The focus of ALPS is to develop work based assessment and learning for Health and Social care students. Developing mobile technologies to support students in practice is one of the work streams of ALPS. ALPS will implement mobile technologies to support both formative and summative assessment and learning for the students, university staff and professional practice staff working within the ALPS healthcare professions.
ALPS is working on the premise that practice assessment and learning can be delivered through formal and informal methods using hand held devices. Examples are the handheld computer (PDA) or mobile device such as a phone or smartphone. These devices can handle text, pictures, video and sound and can be connected to University Learning and Teaching systems and other social network tools over mobile communication networks and WiFi networks.
ALPS has specified a mobile services environment which will ensure that student and practice staff can access learning material and undertake assessments flexibly and securely. The assessment outcomes will be returned to the University Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that lecturers can manage the overall results and performance of the cohort of students.
University lecturers will be provided with tools to use the competency maps to develop assessments that can be undertaken using the mobile devices. Access to Digital Repositories is also being provided to enable Digital Assets such as pictures to be developed and included in any learning and assessment material.
Students will have access to e-mail, messaging, calendars and reflective learning tools.
The first phase ( to September 2006) of the ALPS mobile technology work involved running a pilot project at each HEI. These are now complete and are being written up.
The second phase (September 2006 to April 2007) involved producing a specification for the capital procurement of the ALPS Mobile Technology. ALPS produced a specification, ran a tender process and have selected T-Mobile with its application partners to supply goods and services to ALPS in the following areas:
The third phase (May 2007 onwards) is where ALPS engages with its commercial partners to start the implementation and trial of ALPS Mobile Technology Environment.