Bring HP LIFE e-Learning Self-Paced Interactions to Mobile Phones (Submitted by HP Life)
The Owner
HP LIFE e-Learning (HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs) is an HP Sustainability and Social Innovation Flagship Program for Entrepreneurship Education developed and deployed in partnership with the non-for-profit organization Education Development Center (EDC inc).
Background:
Unemployment and underemployment is a critical issue globally. To address this problem, the HP Office of Sustainability and Social Innovation has developed HP LIFE e-Learning, a free, online training program helping people around the world to gain the real-life IT and business skills needed to start or grow a very small business, in their own time, at their own pace. These web- based courses are interactive and full of information and practical exercises that give people the skills to develop their own livelihood.
The website features interactive modules, discussion forums, and growing mentorship opportunities, with many new features in development. The goal of the website is to reach as many potential learners in as many parts of the world as possible, sharing the business knowledge and technology skills and resources.
Since the official launch of HP LIFE e-Learning in November 2012, over 50,000 users from 202 countries and territories have registered. Users have reported high levels of satisfaction with the self-paced learning activities.
The Problem:
Currently, the e-Learning program is fully available only to users who have access to desktop or laptop computers. However, in many countries, it is difficult for most of the target population to access a desktop computer on a regular basis. In addition, more and more people worldwide are using mobile devices as their main technological device. The large number of people globally who access the Internet primarily through mobile devices are not yet able to make full use of HP LIFE e-Learning.
The majority of self-paced learning material on the HP LIFE e-Learning is currently designed to be viewed through a web browser on a desktop computer. While the main site itself is viewable through a mobile device, the interactive activities that comprise the core learning activities in the self-paced courses are not optimally compatible with mobile web browsers. On most web- browser-equipped phones and smartphones, these activities (created using Articulate Storyline rapid e-learning development software) are not very viewable or usable. In order to benefit the widest possible audiences, including in under-resourced areas, the HP LIFE team needs to develop solutions using existing features of Storyline that can help make these interactive learning activities more mobile friendly.
The Challenge:
The Hackathon team is invited to help address three important challenges:

1. Review the existing self-paced interactions in HP LIFE e-Learning and recommend what types of content and interactions would work best and be most valuable to users accessing the site from mobile phone.
2. Use the free trial of Articulate Storyline to prototype one or more applicable self-paced learning interactions that will work well on a range of mobile phones that have modern web browsers.
3. For future consideration, recommend other effective ways to enhance one or more self- paced activities to be fully usable from mobile devices, also enhancing the user experience of mobile users by capitalizing on the additional interactions modes (e.g. multi-touch, gesture recognition, etc) available on their devices, whether or not these modes can be implemented using Storyline.
The Impact:
According to the International Labour Organization’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2012 report, there are more than 75 million unemployed youth around the world who need access to educational resources that could help them develop skills and ideas. Mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular as a user’s main technological device. In many developing countries, mobile devices are often the sole technology used by an individual or family. Combine the two and there is opportunity to apply all sorts of technologies and devices t o increase the reach of HP LIFE e- Learning and the eventual social and economic impact the program provides. More than 45,000 users have been registered on the E-Learning website. A solution that helps bring Storyline’s capabilities into use through a mobile device would impact registered users and allow many more new users to access the site and its resources.
Feedback shows the receptivity and benefit of the program’s e-learning courses:
Johnson I. from Kenya in “Finding Funding”:
“This is very powerful learning resource for determining the type of funding and the best way to receive funding for your business.”
Bharath Naga... from India, in “Unique Value Proposition”:
“I learnt how to compare my products with my competitors and how to stand out in the crowd.”
AGharib12 from Egypt, in “Effective Presentations”:
“This was really helpful for me, it helped in understanding the presentation concept much better.”
Thomas Cliff... from Australia, in “Cash Flow”:
“Now I have really understand cash flow management and going to use it effectively of the success of my business.”
The Technology
The primary self-paced learning activities on HP LIFE e-Learning were developed using a new rapid authoring tool, Articulate Storyline (http://www.articulate.com/products/storyline- overview.php). This e-learning authoring tool has ability to publish output in Flash and HTML5, and offers compatibility with some mobile devices. Storyline is a self-contained authoring tool with its own built-in coding language. It does not require the use of any other platforms, operating systems, or frameworks. Hackathon participants can be provided with Storyline source files from the HP LIFE project for prototyping and testing during the Hackathon. In the long term, the HP

LIFE team would be interested in learning about other authoring tools or related related strategies for developing interactions for mobile devices; the HP LIFE team’s most immediate interest is in learning from the Hackathon participants about new ways of using Articulate Storyline for mobile.
Hackathon participants can download the free Acticulate Storyline free trial along with accessing tutorials and support forums at http://www.articulate.com/products/storyline-overview.php.
To learn more about the existing HP LIFE e-Learning curriculum, Hackathon participants are invited to register at e-learning.life-global.org for free access the existing HP LIFE e-Learning courses .
After the Hackathon:
The HP LIFE e-learning development team at Education Development Center, Inc. will build on the work of the Hackathon team as it moves forward in making HP LIFE e-Learning increasingly mobile-friendly. The HP LIFE team would welcome ongoing involvement by members of the Hackathon team who wish to stay involved.
