Description:
The advancement in Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) has brought opportunities for new ways of
learning in Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) through e-learning
systems. While these opportunities exist, e-learning contents delivery
and accessibility in third world countries like Tanzania is still a
challenge due to resource and network constrained environments.
The challenges include: high cost of bandwidth connection and
usage; high dependency on the Internet; limited mobility and
portability features; inaccessibility during offline period and
shortage of ICT facilities. So there is a need for a technology to
bridge these gaps. This paper explores the opportunities brought by
mobile technologies to find out a cost-effective solution for elearning content delivery and accessibility in HLIs of Tanzania.
Specifically, the paper proposes a Cost-effective Mobile Based
Learning Content Delivery approach for resource and network
constrained environments. The proposed solution has the potential
to reduce the cost of bandwidth usage, and cut down server’s
workload and Internet usage overhead by synchronizing contents
from a remote server to a local database in the user’s device for
offline use. It will also improve the quality of experience and
participation of learners as well as facilitate mobility and portability
in learning activities