Educational Content Development and Mobile Synchronization Application
Customer
The client is a UK based educational company that brings together the experience and expertise of educationalists, learning technologists, and media professionals to consult on a wide range of educational projects. Identified as Yorkshire Forward high growth company, the client has partners who range from government organizations to schools, universities, and other educational services.
Business Case
The customer was looking for an offshore development company experienced in web and mobile development to create a set of tools that would allow the following:
- Instructors to create content via the online content builder or upload existing documents.
- Instructors to distribute created or uploaded content to different kinds of users based on assigned courses.
- Instructors and students to have access to a central content repository where they can upload to and download from.
- School to have an ability to purchase content from the repository and send it out to users’ mobile devices.
- Users to be able to share content which would be send to their mobile devices.
Challenges
Timetable was a crucial factor for the project as it was essential that this product reaches market at the earliest possible timeframe. SolovatSoft allocated appropriate resources to review the requirements, develop specification documents, and complete development on time and budget.
Solution
The developed solution contained four entities: web-based content creation tool, searchable content repository, web-based management system, and windows mobile client application.
Web based content creation tool
The development of a web based content creation tool allows users to create Flash Lite 2.1 educational resources through a simple form fill exercise. Content consists of slides that have the following features:
- Support text, video, audio, and swf animation.
- Can be modified through WYSIWYG editor
- Can be displayed and moved based on user requirements
- Can have various backgrounds and fonts
- If a slide is a test or a questionnaire, the user progress is tracked in a standalone file.
Searchable content repository
Once created content can be submitted to the searchable content repository. The user is given the opportunity to tag the content with meta-data. Tags would include: subject, key stage, content level, author information, date created, learning time, and keywords.
Web based management system
The web based management system allows a teacher to select and send multiple content types (Flash Lite created in builder, External Flash Lite Content, Office documents, video, audio, images etc.) and applications (cab files) to a mobile device. The web interface would present all content on the device to both a teacher and a student.
Windows mobile client application
This is a client application that runs on Windows Mobile devices. The application performs synchronization of files between the device and the management system.
If the upload / download process is disrupted, the application recommences from the point of disruption.
Tools and Technologies
IIS 6.0, MS SQL Server 2005, ASP.NET 2.0, C#, XML, AJAX, Windows Mobile 5.0, Flash Lite 2.1.
