“USiena” vs “only video”: comparing the two models for a mobile course design

The aim of the research is to investigate how the technological tools that support traditional teaching methods (such as the video files recorded by the lecturer) help learners to study improving their evaluations for examinations. Starting from multimedia learning theories, a mobile course model has been designed using the User-Centered Design methodology (USiena) and the experimental method has been used to carry out a "pilot study" with 32 students. The goal of experimentation was to compare learning results through four experiments, performed in a "mobility environment" (an outdoor area near the university building, using an iPad with "iTunesU App" installed). The experimental hypothesis was that USiena model would favor the contents transmission, compared to a model that only provides for the - lecturer vision that explains (Sparring). The experimentation results have confirmed this hypothesis: students who used USiena model have obtained an average score of 26/30, against a 22/30 rating for the "video-only" model.