Rationale A GRefe is based on Learning Programs (LPs). ComGRefe is organized in four LPs, namely: (1) Bases; (2) Methods; (3) Challenges; (4) Solutions. Each program has a period of one year and supports six theme areas of knowledge: (1) Computer Science; (2) Electronic; (3) Mathematics; (4) Physics; (5) Philosophy; (6) Linguistics (Portuguese, English, etc). Each LP area has a professor and is composed by a group of activities used to teach, like: thematic workshops, lectures, experiments using the laboratories and classes. Besides that, each LP has a special kind of activity called Learning Project. We are applying the HP mobile technology to improve the innovative pedagogical approach of the Computer Engineering program of reference.

LOCAL architecture. Implementation (technology) The equipments received are being used in several Learning Projects, for example: (1) use of access points, iPAQs and tablet PCs to create several kinds of mobile robots; (2) use of mobile computing to automate residences and industries (controling doors, video cameras and energy consumption); (3) integration between mobile technology and RFIDs to automatic control of parkings; (4) use of iPAQs, tablet PCs and RFIDs in the development of multiplayer and pervasive games; (5) use of wireless technology to determine the physical location of devices and to explore Location Based Services (LBSs). Besides, the equipments are being specifically applied in the activities of each theme area, for example, the physics area found a wide range of utilities for sensors connected to tablet PCs. The sensors and mobile devices are used in and out of the classroom. Outside the classroom, a tablet PC device connected to a sensor and an A/D converter provides the equipment necessary for collecting data, anywhere in the field of experiment. Recently we expanded our research to create a model to support ubiquitous learning in ComGRefe. The model is called LOCAL (LOcation and Context Aware Learning). The first version of LOCAL was composed by six components (see the figure). The first is a user profile system that stores information related to the learning process. The second is a location system. The third is the Personal Assistant, which resides in the mobile device. The fourth is a learning object repository, which stores and indexes content related to the teaching process. The fifth component is a contextual message sending system, and the sixth is an analysis engine (Tutor), capable of making inferences by using the data supplied by the profiles and the location system.

Tablets being used for language teaching Impact on Student Learning ComGRefe was created in 2003. Since its beginning, the Learning Projects were always used as primary pedagogical instruments. The grant was gained at the end of 2004 and the equipments were received during the first half of 2005. The effective use of mobile devices initiated one year ago. Since then, all learning projects are based on mobile technology. The equipments received in the grant were a major stimulus to the development of more complex projects. Currently, the major activities of the four learning programs are based on the mobile equipments (see the photo). Also, the students have been using the iPAQs and tablet PCs in a great deal of their daily activities. In brief, we hope to apply our environment of ubiquitous learning in the computer engineering context. This environment is based on physical position technology and supports Location Based Services oriented to learning and teaching. More photos and information about the project can be found in [3].

This project supported in part by an HP Technology for Teaching grant.

Quick Facts Project Title: CoolUnisinos - Mobile Computing in Unisinos Institution: Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - Mobile Computing Lab Project Scene: Graduate Program of Reference - Computer Engineering School Professors Involved: 24 Students Involved: around 80 Learning Programs (LP) Involved: 4 Themes Area Involved in each LP: 6

Implementation (pedagogy) At the beginning of the project we had two pedagogical objectives: (1) first of all, we were interested in using wireless and mobile technology to improve the Learning Projects. LPs are the main pedagogical activities because they integrate all areas in a practical framework, where all professors and students participate; (2) besides, we were interested in supporting the specific activities of each theme area of knowledge. More recently, we expand our interest to explore the pedagogical opportunities in the context of ubiquitous learning.

Impact on Teaching Each Learning Program of ComGRefe has a weekly meeting of professors. During this meeting, the professor of each theme area tells about his/her experience during the week. Besides, each Learning Project coordinator tells about the evolution of project activities. Based on these meetings, it was possible to measure the successfull impact of using mobile equipments in theme areas activities and projects. The increasing complexity of the Learning Projects indicates that the use of mobile devices motivates both professors and students in a significant way. Besides, the increasing experience of the staff with HP mobile technology is being a determinative factor to increase the quality of the results. We still do not have results to measure the impact of the ubiquitous learning in the teaching and in the learning.

References [1] Unisinos site. http://www.unisinos.br/english/ [2] ComGRefe site. http://www.unisinos.br/graduacao/bacharelado/eng_comp [3] MobiLab site. http://www.inf.unisinos.br/~mobilab/index_eng.html [4] HP/Unisinos/MobiLab Partnership - Success History. http://hp.com

Contact Us Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Jorge Luis Victória Barbosa Mobile Computing Lab - Unisinos Email: jbarbosa@unisinos.br Project website: http://www.inf.unisinos.br/~barbosa