Engaging Children to Science Subject: A Heuristic Evaluation of Mobile Learning Prototype

As mobile devices become increasingly prominent in the lives of children worldwide, many researchers are experimenting with the use of these popular devices for a range of different teaching and learning purposes. A mobile learning application for the young ones should be designed and developed with respect to their technological skill, learning capability and language proficiency. This paper discusses the heuristic evaluation of a mobile learning prototype for children aged between 10 and 12 years old. It was developed using JCreator LE and Sun Wireless Toolkit 2.5.2 platform software. The prototype consists of learning material from the Science subject that is taught in all primary schools in Malaysia. It focuses on a subtopic relating to Basic Needs of Human. The researchers envisioned that such application can be used as a revision aid that will complement the use of textbooks and workbooks in the classroom learning. The first prototype was evaluated using heuristic evaluation technique with five software ergonomic experts. The evaluation revealed few design issues that should be refined in order to improve its usability before testing it on the real users, the children. It is hoped that the mobile learning prototype will boost the interest of Malaysian children to learn Science at their own pace, regardless of time and location.