Mobile Communities

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Neha Gupta

MOBILE COMMUNITIES: IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE LEARNING IN INDIANEDUCATION SYSTEMS

Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering

K. Roy, co-chair

J. Strobel, co-chair

M. D. Zoltowski

K. Roy

M. R. Melloch 12/1/08


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MOBILE COMMUNITIES: IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE LEARNING IN INDIAN EDUCATIONSYSTEMS


11/24/2008

Neha Gupta


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MOBILE COMMUNITIESIMPORTANCE OF MOBILE LEARNING IN INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

A Thesis

Submitted to the Faculty

of

Purdue University

by

Neha Gupta

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

of


December 2008

Purdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana


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To all the children who seek educational support but our constrained by poverty and lack

of resources to pursue their dreams. This is a step towards providing Education in my

hand for every individual in my country, INDIA.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My special thanks to Prof. Johannes Strobel who supported me and guided me through

my educational objectives with Mobile Communication. I would like to thank Prof.

Kaushik Roy for accepting the difficult task of overseeing this work to completion. I was

fortunate to get to work with Prof. Michael Zoltowski who supported me for this research

study. I thank all the members of my Advisory Committee for taking time out of theirbusy schedules to consider this work.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii

LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ x

1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Technological advancements in education ............................................................... 2

1.2 Mobile technology in education ............................................................................... 5

1.3 Purpose of the study ................................................................................................. 6

1.4 Motivation for study ................................................................................................. 9

1.5 Research objectives ................................................................................................ 11

2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 13

2.1 Virtual Communities .............................................................................................. 13

2.1.1 Origin ........................................................................................................... 142.1.2 Rationale ...................................................................................................... 15

2.1.3 Role of virtual communities in education ................................................... 16

2.1.4 Future trends ................................................................................................ 18

2.2 Technology in India ................................................................................................ 212.2.1Telecom Sector in India ............................................................................... 22

2.2.2Need areas for mobile practices in India ...................................................... 25

2.2.3Mobile communities in India ....................................................................... 29


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Page

3. THEORY AND FRAMEWORK .................................................................................. 31

3.1 Mobile teaching communities ................................................................................. 31

3.1.1Human Performance Technology (HPT) Model .......................................... 313.1.2Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) ....................................................... 34

3.2 Proposed Mobile Teaching Community (MTC) Model ......................................... 373.2.1Performance Analysis .................................................................................. 39

3.2.2Cause Analysis ............................................................................................. 40

3.2.3Design .......................................................................................................... 413.2.4Evaluation .................................................................................................... 41

3.2.5 Intervention .................................................................................................. 42

4. METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 43

5. DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................... 48

6. LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................. 52

7. RESULTS & DISCUSSION......................................................................................... 53

8. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 65

LIST OF REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 68

APPENDICES

A. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB) GUIDELINES ................................. 83

B. SURVEY INSTRUMENT ........................................................................................ 84


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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

5.1 Codes and Themes from Qualitative Data ............................................................. 52

7.1 Performance Analysis ............................................................................................ 67

7.2 Cause Analysis ....................................................................................................... 78

B-1 Daily Usage of mobile phones ............................................................................... 88

B-2 Mobile Handset Vendors Rating ............................................................................ 89

B-3 Service Providers Rating ....................................................................................... 89

B-4 Purpose of messaging on mobile phones ............................................................... 90

B-5 Mobile based applications ..................................................................................... 93

B-6 Benefits from mobile education in India ............................................................... 94

B-7 Kind of information and services on mobile phone ............................................... 94

B-8 Ranking of services on mobile phones health care and medicine ......................... 96

B-9 Bottlenecks for Mobile Education in India ............................................................ 97


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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

1.1 Content Delivery Model vs. User Intraction based Model ..................................... 4

2.1 Future directions of virtual learning ..................................................................... 20

2.2 Demand and Opportunity for mobile and wireless market in India ...................... 22

2.3 Changing regulations in wireless and mobile services in India ............................ 23

2.4 Impact of Policy change on Indian Telecom Industry .......................................... 24

2.5 Market share of mobile & wire line service providers in India ............................ 25

3.1 Graphical representation of HPT model ............................................................... 34

3.2 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) ................................................................ 35

3.3 Proposed Mobile Teaching Community (MTC) Model ....................................... 39

7.1 Current mobile phone usages in India .................................................................. 56

7.2 Types of messages shared among the mobile phone users in India ...................... 57

7.3 Socio-cultural aspects for building mobile communities in India ........................ 58


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Figure Page

7.4 Mobile Developments and Support in India ......................................................... 59

7.5 Current mobile information accesses in India ...................................................... 59

7.6 Future interests in mobile information access in India ......................................... 60

7.7 Bottlenecks in mobile access in India ................................................................... 61

7.8 Types of content delivery for mobile education in India ...................................... 61

7.9 Interest in Mobile Health care and Medicine services in India ............................ 62


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ABSTRACT

Gupta, Neha. M.S.E.C.E., Purdue University, December, 2008. Mobile Communities:Importance of Mobile Learning in Indian Education System. Major Professors: JohannesStrobel and Kaushik Roy.

When the United States thinks about developing an 'iPhone University',

developing economies envision a 'Mobile University'. Technology in Education has

rippled from Distance-learning to e-Learning and now to m-Learning. Going forward into

the 21st Century, emerging markets are witnessing a substantial rise in the use of hand-

held mobile devices. Convergence of Mobile Technology and Education, therefore, is a

potential breakthrough in the art of Teaching and Learning. This thesis aims to extend the

concept of Virtual Communities in the web space to build Mobile Communities in the

mobile space. The author proposes Mobile Teaching Community (MTC) model that

streamlines the basic steps in designing an application that can simulate Mobile Campus

and University. The focus is on education in the field of Public Health Care and Medicine

in India. However, such a Mobile Teaching Community model can also be used as the

prototype for building mobile communities in various areas including education, banking,

trading, mass communication and commercialization.


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1. INTRODUCTION

No technology has traversed geographical boundaries, such as Mobile. Apple

sold 270,000 iPhones in the first 30 hours, says Endgadget [1]. The news is less

surprising and more affirmative of the technological trends to conclude that the cell

phones are indeed the lifeline of the next generation [38]. According to Google Vice

President, Vinton Cerf, mobile phones are the future of the Internet [2]. Everything that

was once on Internet/WWW has broken grounds into the mobile world and we can see a

variety of mobile embedded applications that simulate the web space on that tiny screen

of a mobile phone [3, 4]. Although web and mobile technologies originated in the West,

the emerging markets like India, China and other countries in South East Asia have

started adopting these technologies very rapidly over the past few years [5]. A survey by

LIRNEasia 2006 reveals that the mobile phones have impacted the emerging markets

with over 94% of Indian population having accessibility to mobile phones [5]. This also

indicates that India, a fast growing economy has embraced mobile technology and can

potentially accept new embedded applications being developed everyday based on this

budding mobile technology [6, 7, 8].

Education Industry has seen a sea change from the traditional classroom coaching

to the use of high technology, with audio and visual modes of teaching and learning [9].

This has been made possible with the emergence of highly competent business models

and the use of new kinds of online and infrastructural resources [168]. The

communication medium or the access channels can have a huge impact on building

community spaces [23]. The nature of the medium both facilitates and constrains social

networking [26].


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Computer mediated communication employs many aspects of information

exchange that can collectively be termed as Virtual Communities [13, 14,169]. Some e-

Learning solutions like ENEA have laid the foundation of Teacher-Technology-Student

interaction in the virtual world [10, 11, 12]. Virtual communities are primarily based on

interaction among the group of users using online and web based tools [13, 169]. With

the increasing use of mobile phones for voice and data exchange worldwide, mobile

communities have started to surface enabling knowledge sharing, information retrieval

and social networking [25]. Just as virtual communities, mobile communities are real

world leisure communities that constitute virtual world on an Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) supported platform [24]. Mobile communities allow

interaction among the users while they are on the move, providing the flexibility and

comfort to interact at any place and at any time [25]. Mobile communities eventually

coordinate actions of groups of people in geographic space and supplement social arenas

in the mobile world [26].

1.1 Technological advancements in education

Nowadays, the universities aim to teach students not only the factual knowledge

but also the social and communication skills that are important for effective learning [27,

37]. The students should be able to work in a team, learn to cooperate and be able to

communicate with fellow students [27]. Group interaction and collaborative learning

helps in building their team skills and interpersonal skills that are beneficial for the

acquisition of knowledge and also a prerequisite for later employment [27]. According to

Pinheiro, Collaborative learning is defined as... the process of students working in teams

to pursue knowledge and learning. In collaborative learning, information, ideas, and

problem solving are actively shared among the team. [...] Collaboration can also be

asynchronous, where students log onto a network at different times and locations leaving

their contributions for others to see and discuss. [28]. Working together and

collaborative learning is a good way of building educational communities that tend to be

thinking or developing ideas with a common objective of knowledge sharing [25].


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Over the past few decades, the use of information technology has revolutionized

the pedagogical approaches of teaching and learning [9]. E-Learning via digital electronic

tools and web-based media has enriched the whole online learning experience for the

educators and the learners [169]. Most schools have distance education programs and

online courses along with their traditional course offerings [27]. M-learning has emerged

for imparting educational content through wireless and mobile devices [170]. Both the

learning paradigms vis. e-learning and m-learning can facilitate education through

content-delivery and through interaction between users [38, 171].

A pure content-delivery model facilitates learning by delivering learning content

over the communication medium [41]. Online courses with downloadable learning

material, questionnaires, access to learning database, handbooks and assignments are the

common ways of disseminating education through World Wide Web [41, 172]. Most

educational institutions now have courses that are telecasted through web streaming for

live access to distance learners or uploaded videos for future reference [114, 172].

Content delivery through mobile devices involves accessing learning material through

internet enabled mobile phones or sending the material to the mobile phones via SMS

(Short Message Service) e.g. BBCs GCSE Bitesize [39, 173]. Bitesize has been a great

success in providing learning material through SMS to mobile phones. Content delivery

model exemplifies a client server paradigm where the learner acts like a client accessing

the learning material provided through different channels and resources [174]. Such a

delivery oriented model ensures good quality of service with continual time, space and

digital media support to the client but restricts the learners from collaborative learning

and reflective knowledge sharing [38].

As indicated in Figure 1.1 below, there are clients (range from 1 through n) as the

learners and there is a content provider (potentially the instructor of the course). In the

content delivery model, the instructor provides all the information into a content database

which is accessed by the learners on demand. In the user interaction model, the learners

not only extract information from the content database but they are also able to interact

among themselves for any exchange of content of knowledge sharing.


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Fig. 1.1 Content Delivery Model vs. User Interaction based Model

Thus, user interaction based model enable discussion based learning through

active participation and exchange of thoughts among the learners [42]. Learning with

user interaction gives an opportunity to share user produced content with the community.

It allows obtaining feedback and discussing on ideas build within the group of people

which might not be provided by the instructor. Thus, this form of learning is more

productive, generative and gives scope to active learning [176]. Discussion boards and

blogs provide an open playfield to the educators and learners to interact among

themselves embracing creativity and participation from a group of people. Mobile

communities are based on interaction between the users that enables learning and

developing on ideas from the entire community [24].

In the modern education system, the technological advancements have enabled

the use of web and mobile tools for course instruction, exchanging content and

collaborative learning [38]. Instructional technologies can greatly enhance the user

interactive based learning providing a virtual environment for collaborative learning[176]. Interactive learning improves the group participation and collaborative dynamics,

allows reconstruction of roles, facilitates engagement in learning activities, enhances

communication and builds interpersonal relations among the users in the community [38,

176]. However, interactive learning is challenged by the lack of pedagogical models for


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integrating technology for group learning [176]. Technology enabled interactive learning

greatly suppresses the delivery of users nonverbal cues and emotional tones. Interactive

models can get complex with the increasing number of participants and learners leading

to complex systems of user interaction which may lose the benefits of collaborative

learning [176, 177].

1.2 Mobile technology in education

Mobile and Wireless hand-held devices are emerging as the promising

technologies for supporting learning, particularly in collaborative learning scenarios

[175]. These devices allow the learners from moving away from the stand-alone

computer, thus allowing interaction with several devices and making information

accessible through a wireless connection. This also offers new opportunities for

individuals who require mobile computer solutions that other devices cannot provide

[176]. The inherent ubiquity and mobility in the use of mobile phones and wireless hand

held devices facilitates learners in both end-to-end content delivery and interaction based

models for collaborative learning [177]. Many researchers, academic and industrial

practitioners, are currently exploring the potential of mobile and wireless devices for

collaborative learning [43-48, 177]. For example: A group of researchers in Virginia

Polytechnic Institute and State University have proposed MOOsburg++ for interactive

learning using mobile devices like cellular phones, pagers and PDAs. MOOsburg++ is a

multi user domain object oriented environment that supports collaborative activities [43].

Vetter and Varshney at Georgia State University use Wireless Application Protocol

(WAP) for enabling mobile commerce [44]. There are many Japanese websites that offer

learning materials through i-mode, a Japanese mobile internet service, to about 30 million

of i-mode users in Japan [48].

Mobile learning has often been termed as the harbinger of the future of learning

[46]. Mobile phones provide a personal sense of belonging and privacy allowing the

learners especially the teenagers to build network and grow friendship [49]. Group

messaging; gift giving and sharing over mobile phones are indicative of current use of


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mobile phones for collaborative learning [50]. Mobile learning has more often assisted

students motivation, help organizational skills, encourage a sense of responsibility, help

support both independent and collaborative learning act as reference tools to track

students progress and deliver assessment [163]. Researchers are designing new models

to enhance the collaborative mobile learning environments. WAN2lrn and BBCs GCSE

Bitesize are examples of how learners are now able to download information to mobile

phones for examination preparation and revision purposes [47]. Although it has been

pointed that SMS and text messaging have adversely affected the writing habits of young

learners leading to incorrect spelling and grammatical errors, it has been observed that

learners have considerably improved verbal skills while chatting on mobile phones [51].

Thus, mobile phones have proved to be helpful in improving literacy and collaborative

learning especially using the visual and literary expression opportunities through

advanced camera and smart phones [47, 49].

While several wireless and mobile applications are being developed for

collaborative mobile environments, the challenges in development and acceptance of

wireless technologies are manifold [177]. Some of them include difficulty in adapting the

technology for learning in a way consistent with learning goals and principles [43];

appropriating organizational techniques [103]; setting up and testing of prototypical

applications and scenarios; the development of specific software tools and architectures;

and improving the ease of use [45, 103]. It is, therefore, essential to investigate the

collaborative mobile environments in terms of a model that incorporates a step by step

development and evaluation process for mobile designs and the significant factors that

contribute to the mass acceptance of mobile technology for collaborative learning.

1.3 Purpose of the study

Clearly, a lot has been done in the past on mobile education and researchers

continue to work on various aspects of the use of mobile technology for teaching and

learning. The pace of research, development and adaptation of mobile technology in

education industry is very high in the western world [178]. It has been observed that most


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of the work on Mobile learning is initiated in US, Europe and UK [47]. However, the

notion of mobile education is still new and rare in the developing countries. Mobile

learning or m-learning is not yet popular in India, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan and other

south East Asian countries. Although the mobile technology has penetrated the east to a

great extent, most developing nations are still not able to reap the benefits of the

technological advancements in the field of mobile education.

Owing to the rapid adoption of mobile technology over the past decade, cell

phones are the most easily accessible, affordable and often the first computer technology

in the hands of the people in the developing countries [56, 164]. While the widespread

use of internet and wireless broadband services in the developed countries allows people

to gain online access to learning material and online education; online facilities and

World Wide Web have not penetrated all parts of the developing nations [165]. Most of

the emerging countries are still struggling within their socio-cultural, political and

technological boundaries [178] and do not have nationwide internet and broadband

services leading to the lack of access to online resources. This greatly affects the adoption

of e-learning and distance education in such parts of the world. In several regions of

developing countries, mobile phones seem to be the only viable means of communicating

with the rest of the world [164]. Mobile education, therefore, has a great potential to be

the platform of instruction and accessing learning resources and educational material in

developing countries.

Apple holds big plans for 'iPhone University' on college campuses - first of

several baby steps towards a much larger goal to establish the company's brand in

educational sector [55]. Apples iPhone and other mobile phones from vendors like Sony

Ericcson, LG and Samsung have seen a world class market with millions of customers in

the east [74]. Back in India, Mobile Technology has revolutionized the life styles of

majority of Indians [165]. Often termed the lifeline [164], mobile phones have

undoubtedly grown into the veins of modern India connecting people in urban as well as

remote areas at an extremely low price. According to the recent research by Gartner,

India is expected to overtake U.S. to become No. 2 [mobile phone] market by 2010

[56]. People from all sections of the society including dabbawalas, dhobis, chaparasis,


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bhangis and bhikharis1, own mobile phones with cheap connection plans that provide

both voice and data services.

The purpose of the study is to survey the current status of mobile education and

investigate the need of building mobile communities in pursuit of improvising mobile

learning in India. I try to understand the requirements to build mobile communities that

can bring about nationwide acceptance of mobile learning. For this purpose, I refer to the

Human Performance Technology (HPT) Model and Technology Acceptance Model

(TAM). Human Performance Technology model has been envisaged to bring about

changes in the system in such a way that the system is improved in terms of the achieving

it values [52]. It is a step by step process model to analyze, design, evaluate and improve

organizations to meet certain goals and objectives. Technology Acceptance Model has

been widely identified for understanding application usage behavior [53]. It helps to

evaluate the ease of use and usefulness of technology.

Based on the combination of the Human Performance Technology (HPT) model

and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), I propose a Mobile Teaching Community

(MTC) Model that suggests the step by step process to build sustainable mobile

communities. MTC model incorporates the essential components that are important for

developing a community, an objective-driven organization that uses mobile technology

with the common interest of teaching and learning. It considers the basic steps involved

in development and acceptance of technology. Such a Mobile Teaching Community

model can help in mobilizing the community network to achieve educational objectives

using mobile phones [47].

While the entire cycle of Performance Analysis, Cause Analysis, Design,

Evaluation and Intervention in the Mobile Teaching Community (MTC) Model is outside

the scope of this thesis, I will accomplish the following elements of MTC model in this

research study:

1. Performance Analysis: Through this study, I will be examining the various

elements of performance analysis in the proposed mobile teaching community

1 Commonly used for the lowest sector of people in Indian society, usually below poverty line


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model that include organizational and environmental factors affecting the building

of sustainable mobile teaching communities. From my research questions, I try to

identify the gaps in popularizing mobile education in India. As a pilot study for

building mobile teaching communities, I intend to investigate the current status,

basic requirements and potential areas of research for building mobile teaching

communities. However, I do not delve into assessing the performance of the

mobile communities in this study.

2. Cause Analysis: In this study, I seek answer to my research questions in order topresent the status of environmental support and behavioral aspects in the Indian

community for mobile teaching and learning. This identifies the various

bottlenecks in building mobile teaching communities.

To summarize, in this research study I aim to propose a Mobile Teaching

Community model for sustainable mobile communities in India. I perform a qualitative

and quantitative study to answer my research questions that correspond to the first two

elements of MTC model namely; Performance Analysis and Cause Analysis. Empirically,

I focus my research questions in the domain of mobile education in Health Care and

Medicine in India.

1.4 Motivation for study

Education in India is currently categorized into two major forms of teaching and

learning; namely traditional classroom training and online courses [182]. In traditional

classroom training, the students are able to study through pedagogical learning models

[183]. Students attend lectures by the instructors, take assignments, perform laboratory

work, submit reports, and take examination within the school facility. Students can have

group discussion within the class and share ideas with their teams. This form of

community building and collaborative learning is limited to the students who are enrolled

in the same class. Classroom teaching is often restricted to the students and learners who


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are able to be physically present at the school [182, 183]. That also means that schools

located in urban areas are attended by the students residing in urban areas and people in

rural areas are limited to educational facilities in their proximity. This leads to a

geographical divide in terms of classroom teaching in the traditional education system in

India.

Over the past decade, the geographical divide has been greatly reduced due to

introduction of online education courses by institutions within India and abroad [182].

With the advent of computer technology and internet access, students are able to enroll in

online courses in many urban and rural regions in India. Online and distance learning

programs are useful for students who are unable to make it to school due to distance, time

and infrastructural constraints [184]. Students are able to post their ideas on news boards,

have online discussion boards, blogs and upload content on websites for knowledge

sharing. This form of virtual and online communities has greatly affected the literacy rate

and lead to the modernization of Indian education system.

While many regions in India are able to benefit from online education programs,

there are still remote regions which are not connected due to unavailability of internet and

lack of access to computer systems [183]. In such regions, people are highly affected by

the quality of education being limited to schools and facilities that are available in their

local areas. Higher education particularly is a problem as local schools do not conduct

specialized courses in all fields. This results in low education level of people in this

region and adversely affects the economy of India [182].

Efforts are being made by the Ministry of Information Technology to make India

a wireless broadband country by 2013 [185]. However, this seems to be a distant dream

for most of the people who have no access to computer and internet connection and

regions where internet service providers have failed to penetrate. It has been observed

that there exist regions that have mobile connectivity but lack access to computer

networks. Also, many times computer networks seem to be less affordable in various

region of India. With the availability of cheap data and voice plans and low mobile phone

prices, it is not surprising that people prefer to use mobile phones over internet [44].


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Mobility and ability to access information from anywhere at any time is also one of the

motivation for need of popularizing mobile education in India.

Mobile education, however, has not been adopted in the urban and rural areas in

India [47]. Even if mobile phones are widely in use for communication and

entertainment, people lack the understanding of mobile education and the use of mobile

phones for learning purposes [44]. People are not aware of the potentials of mobile

education in India. Mobile phones are used to supplement classroom and online training

where people exchange messages to get quick responses from their team members [174].

SMS and mobile phone calls are limited to personal information exchange and co-

ordination purposes. On the contrary, mobile communities are groups of people who

interact primarily via mobile phones. They perform each of the tasks like discussions;

knowledge sharing and information access using mobile phones. Although the concept of

mobile education is gaining visibility, efforts need to be made particularly to spread

awareness among people about mobile education and mobile educational resources.

Highlighting the benefits and improvising continual learning and teaching through mobile

phones can lead to sustainable mobile communities for education in India.

1.5 Research objectives

While mobile phones have already penetrated the banking, trading, commercial

and entertainment businesses in India [157], there has been very little use of mobile

technology in the education industry [166]. Mobile phones have immense scope for

potential breakthrough into educational sector in India, disseminating educational

services nationwide [7]. Offering educational services through mobile technology

presents opportunities with high commercial and societal impact potential. Mobile

education can not only serve the apparent needs of identifiable customers, but also make

the people aware of the latent needs of technological advancement in traditional Indian

Education System.

In this research study, we look at this big pedagogical picture through the lens of

the innovative mobile learning. I propose to use the Mobile Teaching Community model

for building sustainable mobile communities for mobile learning in India. The focus of


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our research is on mobile learning in the field of Health Care and Medicine [186]. As far

as the empirical part of this thesis goes, I will address the following research questions:

(1) What do people perceive as the bottlenecks in widespread use of mobile phones for

educational purposes? What are the technological and socio-cultural problems that need

to be addressed to advance the current education system into the mobile world?

(2) What are the potential areas of interest for mobile education with respect to the

demographical, sociological and economical need of the community?

(3) What kind of services and applications may be appreciated by mobile communities

for the advancement of mobile teaching and learning?

(4) What are the most common uses of mobile technology in India?

(5) Is there a demand for mobile based healthcare in India? What kind of health careservices are needed by the community?

I intend to obtain answers to the research questions in light of conductingperformance and cause analysis in the proposed mobile teaching community model.


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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Virtual Communities

A virtual community is a persistent, sustained [socio-technical] network of

individuals who share and develop an overlapping knowledge base, set of beliefs, values,

history and experiences focused on a common practice and/or mutual enterprise [14].

An online community network of people interact within themselves via multiple modes

of communication media like email, chats, blogs, wikis, etc. rather than direct face to face

interaction for sharing views and exchanging information for social, professional,

educational or other purposes [123]. Virtual communities have started to supplement

communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means

of communication are used in social software separately or in combination, including

text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars [57].

Considerable changes have taken place with regard to the socio-technical aspectswhich have been impacted by virtual communities. This is attributed to the proliferation

of Internet-based social networks [23]. With the increasing use of online knowledge-

sharing resources like Wikis, Blogs, Chat rooms, Internet Forums, Electronic mailing

lists, Newsgroups; community building has been rapid and shaped into a ubiquitous way

of communication [15]. Virtual communities, therefore, seem to cultivate a sense of

recognition, efficacy and community that is capable of exchanging information through

the various available web resources. However, online communities grow slowly partly

due to the fact that the motivation to contribute to the community is proportional to the

size of the community [15, 16]. This coupled with the fact that the organizational culture

does not change overnight are the inherent reasons for slow building of virtual

community. Bass Diffusion Model describes the process of how the new products get


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adopted as an interaction between the users and potential users [16]. Applying the same

to the context of Virtual communities, one can visualize how virtual communities are

built and grow over a period of time with the continual interaction of groups of users in

the community. Virtual communities are one of the models of education which involves

building communities for learning [17]. An internet based administration model for

virtual learning communities provides a prototype for a web-based education system like

EduCities [18].

2.1.1 Origin

Online community are as real and as much a mixed bag as any physical

community one where people talk, argue, seek information, organize politically, fall in

love, and dupe others [58]. Many a times, people have received online emotionalsupport [124] during devastating illnesses or to cope with common issues like

alcoholism, and depression, valuable suggestion for investment deals and reviews before

making an expensive purchase [125, 126]. A survey by iCrossing Inc. has found that

about 40% of Americans [126] use customer reviews and 32% use expert reviews to

conduct research before a purchase decision. It has been found that especially in case of

mass market products; consumer reviews are an important part of the purchase decision

[127]. This shows the potential uses online communities have; People react to online

discussion in the same way as they would to a physical interaction [23]. Virtual

communities usually grow out of people who often interact with each other through

computer networks and involve into discussions over common subject of interest. These

people tend to share their knowledge over several issues to seek advice from their online

fellowship which continues to grow as part of constant participation and expansion in the

web sphere [14]. Although building a community is not the motivation for such an

interaction, the continuous growth of knowledge sharing and communication over the

internet among a set of people with a sole purpose of virtual interaction eventually forms

a virtual community space [14, 58].

A community usually consists of people that can relate to each other sharing acosmology, a common cultural and historical heritage, social interdependence, and a

reproduction cycle [59]. In order to foster online learning and encourage virtual

interaction among students and teachers, many educators have started to introduce new

courses for professional development creating online communities that support learning


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[60]. Developing an online forum or discussion board is very simple given the readily

available advanced web-based conferencing system and technology [13]. The challenge

in creating an online community is to attract a group of people and maintain continued

interest in online discussion with the service of learning. Very often, people visit and

leave without posting messages and many others stay and only read public messages

acting like a passive learner in the community [61]. Unmoderated online discussion can

flame into hostile wars that can very easily go out of control [62]. Nonetheless, many

online discussions have been very productive and informative with sustained civil online

groups, some of which have important communal dimensions [60, 63].

2.1.2 Rationale

Computer Networks have presented a huge opportunity for communication andcollaboration in networked organizations [130]. Social networks are formed when

computer networks form the platform to link people as well as machines. Such networks

which link people, knowledge and organizations are called computer-supported social

networks (CSSNs) [132]. Literature categorizes CSSNs into three forms, which is based

on the members needs and research agendas [23]. The first category - the members of

virtual community; desire to link with likeminded people for information sharing, social

support and companionship from their PCs and workstations [23, 133]. This format of

networking is totally voluntary and research classifies it into two forms small groups

(like the Harley Owners Group and networks based. While the small groups have socially

close relationships and high interactions, the network based groups are socially dispersed,

and driven by utilitarian needs [134]. Research has shown that the informal network of

collaborators, colleagues and friends is one of the most successful communication

channel for information gathering and knowledge management in an organization

[131].This category the white-collar workers seek computer-supported cooperative

work (CSCW) independent of spatial distances[23]. From an employee point of view,

cooperative working not only helps achieve work objectives, but also provides a

psychological and social satisfaction to employees [128]. From the organizationsviewpoint, such networks reduce the burden of coordinating the complex organizational

levels of hierarchy, reducing cost and time. The final category is the workers who want to

telework from their homes, establishing a work-life balance [23]. From the organizations

viewpoint, this means a reduction in real estate, building rents and other overheads like


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electricity and greater levels of productivity. More employees participate in the private

organizational networks using either CSCW or teleworking, than on the Net. Subsequent

changes in technology, along with increased security should bring about this change.

In the text mode, communication is restricted primarily to emails and

computerized conferences, while video conferencing, video walls, video hallways are

other modes that have been utilized in the corporate context [100,135]. Recent trends in

community conferencing provide features like graphics and sounds, animations like

smileys and avatars, and videos in addition to the text mode of communication [135].

Other modes of communication used have been systems like video hallways [104, 105]

allow the members to check availability of others. The concept of video walls that link

spatially separated lounges using large screen videos that promote an informal

environment for conversation [23, 100] have also been explored. While these systems

provide an increased social presence through personalization, they require substantialcosts to ensure good hardware supports these communication modes [135]. The avenues

that have been explored in the formation of virtual communities have been File Transfer

(FTP), broadcasting and Podcasting, electronic newsletters, blogs, and the exchange of

data on-line [135,136].

2.1.3 Role of virtual communities in education

Educational institutions are investing large amounts of money on computer

laboratories, for workstations and other infrastructural needs. There has been an

increasing use of IT in instruction and courses using internet and multimedia resources

are commonplace [86]. From the user perspective both the student and the instructors

have become more sophisticated or technology savvy [137,138,139,140]. This has

provided an excellent opportunity for institutions to use internet as a platform for

establishing a link between educators and students and in the process simplifying

interaction between different parties. Another factor which has supported the heavy

investments is the grants that most universities are receiving from the governments and

corporate [143, 145]. In the Indian context, University Grants Commission (UGC)disburses funds to top universities in the country for investment in technology [141, 142,

144]. Recent trends have shown a migration from just internet based support towards

mobile technology. Mobile technology has provided an opportunity for instructors to

deliver course content efficiently, for interaction among students and in facilitating a


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student-lecturer interaction. This mode of instruction is fast gaining popularity and has

generated considerable amount of interest from researchers and practitioners alike [86].

Educators and student both benefit from the opportunity that virtual communities

provide to interact with each other in a more comprehensive manner, encouraging

transparency and continued learning in the process. The individual attention that was

missing in the classroom methodology of teaching has been addressed through the use of

virtual communities and technology at large. Wachter, Gupta and Quaddus describe in

their paper the characteristics of virtual communities and their contributions toward the

educational process [106]. They explain about the implementation of virtual communities

including considerations for design, management issues, and requirements of resources. It

is interesting to learn how virtual communities grow and proliferate in a technically

advanced environment with people sharing their information over the internet. However,

sometimes, management of such virtual communities can be problematic due to onlinemalpractices by the people.

We look at the current literature on virtual communities and their potential

development using networked technology and remote collaboration, specifically with

respect to World Wide Web (WWW) communication tools. Most of the findings indicate

that online communities are becoming increasingly important in todays world. The

virtual communities meant for education and learning is the need of the current

educational system. Given the constantly changing demands and expectations of both

instructors and student communities, there is an increased pressure on institutes of higher

learning to offer more flexible modes of learning. This is augmented by the fact that

many universities offer courses in the distance learning mode. Online learning has been

put forth as a viable option for colleges and universities to address this demand gap [102].

One of the options employed by colleges and universities are to meet this demand

is online learning. An insight into online learning and development of online courses has

been given by Marguerita McVay Lynch, faculty member - Educational Instruction and

Research at Portland State University in Oregon in her book The Online Educator: A

Guide to Creating the Virtual Classroom. The book deals with the academic

environment and its changing landscapes and of how virtual learning has contributed tothese changes in the 21st century [102].

The growth of the internet has spurred the introduction of collaborative tools like

chat, P2P networks, video conferencing, news boards, and webcasts which have

significantly enhanced the academic delivery mechanisms (other than just classroom

delivery or lecture mode) and given the ability to interact, train and educate on the go.


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The web provides a platform for transmission and exchange of information whether the

materials are a purely stand-alone tutorial or fully fledged on-line workshops [109].

Mobile technology enabled with Podcasts are also finding large acceptance in view of

better portability.

Integration with tools such as Usenet newsgroups, listservs, and annotation

facilities has meant an increase in students level of involvement in the learning

experience. Examples of wireless classroom response systems being integrated into

classroom interactions have been explored in literature [86]. Such tools help in gathering

student responses as well as providing timely feedback and have been found to improve

classroom interactivity, enhance teaching effectiveness, and promote student learning

[86, pg2]. The Web makes the integration of such tools possible, enabling the

development of an effective learning platform and a single knowledge interface. Thus,

the Web is able to provide increased opportunities for leaning through alternative formatsof information dissemination. Virtual classrooms are being created today for educating

scientists, engineers and mathematicians, both researchers and faculty that provide

experience and basic knowledge for use with other student populations in the near future

[110].

Online education is being offered in many forms, across many topics. Studies are

being carried out to assess the impact of such offering both from a technical perspective

to the sociological aspects of learning. Like, take the case of distance learning. While this

mode of study presents an optimal utilization of scarce resources, ensures a fair and

timely distribution of knowledge, its effectiveness is largely dependent on the levels of

motivation of the student [31]. Also, from an instructors perspective, one needs to adjust

quickly to changing trends, which may take some time in case of instructors. Also, the

electronic course should have limited enrollments for the students to actually reap

benefits of the one on one interaction with the lecturer through electronic means. In

conclusion, while many benefits exist for online education and virtual communities, some

disadvantages exist and such systems need to be evaluated on basis of the relevance of

the pros and cons in the context of the educational institution.

2.1.4 Future trends

Distance education and online learning are providing many opportunities for

colleges to exploit [147]. The demand for the electronic mode of education has been


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rising at a rapid rate [146]. This is not only because of the efficiency of electronic

information dissemination, but also due to the comparatively lower costs involved from

both the user and the service provider perspective [148,149,150]. The demand though has

picked up only in the last decade though, with the realization that technology could be

used to provide greater opportunities for learning at lower costs than was possible in

traditional educational practices, and of course with the development of better

technologies [112]. Both private and public institutions have been trying to tap into this

demand by establishing a presence in the electronic marketplace (151) of online

learning and exploit the potential of the industry. This is true even in the Indian context

where many private and public players are offering courses through distance education

[152]. The proliferation of various virtual learning needs necessitates the institution of

required curriculum and regulations to examine the needs of the online learner and

respond accordingly [112]. Other areas of research may be assessing the impact of mediaupon the educational process, the equity of access of these systems and the ever

transforming roles of teacher, and the student in the distance learning process [113].

Newer technologies are hitting markets at regular intervals. These have not only

necessitated the educators to learn their usage but also have increased the resources

available at the disposal of a lecturer. Currently, the focus is shifting towards the opinions

of these educators regarding the goals and methods of the technology. While some view

this change as a secular shift in learning trends, others view technology as a support and

argue for a proper prioritization of educational goals. The view of the social and

educational needs of the changing society has also been expressed as an important factor

influencing the educators standpoint [112].

While many fields of study are being impacted by the introduction of newer

technology, a few challenges exist. A primary challenge is to develop strategies that

focus on planning, student understanding, interaction and teaching to ensure a

successfully delivered course [114]. Another challenge that needs to be addressed is

regarding the technical aspects. When a group is interacting in real time, limitations in

synchronous communication possibilities hinder the interpersonal experiences that one

associates with classroom teaching and learning. While real time video conferencing andvoice messaging have advanced to better levels, some of the technical concerns still

remain to be addressed [112, 113].

To overcome these limitations, it has been suggested that the next developments

in communication would focus on opportunities for more interpersonal interaction

between participants through synchronous voice, data and visual imagery, which will


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simulate the real time learning through the virtual experience. Creating a lifelike virtual

learning environment will be the next challenge to be addressed through research.

Incorporation of presence and personal interaction will be crucial to the development and

acceptance of the virtual learning environment [112, 115]. Some aspects of the future

direction of virtual learning have been captured below.

Redefining the student and instructor roles

Assessing the impact of student characteristics

Addressing operational issues, management and regulatory issues

Ensuring equity and accessibility for learners across the globe

Assessing the cost benefit tradeoffs between virtual learning programs and classroom learning

Continuously developing technology and adapting to changing needs of student and instructors

Adapted from: Sherry L, Issues in Distance Learning and Planning and Implementing Open and Distance

Learning Systems: A Handbook for Decision Makers

Fig. 2.1 Future direction of virtual learning

A set of criteria has been developed by the Western Governors which would

characterize the future virtual university [116]. Some of the parameters that they envision

for a virtual university are: market oriented, client centered, degree-granting, accredited,

competency based, non-teaching, high quality, cost effective, regional and quickly

initiated [112]. While they recommend that initially, tech-savvy faculties teach online

courses, that is, those who are comfortable with computers and genuinely enjoy spirited

interaction and expecting the unexpected [116]. At a later stage though, advancement

of technologies has been sought in the field of smart systems so as to do away with the

need for a technocratic faculty and participants. Faculty would be contracted by the

universities on the basis of factors like expertise, experience, and availability without

worrying about the location of the faculty which is currently the case. Learning and

teaching would turn to the desktops from the classrooms. Development of intelligent


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systems would ensure that research by both faculty and participants becomes much easier

and less time consuming with the availability of information being just at a click away.

Secondary issues such as time, payment, credentials and class size can also be addressed

along with the concerns raised earlier to establish a virtual university [112].

2.2 Technology in India

India has a rich tradition of Science and Technology that is over 5000 years old

[65]. India has moved to becoming a technology hub attracting talent, ideas and

technologies from around the world. The reasons for this are obvious. With the second

highest population worldwide, India produces graduates (2.5 million per year in IT,

engineering and life sciences) at an undefeatable rate every year [66]. As newer

technology hits the market, Indians have increasingly shown interest in early adoption ofhigh quality niche technology. India has witnessed increased usage of broadband internet

wireless technology.

Demand4.57 million broadband users in IndiaWorlds 2nd largest wireless market40 million Mobile internet users - 2007

OpportunityLowtele-density ofIndia - Only 28.33%Mobile penetration 14 times that of broadband internetLow prices Internet enabled phone at $ 11

Courtesy: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

Fig. 2.2 Demand and Opportunity for mobile and wireless market in India

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reported 4.57 million

broadband users in the country, a figure which has doubled in the past year [67]. India


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has also surpassed US to become the worlds second largest wireless market, a TRAI

report said [68]. The potential can be visualized from the low tele-density of the country

which stands at only 28.33% [69]. The service providers are providing more data

bandwidth and increased data speed in rural and urban areas. While internet may not be

the best way of connecting people in India due to cost and limited resources, mobile

technology has certainly become the lifeline of the people in India. Mobile phones have

access to regions where internet connections have found penetration difficult. TRAI put

the number of mobile internet users at 40 million at the end of 2007, a figure which was

14 times the penetration levels achieved by broadband internet [70]. With rapidly

dropping mobile handsets prices and internet equipped mobiles available for as low as

$11 per piece [71], the growth potential of the wireless market in India is immense.

2.2.1 Telecom Sector in India

A study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry

(FICCI) shows that the Indian Telecom sector is one of the most rapidly growing telecom

markets in the world with a monthly addition of 6 million connections. With the highest

FDI inflows in the country, the sector is all set to ensure India becomes a telecom

manufacturing hub [72]. In the context of making mobile based learning and healthcare a

viable option in a developing economy like India, it is important that mobile usage be

cheap in the country so as to have a wider reach. The massive growth in the telecom

sector has been fueled by the positive regulatory framework adopted by the government

[153]. Thus, an analysis of the regulatory framework bears relevance to this paper

because the changes introduced in the regulations have ensured a competitive market,

thus making mobile usage cheaper in India. India has adopted a phased approach to the

reform process in the sector. Initially, privatization was introduced in the Value Added

Services (VAS) segment, which was followed by the liberalization of cellular and other

services [73]. A few highlights of the changing regulations have been presented below:


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Introduction of the National Telecom Policy (NTP) in 1994

Independent Regulator, TRAI established in 1999

NTP 1999 Revenue Sharing Model Established

Additional Licenses and License Fee Reduction-2001

Introduction of CDMA Technology and Internet Telephony - 2002

Elimination of Specific Licensing; Unified Access Licensing (UAL) established - 2003

Broadband Policy 2004 Formulated Target 20 mill ion broadband users by 2010

FDI Limit raised from 49% to 74% - 2005

Number Compatibility Issues Addressed, 3G Guidelines Issued - 2008

Introduction of WiMax Data and Voice Services - 2008

Adapted from: Telecommunication - Market & Opportunities: An IBEF Report, July 2008

Fig. 2.3 Changing regulations in wireless and mobile services in India

The telecommunications sector has witnessed a lot a transformation in recent

times through regulatory changes as depicted above. The foundation was laid by the

introduction of the National Telecom Policy (NTP) Act in 1994. Subsequently, TRAI was

established to ensure the development of a competitive environment. The preamble of the

TRAI Act shows the commitment towards developing the telecom sector and protecting

consumer interests [155]. The next step taken was the New Telecom Policy, 1999, which

was set up to create an environment that would encourage investment in the sector and to

develop communication infrastructure by implementing the latest technology [155]. The

next major development in the regulatory environment came with the issuance of

additional licenses which ensured a migration from a state owned monopoly to a duopoly

in each region [76]. Subsequently, many players being allowed to operate in a single

region (called circle in Indian Telecom parlance). Both these steps helped in achieving

the broader objective of providing affordable telecom services to all. By increasing the

FDI limit from 49% to 74% in 2006, a more competitive environment was created which

would benefit the consumers [156]. The impact that these policies have had on the Indiantelecom sector; both on the subscriber base and the tariff rates has been shown below

[76].


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Source: Telecommunication - Market & Opportunities: An IBEF Report, July 2008

Fig. 2.4 Impact of Policy change on Indian Telecom Industry

The lower tariffs have ensured a large growth in the customer base as can be

observed from the graph. Another factor that has propelled this growth is the considerable

reduction in the cost of mobile handsets, information about which has been already

shared. The large accessibility that mobile communication has achieved in India is

important in the context of developing a mobile learning system so that a broader base

can have access to it.

India is the third most deregulated telecom markets in the world [72]. Private

participation has been allowed in all services like international long distance (ILD),

domestic long distance, basic, cellular, internet, radio-paging, and a number of value-

added services [73].

Recently, mobile phone connections in India have crossed the 250-million mark,

which means about 1 in 4 Indians have a mobile phone [74]. There are two different

technologies deployed by the mobile operators in India namely GSM and CDMA. TheGSM service providers are Bharthi Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone, IDEA, Aircel, Reliance,

Spice, and MTNL whereas the CDMA service providers are TATA Indicom, HFCL,

Shyam, and Reliance. Figure 2.5 shows the market share of each service provider in India

[75]. Reliance India had come out with a Rs. 480 ($10) priced internet enabled mobile


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phone. With mobile phones getting so cheap and consequently pervasive, India is

around the corner for implementation of mobile technology for the benefit of consumers,

operators, content providers and government. It promises to be a USD 1 billion industry

by 2010, if roadmaps are created and implemented properly [76].

Courtesy: Academic Open Internet Journal, Volume 21, 2007

Fig. 2.5 Market Share of mobile & wire line service providers in India

2.2.2 Need areas for mobile practices in India

Mobile technology has been embraced equally in all parts of India [157]. The

sheer number of mobile applications that are currently being used by the people is

astounding. The mobile phones are being used for several kinds of application in a wide

range of fields. Mobile Commerce is the field which deals with adapting mobile

applications for commercial purposes. Tiwari et al define Mobile Commerce as

business with ubiquitous mobile services is commonly referred to as Mobile

Commerce, which in a simplified definition may be regarded as an extension of

Electronic Commerce to wireless mediums [77].

Some of them are illustrated below. The list is not exhaustive but can be thought

of as a primer that discusses applications of mobile technology.


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(a)Banking and TradingMobile Banking refers to provision and availment of banking and financial services

with the help of mobile telecommunication devices. The scope of offered services may

include facilities to conduct bank and stock market transactions, to administer accounts

and to access customized information [78].

The paper by Tiwari et al categorizes mobile banking services into three broad

categories Mobile Accounting, Mobile Brokerage, and Mobile Financial Information.

Mobile Accounting includes activities like money remittances and transfers, changing

operative accounts, blocking lost cards, check book requests etc. Mobile Brokerage

broadly includes services like selling & purchasing financial instruments like securities.

Mobile Financial Information like balance inquiries / latest transactions, foreign

exchange rates, interest rates, stock and commodity prices, other account/bank relatedinformation [78].

In the Indian context, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently come out with

guidelines regarding the implementation of mobile banking in India [79]. Many Indian

banks like ICICI Bank, Axis Bank are offering mobile banking solutions to their

customers [80, 81]. Currently, there are several micro-financing applications that are

developed by nationalized and private sector banks for facilitating people to access

account information over mobile phones. In southern part of India, there are villages that

are running mobile trading businesses, purchasing and selling stocks over their cell

phones. In a collaborative effort with University of California, Berkeley, Tapan Parikh

has proposed a mobile banking system [82] that uses integrated camera cell phones for

capturing information and sending via mobile phones to banks and financial institutions

to perform transactions on personal bank accounts remotely.

(b)AgricultureIn the rural sections of the Indian society, very few people have access to internet

[158]. Due to limited wireless and wired internet services, people are deprived of onlineand distance learning programs that are popular in the urban areas. While most people

are not able to afford a computer and internet services, many people these days own a

cheap mobile phone with affordable monthly tariff plans that connect them to other parts

of the country. Indian service providers like Airtel have already partnered with agencies

like Indian Farmers' Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) to set up communities like


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IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (Farmer Communities) in states like Rajasthan [83]. In

the international context, mobile technology is being used in precision agriculture, and

data surveying used in crop production and horticulture [84]. In the Indian context,

opportunity exists in providing agricultural services like updates on prices and weather,

pesticides and insecticides information, subsidy allotment etc.

(c)EducationMobile education or m-education is the use of mobile technology in

education [85]. Mobile technology has provided an opportunity for instructors to deliver

course content efficiently, for interaction among students and in facilitating a student-

lecturer interaction. This mode of instruction is fast gaining popularity and has generated

considerable amount of interest from researchers and practitioners alike [86]. In theIndian context, a service provider Tata Teleservices, a part of the TATA conglomerate,

has started an initiative called Mobile Education (M-Education) in the country. Thiswas

done to aid learning in remote rural areas and to support the physically challenged [87].

In this model, the mobile is being used to offer educational content and take mock tests

on the move.

(d)CommercializationSoftware giants and mobile application vendors are considering numerous

applications for mobile phones that can be used for advertising and commercialization

purposes. Cisco Systems and Apple together have started a project to design a Mobile

Concierge for guest services in a commercial complex that can provide and one stop

portal for accessing all the information about the shops and services available within a

commercial complex plaza [159]. Another such example is that of the Japanese

departmental store Mitsukoshi which has introduced a mobile concierge service using

active RFID tags to improve customer service and access purchase histories [88].

(e)Public Health and MedicineIn the healthcare domain, mobiles have made an astounding impact. They have

been found to be useful for services like Mobile Telemonitoring, supporting working


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processes in hospitals, solutions for doctor calls and IT prosthetics among many others

[89]. Mobile Health Care Services provide a good alternative to people living in remote

locations and for those with little time.

In the Indian context, this technology addresses the larger issues of delivering

healthcare solutions to the millions in inaccessible regions. Mobile major Ericsson has

teamed up with Apollo Hospitals in India and introduced a mobile healthcare platform

[160]. Telemedicine is being delivered using technology like HSPA which is expected to

help in providing affordable and accessible healthcare to many [90]. A study by Dr.

Surya Bali et al found that Indians were quite receptive to the idea of mobile healthcare

even in rural regions. The authors suggest the use of mobile enabled services for

prescriptions, doctor appointments, and emergency mobile services among other benefits

[91]. Recently, ZMQ Software Systems, a mobile gaming company, also launched

system that would help rural women in prenatal care through SMSs and send tips onnutrition and food to ensure good health of the baby [92].

(f) TransportationMobile technology can be used in a wide range of applications such as enabling

paperless travel, self-service, online payments and check in, in flight entertainment, and

facilitating passenger flow management. Other applications include using mobile devices

as a channel for one to one marketing [93]. Many passenger support systems based on

mobile technology have been developed recently [94]. In the Indian context, mobile

based services like the eBusGuide which aims at improving public bus occupancies and

user satisfaction have been suggested [95]. The positives of using mobile technology in

transportation in the Indian have been documented in the Mobile Development Report

released by the Centre for Knowledge Societies (CKS) and commissioned by Nokia [96].

Another significant addition to this domain is through the use of Google Maps.

Accessing such services through mobile phones would make them ubiquitous; enabling

ease of navigation through local traffic updates and alerts.

(g)Linguistic InterfacesSDL, the world's leading provider of translation services and technology

solutions, has implemented the Volantis Intelligent Content Adaptation solution to

make FreeTranslation.com available to any mobile browser that can access the Internet


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[161]. The most popular language translation portal, FreeTranslation.com provides

mobile subscribers and international tourists with translations over a wide range of

languages [97]. Even Nokia has developed an application shoot-to-translate that

translates one language to another using image recognition mechanism. The application

translates text from one language to another using a photo taken by the mobile phone

camera. This shows another potential market for the use of mobile technology [98].

India is a multi-lingual country with over 30 different languages and each with

several dialects. There is immense need for portable translation services to enable people

from different regions to interact with each other. Linguistic mobile interface is a concept

that can be introduced to address this gap. Users can get mobile support for translation

into local languages. Such an application can be developed with a custom module of local

language word processor that can provide a known language conversion and assistance

on mobile phones.

2.2.3 Mobile communities in India

As discussed in the previous sections, the rapid acceptance of mobile phones and

equally fast development of mobile applications in several sectors in India clearly

indicates that mobile phones have become the most common mode of communication

among the people of India [157]. The wide use of cheap SMS and Voice calls by the

people for exchanging work and personal information over phones is routine among the

people of all generations. Students discuss class homework and examination material,

working professionals exchange business items and others share personal information

using mobile phones sitting in cars, buses, schools, hospitals, offices and homes. Just as

virtual communities are formed by the online interaction of people, mobile communities

are formed by the people who use their mobile phones for information exchange. In

India, various types of mobile communities are being formed that hold discussions on

mobile phones in the form of SMSs, voice based chat rooms and mobile forums [161].

In the past year, mobile communities like TSKBreakingNews, MutualFundGuru

and LIAFI have been created on the smsgupshup community site [162] and have gainedprominence. They currently have large active user lists and such instances show the

potential for mobile communities in urban India. A common thread found across all these

communities has been that these are primarily need based groups and have been started


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by people passionate about the community topic [161]. While such success has been seen

in urban India, rural India presents many challenges.

Regardless of the fact that mobile technology has been embraced in all parts of

India [157], rural people still lack the understanding of mobile communities and their

significance in everyday life [179]. Owing to the regional, economical, sociological and

demographical diversity in India, some areas utilize mobile technology more than the

others. Inherent advantage of quick accessibility of information, connectedness and

efficient communication has been a primary motivation for mobile phones use in urban

areas. Some people like school and college students have started using mobile phones for

socialization but the talks are limited to personal messages and chats. Although this is

one form of mobile community, people interact over mobile phones with no intentions to

build any kind of mobile discussion forum.

In order to widely accept a mobile culture in Indian democracy, it is important toemphasize the need of building mobile communities in various sectors of the society.

With the advent of ubiquitous mobile applications and services, India can be a mobile

economy in the coming future. Mobile communities can result into new business and

enhance existing businesses with low infrastructural costs. Such communities can provide

a good platform for teaching and learning, a way to gain social and emotional support

anytime and anywhere.

It is, therefore, important to explore ways of building sustainable mobile

communities in India.


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3. THEORY AND FRAMEWORK

3.1Mobile teaching communities

In this study, I research some of the barriers for the acceptance of mobile phones

for developing mobile communities for education in India. I define a model that

incorporates various aspects of building mobile communities and use it for educational

sector in India with the focus on educational communities in Health Care and Medicine.

It has been observed that even if a community is built, which itself is a very slow process,

it might not remain as productive and informative over a period of time. Sustainability is

therefore a major concern for online communities as well as mobile communities. Using

a Mobile Teaching Community (MTC) model, I suggest ways of building sustainable

mobile communities dedicated for teaching and learning. This model uses the Human

Performance Technology (HPT) model and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to

design a step by step approach to build mobile teaching communities. A brief overviewof Human Performance Technology model and Technology Acceptance Model is

provided in the following sections.

3.1.1 Human Performance Technology (HPT) Model

Educational technologist often associate education technology with performance

technology [103]. Tiem, Moseley and Dessinger envisage a Human Performance

Technology (HPT) Model that uses several aspects of instructional system design. In this

model, they describe a systematic approach in identifying and overcoming all the barriers

in performance by an individual or an organization [101]. It takes a systemic view of an

organization the success of which depends on the effective functioning of each unit and

how they fit into the whole. It takes into consideration all the environmental parameters

and constraints to lead to an outcome that is in line with the organizational goals,


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objectives and vision of the system. It focuses on the procedures that achieve desired

productivity, efficiency and quality with the required workforce skills [101].

In a business or an organization, HPT requires assessing the intermediate goals

such as quality improvement, customer retention and cost reduction as well as the final

outcome like sales, profits and market share. The performance improvement is critical for

HPT and is measured in terms of its level of meeting the intermediate and business

outcomes based on a collaborative effort of all the partners, clients and specialists. An

organizational improvement is highly based on collaborative working and sharing

responsibilities [101].

Like the ADDIE Model [167] that consists of five phases; Analysis, Design,

Development, Implementation and Evaluation/Control for Instructional Systems Design,

Human Performance Technology model also goes through similar rigor for any project

that aims to meet performance based on organizational behavior. HPT model is,therefore, applicable to a system which aims at continual performance improvement.

Mobile teaching communities also aim to develop and build mobile based educational

communities with a vision to improve teaching and learning in the society which is why

HPT process model is inherent to any model for building mobile educational community.


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3.1.2 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Many researchers have used Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to validate

their theories on application usage and acceptance behavior of users [108]. TAM

considers parameters such as ease of use and usefulness as perceived by the user for

evaluating the acceptance of a technology. It is a behavioral model that analyzes several

factors for gauging the ease of use a

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