should be engaging to use and should
appeal to a contemporary audience. They should do this through offering professionally produced content that appeals to the student demographic, through modelling aspects of social media environments. This theme was discussed during the academic staff interviews. Identifying the design characteristics of popular mobile applications is often used to inform design of mobile applications (Banga & Weinholdt, 2014).
Differentiated: That on-demand resources should be differentiated and
consider student diversity in skill level and genre. These resources need to accommodate the needs of students from across the program of study. They also need to consider the needs of students working within other musical genres where production techniques can vary. Anticipating the needs of users and how they will interact with the mobile application is relevant to design (Banga & Weinholdt, 2014; Lechler & Hosack, 2014). This was recognised through the student surveys conducted during the pilot study. It was also highlighted by the academic staff, who recognised the diversity of students within the program.
Supplementary: That on-demand resources need to be designed as a
supplement to a range of primary education activities. They need to complement and support the other learning activities through providing learning opportunities for students using music technology. Academic staff acknowledged the role of on-demand resources in supporting student
learning of popular music production. While students engaged in on-demand learning when looking for task-specific information, the focus group
participants also suggested that they were using the resources to extend their knowledge of popular music production techniques.
Student-Driven Content: That on-demand resources should incorporate
student-developed content where possible. This could be incorporated through sharing student demonstrations in the use or application of music technology equipment or popular music production techniques. This theme emerged through the student focus group conducted at the conclusion of the project. On-line communities of learning have also had a recognised impact on the area of music. This is beginning to influence music education, due to the high level of engagement exhibited by on-line communities outside of
formal education. The development of student-driven content has the potential to increase engagement in the use of on-demand resources.
14Integrated: That on-demand resources should ideally provide integration
of the phone application with university services, to deliver centralised services that would assist students with other aspect of the university experience. Within the context of the BPM program this would include the integration of the BOPMAT assessment interface so that students can listen to portfolio submissions, while using mobile devices more easily. Students also suggested including more unified integration of equipment and space booking tools.
Diverse: That on-demand resources should further to differentiating content,
recognise the diversity of student experience levels and individual musical style. This could take the form of incorporating the inclusion of more advanced content to cater to more advanced students. The on-demand resources need to cater for the needs of students from across the program. Consideration should also be given to the learning needs of students working within other genres that often use a range of different popular music
production techniques. An example of this would be inclusion of resources that cover electronic music production technique, which has a different focus to the genres of rock or country.
Concise: That on-demand resources need to be short and be able to cover
concepts quickly to make the content more engaging for the intended audience. On-demand learning means that users have limited time to engage with learning and design needs to reflect this situation. Students suggested throughout the study the importance of being able to pick up a skill and engage with it quickly. Gu et al (2011) highlight the need for mobile
learning opportunities to fit into usable timeframe, as this is a standards pattern of interaction of mobile learning users.
Reviewed: That on-demand resources need to be regularly reviewed to
establish that they have continued relevance to users. Ongoing research into relevant material will support and enhance the student experience. The regular movement of technology, working methods and resources needs to be recognised. On-demand learning opportunities need to be relevant to the audience. Regularly reviewing content will facilitate the removal of irrelevant content, keeping the learning environment fresh.