OTEN SMS Trials 2004 & 2005

Presented by

Paula E. Williams

eLearning Development Officer

WSI OTEN TAFE NSW

SMS Project Brief For NSW Learnscope

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BackgroundIn 2004 close to 40% of students provided OTEN with a mobile phone number. When 3,000 of those were randomly selected for a survey 79% said ‘yes’ that they wanted to be contacted by SMS.

In 2005 60% of OTEN students supplied a mobile phone number on their enrolment form.

In 2006 90% of OTEN students supplied mobile phone numbers and 85% of those have opted to be contacted by SMS.

OTEN SMS Trials

The 2005 SMS Trials

The 2005 trials involved six trials over two stages.

In these trials OTEN used the DET’s exchange account to send a one-way text message to 2,320 students, to investigate its effectiveness as an alternative communication tool for connecting with students studying by distance education.

The aim of using one-way messaging was as a motivational reminder.

InformationMotivation

OPTUSITD

Dept Education

&Training

OPTUSITD

Dept Education

&Training

SMS

OTEN -SMS TRIAL 2005OTEN -SMS TRIAL 2005

SMTP

Stage IStage I

ebusinessInformation

Survey (www.surveymonkey) on OLS to gather feedback of trial from target groups/teachers

Workshops

OLS

SMTP SMS ConnectorOTEN OLSMAIL

Oten.OLSMail@det.nsw.edu.au

Reminder messages students studying courses in

Industries and Access and Equity

Industries:

1. Timber Framing Code

e-Business

Access & Equity1. HSC year 122. HSC Chem/Physics3. CGVE4. TVET

Reminders

1. Non Working StudentsIndustry/Business/Access &Equity

SMS = 850 Email = 850 Control (Nil) = 850

Motivation

Txt Msg : (151 Characters)

“F:OTEN……S: ….. M: …” Reminders/Motivation/Engagement

Evaluation: Client Contact Feedback and OLS database(Feedback collected from teachers who responded to calls generated as a result of SMS and logons collected from OLS database for NWS.)

Total (n = 2,320) students sent one-way SMS using Optus via SMTP gateway through IT Networks, NSW Department Education

and Training (DET)

Outcomes to OTEN SMS Trial 2005

One-way Messaging: Although this trial used one-way text messaging only, it did

manage to prompt some students to engage with OTEN be it on the OLS or by contacting their teacher.

Reasons why the use of SMS was not effective relate to:

poor timing, limitation on the amount of characters that could be sent in any one given

message. Non user friendly template provided by ITD could not be changed.

What has been learnt:

These trials have identified the problems of one-way messaging which should be taken into consideration when designing SMS prompts in the future.

The Do’s and Don’ts of using SMS

Negative response to SMS: Don’tsTVET Courses <19 M/F Response rate to SMS low re: assignment reminders

Year 10 students’ feedback to SMS reminders was low.

CGVE 4190 <19 MF Response rate to SMS low re: CGVE apply for more modules

Timber Framing 2182D /7946D All age Response rate to SMS low re: promotion of optional workshopOne-way messaging in this case did not engage new business. Ideally this needs to be a two-way communication in order to be an effective marketing strategy..

Positive response to SMS DO’s

HSC - 4142 Chem/Phys - <19 years old M/F Attendance to practical exam at Blacktown TAFE

The SMS had a profound effect on all the attendees

SMS assisted as a timely alert to students 2 days before this particular practical exam.

SMS is beneficial when it addresses a specific service

The Do’s and Don’ts of using SMS

Positive Response to SMS -Non Working Student

Trial Type

Total Trial

Students

Total Students who Visited an OLS

Support Page till 30 June

Percentage

Sent SMS

850 82 9.6 %

Sent Email

850 124 14.5%

No contact

(Control)

846 45 5.3%

Email motivated the students threefold to access the OLS and twofold by SMS in relation to the normal control.

In this trial SMS was a strong communication tool for sending motivating messages.

DISCUSSION:

Like any advertising, timing and wording is critical, SMS more so than email needs to be thought out carefully when using it for marketing and motivation purposes. Because SMS is limited in characters unlike email it needs to be right first time and clever to be effective.

The SMS reminders could impose a negative connotation if used in one-way text messaging as ‘what I have not done’. Again depending on the reminder this maybe the message intended.

SMS should not always have to elicit a response but rather engage them to access URL’s for more learning support.

Western Sydney Institute TAFE NSW

http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/business/products/sms.htm#online

Aim: Course Information Service to potential clients wishing to study with TAFE

Method:

WSI TAFE advertised a mobile number on marketing materials that could be used for potential or existing students wishing to learn more about TAFE courses offered at WSI.

Student Services received course enquiries via an SMS and provided information to potential students in a txt Msg. using Telstra web page.

WSI Student Services Recommendations

Result:

Staff feedback on technology used:

Inappropriate platform

Other issues identified:1. open ended questions which would really be more suitable

for an email response 2. TAFE reputation: encourages poor use of English - SMS

speak. 3. Viewed as unsolicited mail verging on spam mail.

Recommendation:IVR

Recommendations OTENTeachers can email to student’s mobile phones asynchronously or

synchronously. This could be used to:

Broadcast information and announcements

Prompt students to access websites to complete an activity.

Remind students about assignment tasks and exam deadlines.

Email students a simple short answer question which the student would receive by SMS and reply with his/her answer.

Future possibilities: deliver assignment content by MMS as evidence-based assessment.

Further options would be to download online assessment activities from the OLS to their PDAs to be forwarded back when completed to the LA warehouse.

These ideas have been explored involving SMS and other mobile technology systems in 2006 LearnScope projects.

.

Next Stage…integrate our systems with 3g networks

To establish a personalized learning communication system that can be monitored through a centralized application system to all OTEN students using a Message Content Data-Base.

Future 2007-2008

Hi dudes !C g8 pic of my lil brother with nu ipod goto Mpeg + hear downloads on my blogsite..

MMS

Audiopeg andVideo Messaging…..

What is the medical terminology for low red and white cells and platelets found in the peripheral blood?

Pancyto-paenia

3rd party Medical Terminolgy Quizz Data Base

3rd party Medical Terminolgy Quizz Data Base

SMS

1. Iron oxide

2. Hydrochloride

3. Potassium Chloride

4. Sodium Hydroxide

5. Silver Cyanide

Write chemical symbol for following compounds?

FeOHClKClNaOHAgCN

SMS Chemistry Quizz

SMS

The SMS trial will give OTEN the opportunity to provide greater feedback and communication to enhance student support for Personalised Learning

LA 3459due in 2days1/5/05

OTEN Learning Support Site - Student Calendar

Students will have the choice via OLS to have messages communicated to them either by SMS/Email/Post

InformationDeliveryMotivation

SMS/Email/PostSMS/Email/Post

Future Outcome of TrialFuture Outcome of Trial Future 2007-2008Future 2007-2008

SMSSMS

Broadcast SMS

MessageContent

Data Base

MessageContent

Data Base

ebusinessInformation

OLS PLANNER

MMSMMS

Mp3/audioMp3/audio

Video MpegsVideo Mpegs