LIVES: Mobile Phones for Learning

The University of British Columbia’s Networks and Internet Computing (NIC) Lab in Vancouver, Canada is working in partnership with COL to develop a system that delivers learning via mobile phones. Learning Through Interactive Voice Educational Systems (LIVES) is an educational software system that offers audio lessons to multiple users over mobile telephone networks. This innovative system takes advantage of a recent phenomenon in developing countries: the rise of mobile phone networks and high mobile phone adoption rate.

LIVES offers two-way communication, flexibility and anywhere-anytime learning:

Learners specify when they are available to receive phone calls.
When a call is received, the learner has the option to listen to a pre-recorded lesson, request a call at another time or not listen.
After listening to the lesson, the learner has the option of listening again, responding to a multiple choice quiz by keying in numbers or letters, or ending the call. The quiz format reinforces the learning and provides feedback to the organisation about the effectiveness of the lesson and learner engagement.
After the quiz, the learner can provide feedback or listen to a lesson again.

LIVES makes effective use of auditory learning to reach illiterate learners. Rather than creating a new communications channel, LIVES uses existing mobile infrastructure, which is readily available even in remote areas of developing countries. Aside from acquiring a mobile phone, the learner does not incur any costs. The system uses cost-effective Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, open source software and special arrangements with mobile network providers.

Learners can listen when and where they choose – an important advantage of ODL. Whether it’s a farmer in the field, a fisher on a boat or a small business owner working from their home, people can choose which audio lessons they hear and do so at their convenience.

“LIVES is a practical and effective mobile learning system that has great potential to affect the livelihoods of millions of people,” explained Dr. Son T. Vuong, Principal Investigator with the NIC Research Team. “It is highly motivating to my team to develop a system that can help lift people out of poverty. We believe it has limitless possible applications.”

While LIVES currently uses a “push” model of learning, where learning is delivered to the student, it can easily implement a “pull” model, where students call in and choose the lectures they wish to hear.

Having completed beta testing, the NIC lab plans to initiate field testing with farmers involved in COL’s Lifelong Learning for Farmers programme in India. With the ability to reach large numbers of learners, LIVES offers the potential of vastly increasing access to education.